The best culinary destinations in Greece feted at HORECA 2020
This year, Chef’s Club of Greece and the HORECA trade show launched the “The Best Gastronomic Destinations – Restaurants” awards, celebrating restaurants and hotels that support Greek gastro-tourism.

On Sunday, February 9, 2020, at the Gastronomy Forum stage in Hall 4, the Chef’s Club of Greece and HORECA, feted a series of restaurants from various regions of Greece, which are among the top culinary destinations in the country and are promoting local products, local cuisine and the regions themselves all across the world

The businesses awarded for their contribution to Greek food, are: Elaionas in Zaros (Crete), Toula’s Restaurant (Corfu), 1926 (Naxos), Aristi Mountain Resort (Epirus), and Etan ena mikro karabi (Tinos). 

Mr Thanassis Gialouris presented an award to Mr Dimitris Kolemakis for Elaionas restaurant in Zaros, Crete. Mr Kolemakis said that “For 15 years we have been trying to promote the authentic Cretan cuisine and gastronomy from our restaurant, and we are very grateful for the award. This recognition from such significant institutions just proves that we are on the right track.”

See the full article at the official source Horecaexpo: https://horecaexpo.gr/en/the-best-culinary-destinations-in-greece-feted-at-horeca-2020/

Crisis cultivates initiative at Cretan resort

By Elis Kiss

So you thought that the Greek tourism season would be over by now? Not according to the Saridakis family, who are now awaiting the arrival of this year’s first guests for their hands-on fall/winter vacation packages.

At the Eleonas agritourism resort in the village of Zaros, on the slopes of UNESCO classified Mountain Psiloritis in southern Crete, fall and a part of the winter season will be creatively busy, as the “Made in Crete” programs, cooking and olive harvesting courses, debut at the end of October and run to March next year.

From “mezes” and Cretan meat platters to collecting olives in the Saridakis groves, the allure of the Mediterranean diet will be combined with the opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge of seasonal local produce, not to mention take part in wine and raki tastings.

There’s something to be said about collecting rosemary and sage from the herb garden and fresh eggs from the farmyard before gathering in the kitchen to prepare familiar dishes such as moussaka, but also signature local platters including “sfougato me vrouves” (omelet with wild mustard greens) and baby lamb with famed “stamnagathi” (spiny chicory). At Eleonas, all the ingredients are either homegrown on the family farm or sourced within a 5-kilometer range.

Both the cooking and olive harvest courses have already drawn interest and bookings from visitors in France, the Netherlands and Britain.

“So far, they all seem to be interested in the Cretan diet and the production of olive oil, for instance,” said Manolis Saridakis. “It’s about recipes passed on from grandmother to daughter through time. It’s about taking your time cooking, about slow food, even when frying potatoes in olive oil.”

Ever since establishing the Eleonas resort seven years ago, the Saridakis family have been taking advantage of their natural resources and kitchen skills by offering a variety of cooking lessons for guests. The Made in Greece packages, however, are now providing a more organized platform for this kind of activity, while at the same offering a much-needed opportunity to extend the tourism season -- the prime reason behind the new Eleonas venture.

“Unfortunately, fewer Greeks are going on vacation these days and there is no aid coming from anywhere else,” said Saridakis.

Though the idea of the cooking courses and olive harvesting had been planted well before the current crisis, the need to reach out through new projects has taken on a new urgency in the last couple of years. According to Saridakis, although the last summer season was a deemed a good one, 95 percent of the resort’s clientele flew in from Britain.

Read more at the official source : ekathimerini.com 

Eleonas: a stunning mountain retreat with glorious home-cooked Cretan cuisine

In the mountains of southern Crete, just off the sleepy village of Zaros…amidst olive groves, grape vines and wild mountain herbs lies Eleonas - a stunning agro-tourism settlement of traditional mountain cottages. Before this trip, I had never been to one of these eco-tourism retreats before, hence I was a little curious if the remote isolation of such a place would be tedious or liberating. But after just a single breath of the rosemary and sage scented mountain air and that first glimpse of the dramatic rocky peaks of Mount Psiloritis in the backdrop against the open blue skies, I felt a million miles away from the usual chaos and realities of urban life.

The brainchild of owner Manolis Saridakis, Eleonas’ traditional stone cottages centre around their superb taverna and tranquil resort pool. They run their own farm on-site… growing their own fruits, herbs and veges… producing their own extra virgin olive oil… even keeping lambs, goats and chickens in feed. Guests are welcome to partake in a range of agro-activities from the feeding of animals to hands-on cooking lessons. For adventurists, there are a number of hikes and biking routes of varying difficulty in the surrounding area which feature towering gorges and serene lakes. And if you have your own wheels (a pre-requisite if you want to properly explore and take in the raw beauty of the island), some of the Crete’s most magnificent beaches on it’s South Coast are just an hours drive away. All in all, it’s the perfect escape from your usual over-crowded, commercialised break.

Read more at the official source : Theboywhoatetheworld.com