Discovering a culture through its food is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Traveling to do so makes that experience even tastier.
We organize specialty culinary tours for recreational cooks, food lovers, and food and beverage professionals. Our clients have included the American Dietetics Association, the International Olive Oil Council, the Culinary Institute of America, and editorial and r&d teams from major American magazines such as (now-defunct) Gourmet and the Panera chain of casual restaurants.
Currently, we are offering three unique trips, which may be booked by groups of 10 to 100 at various times of the year, depending mainly on your needs as a group. We also can design tailor-made culinary adventures to any corner of Greece.
With 20 years’ experience as one of the country’s top food journalists and a globally recognized name in Greek food and cooking, I have built a network of the best artisan food and wine producers around Greece. That expertise, coupled with intimate knowledge of Greece’s most beautiful, hidden natural treasures, make our trips among the most enticing in the Mediterranean.
Our Glorious Greek Cooking School and Tours offer unique, unforgettable experiences in one of the oldest cultures and cuisines in the Mediterranean.
To book, contact me here.
Glorious Greek – Cyclades Cuisine & Culture Tour
Athens-Naxos-Santorini.
8-Day Journey
Dates:
The trip starts in cosmopolitan Athens and then moves on to two of the most important and beautiful islands, Naxos and Santorini. You’ll get to know the cuisine and culture of Greece in a fabulous program that includes:
* Hands-on and Demo classes with premiere Greek chefs and Diane Kochilas
* Visits and hands-on cooking classes inside local village homes for an incredible glimpse of the authentic country cooking of Greece
* Visits to acclaimed food artisans, including award-winning winemakers, cheese makers and more
* Market tours
* Presentations on Greek archeology, history, and cuisine by noted experts
* Visits to major historical and archeological sites
* Carefully structured menus that give the widest possible dining experiences
We will make sure you feel at home and well-informed by providing background material on Greek cuisine, wines, spirits, food products, etc.; English language recipes of all foods and dishes sampled; a list of restaurants, shops, and other points of interest for each venue to facilitate your own exploration of each place.
To book, contact me here.
SAMPLE PROGRAM
DAY 1
Arrive Athens.
Welcome Dinner with a view of the Acropolis.
Day 2
a.m. Visit Acropolis Museum and Acropolis with guide
Afternoon free
Early Evening
Wine – makers’ dinner at the restaurant of one of Athens’ top chefs. Talk: Introduction to Greek Wines & Spirits
Day 3
Early a.m. options:
- Market tour at Athens Central Market
- Healthy Greek Sweets. Cooking Class with noted Greek Pastry Chef
- Visit to the National Archeological Museum
Afternoon free to roam
Early Evening:
Casual dinner at a meze restaurant (places specializing in small plates of food to share and savor communally)in central Athens. Casual theme and presentation on the Continuity of Greek Cuisine from Classical Athens to Now by noted nutritionist
Day 4 Options:
a.m. Depart for Naxos (an island in the Cyclades Islands) by plane
Late a.m. arrive in Naxos.
Settle into top boutique hotel (with a great restaurant)
Lecture and presentation on the history of the Cyclades with an emphasis on the 400-year Venetian presence.
Tour of the Fortress, which was an old Venetian stronghold.
Free time to roam around Hora, the island’s capital. Or beach time (weather permitting).
Later afternoon hands-on cooking session and dinner at one of the quaintest Agrotourism estates with Diane Kochilas and an island cook.
Theme: Aegean Cuisine for All
Day 5
Early a.m. Two food-and-spirits-related tours:
Visit one of Naxos’ famed cheese makers. Cheese tasting of the island’s formidable cheeses.
Visit to the most famous Kitro producer. (Kitro is a citrus-based liqueur made only on Naxos.)
Free time or beach time, weather permitting.
Rest of day free
Dinner at a local taverna with local specialties. Casual discussion and presentation by Diane Kochilas on the foods of the Cyclades and the nutritional treasures of a “poor” man’s diet.
Day 6
a.m. departure for Santorini by boat.
Mid morning, arrive Santorini. Settle into hotel in Oia.
Free time to explore Oia and neighboring village.
Mid afternoon: Vineyard visit at Paris Sigallas winery and lunch at the winery. Tasting of Santorini’s unique volcanic-soil wines and casual presentation of the wines by a noted expert.
Return to Oia to relax.
Evening departure for sunset dinner at a fish taverna on the water with a view of the Caldera (volcano).
Day 7
a.m. Visit Akrotyri, the stunning neolothic archeological site, and then visit the Santorini archeological museum. Guided tours of both.
Light snack al fresco and then onto the red-sand or black-sand beach, weather permitting.
Back to Ia to relax and change.
Early evening departure for Selene restaurant, with cooking demo and dinner by chef Constantina Faklari and owner Yiorgos Hatziyanakis.
Extensive cheese tasting of Cyclades cheeses.
Day 8
Depart for Athens and home.
Cost: $3650 per person, double occupancy
15% single-occupancy supplement
GLORIOUS GREEK – CRETE FOR FOOD LOVERS
Dates:
Our Glorious Greek “Crete for Food Lovers” tour encompasses history, hands-on and demo cooking classes, wine, honey, and olive oil tastings, discussions on the ancient and contemporary cuisines of Crete, museum and archeological site visits, and contact with the island’s venerable agricultural and village traditions.
We take you on a journey through Crete that brings you in touch with an island few tourists every get to see.
Our tour is centered in and around Chania, where some of the most pristine nature and perfectly preserved historical sites exist side by side. We stay in top accommodations.
Crete, a cornucopia of great food, hospitable people, and stunning natural beauty, is an island paradise with a distinctly mainland feel to it. You discover delicious foods that are both exotic and accessible, simple cooking techniques to make your own home cooking healthier and tastier, and a warmth and generosity of spirit in every encounter that is at the heart of every Mediterranean dining experience.
SAMPLE PROGRAM
Day 1
Arrive Athens
Two nights in Athens at 4-star centrally located hotel.
Upon arrival, participants will receive a list of local points of interest, restaurants etc., to help them explore the area before the evening’s activities.
20.30 Evening Welcome Reception and Dinner with top Greek chef at one of Athens’ finest restaurants
Day 2
Traditional Greek Breakfast at Hotel.
Morning walk and tour of Acropolis and Acropolis Museum
Early afternoon Lecture and Lunch near the Ancient Agora
Theme: Ancient Ingredients, Modern Flavors of Greek Cuisine
Later afternoon and evening free
List of local restaurants and tavernas and points of interest will be provided.
Day 3
Breakfast at Hotel
Morning Departure for Chania, Crete
Noon: tour of the central market in Chania
Mid-afternoon lunch near the market
Afternoon free
Early Evening: Visit a local nearby village, Vamos, where group disperses into local homes for cooking demo and class with local home cooks
Dinner in each home
Late evening return to Chania
Day 4
Breakfast at Hotel
Early morning departure for local bread baker and beekeeper and tasting of Cretan rusks and honey
Lunch in a local taverna, with regional, homemade specialties
Afternoon free to roam / Optional late afternoon swimming, weather permitting
Evening: Winery Dinner and Cooking Class at one of the grandest Cretan Wineries and Estates. Theme:
Crete’s Healthy Meze Culture
Tasting of Cretan wines
Day 5
Breakfast at Hotel
Morning free to roam and/or swim
Late afternoon-evening cooking class and olive oil tasting
Theme: Olive Oil Cuisine of Crete: Hands-on cooking lesson with Diane Kochilas and local chef at one of the area’s most charming and beautiful estates.
Tasting of Cretan olive oils.
Dinner al fresco at the estate
Day 6
Early morning departure for the mountains.
Day’s Theme: Cheese, Greens and the Natural Beauty of Western Crete
A day out in the country visiting cheese makers, plucking fresh greens, and going on a nature walk in the Samaria Gorge
Lunch al fresco or in a local taverna.
EVENING FREE TO ROAM CHANIA
OR
OPTIONAL EXCURSION TO KNOSSOS – 2 ½ HOURS AWAY WITH GUIDED TOUR AND VISIT TO ARHANES FOR LUNCH. RETURN IN THE EVENING
Day 7
Morning visit to local Monastery. Light snack in monastery. Casual presentation on the role of religion in the dietary customs of the Greeks.
Afternoon free. / optional swimming
Later afternoon departure for Babi’s restaurant for our gala cooking class with local chef / cooks and farewell dinner.
Day 8
Depart for home (Chania-Athens)
Cost: $3650 per person, double occupancy
15% additional supplement for single occupancy
Wine Roads of Northern Greece: An 8-Day Culinary Journey
On this trip, I work together with a friend, Peter Minakis, aka Kalofagas, one of the most popular Greek food bloggers. We put together an unforgettable culinary and cultural journey through the undiscovered wine country of Northern Greece.
You will visit Greece’s most renowned vineyards, meet her most accomplished wine makers and live the experience of the grape harvest, visit bustling markets, dine on a vast range of Northern Greek specialties from hand-made phyllo pies to a rainbow of meze plates to haute molecular cuisine, game, seafood, fabulous desserts and more. And, of course, you will sip some of the most delicious, and undiscovered, wines and spirits in the world.
Thessaloniki, sometimes called the Sweet Mother because of its tradition in pastry and confection, will be our base. We will stay in one of the city’s top hotels. Our culinary journey will include:
• A visit to Naoussa or Amyntaion, complete with wine-maker feasts, tastings, and several unforgettable meals by some of Greece’s top regional chefs
• Visits to the Babatzim organic winery and distillery where we will meet the owner, Anestis Babatzim, a modern-day Zorba the Greek
• Visit to Epanomi and the Gerovasiliou Estate, home of countless award-winning wines and one of the largest wine museums in Europe
• Hands-on and demo cooking classes with Diane Kochilas and local cooks, where we will learn the art of phyllo, of preparing meze, of fish and seafood cookery, of making healthy, delicious pastries, and more
• Day trip to a unique nature preserve and/or to a unique game farm.
• Tour of the Modiano, Thessaloniki’s most famous market, with samplings of local specialties at every stop
• A tour of the stunning archeological site of Pella and Vergina, Alexander the Great’s birthplace.
• Walking tour of Thessaloniki, which has been a vibrant city for more than two millennia, where we will visit ancient, Byzantine, Roman, Ottoman and Jewish landmarks.
• Excursion to Xanthi, one of the most picturesque cities in Greece.
• Visits with local food artisans and producers, farmers, distillers, bakers, confectioners and more.
Sample Program
(Subject to change)
Day 1
Arrive Thessaloniki
Settle into Daios or Electra Hotel, near Aristotelous Square
Welcome dinner (TBA)
Day 2
Walking tour: Layers History on the Streets of Salonika (Ancient, Roman, Byzantine, Jewish, etc.) 3 hour walking tour of the city with an excellent guide.
Noon lunch TBA
Afternoon free. Or optional visit to a local cheese maker in Soho.
Later afternoon: Depart for Babaztim. Meze class with Diane Kochilas and local cook; ouzo/tsipouro tasting. Visit distillery and meet (and maybe even dance!) with the modern Greek Zorba…
Day 3
Morning: Intro to the Cornucopia of Northern Greece: a tour of the Modiano Market.
Meze lunch at Modiano.
Afternoon free to roam.
Wine tasting dinner: An intro to the Great Wines of Macedonia and Thrace with local wine expert Maria Netsika
Day 4
Early morning departure for Vergina/Pella and guided tour of site.
Visit to nearby winery for a vineyard lunch and cooking lesson: Theme: Products of the Vine, from Antiquity to the Present in the Greek Kitchen
Back to Thessaloniki and sleep!
Day 5
Depart early morning for Naoussa. Witness the harvest in the Macedonian highlands. Wine and cheese tasting at Kyr Yiannis Estate. Lunch and cooking class of local specialties with local cooks. Stop at Edessa for coffee by the waterfall.
Later afternoon return to Thessaloniki.
Evening free to roam. Restaurant list provided.
Day 6
Early morning departure for Kavala and Xanthi, one of the most picturesque cities in Greece. Wander and explore. Visit local artisan producers of tahini and other local specialties. Lunch and cooking demos in local homes.
Return evening to Thessaloniki.
Day 7
Day trip either to Siatista or Lake Kerkini and Serres or to Katerini (TBA), to visit nature preserve, game farm, and enjoy local specialties and class in a unique agrotourism working farm.
Return early evening to Thessaloniki.
Evening free.
Day 8
Early morning visit to Halkidiki bee keeper Marianna, for a hands-on cooking class with one of the best-known local cooks and food artisans. Optional swimming, weather permitting.
Early afternoon return and day free.
Sunset farewell dinner at fabulous Gerovasiliou Estate in nearby Epanomi. Visit the wine museum and enjoy a feast of local specialties and some of the finest wines in Greece.
Day 9 (Sunday) Depart for home.
Cost: $3,750
15% surcharge for single occupancy
