Ikaria

The Glorious Greek Kitchen Cooking School is situated in a mountain village, Christos, Raches, about 5 km from the beach, in a century-old house surrounded by lush fruit trees and a flourishing organic garden. Students stay in first-class accommodations on the beach.

The week begins with an introduction to Greek Food and Wine and a sunset Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant on Sunday evening. Date and group permitting, we sometimes begin by taking students to a local festival in a remote village, exactly the kind of experience typical tourists are never privy to.

Classes begin on Monday morning. They are hands-on and each session is organized around a full meal and menu, with wines and other Greek spirits. Guests dine with Diane and Vassili in the garden, either at lunch or at dinner, depending on the time of the individual class. Diane holds five hands-on classes during the week and guests are also taken to dine in local tavernas where they savor island specialties, such as fresh-caught fish and just-picked vegetables. The week also includes visits to wineries, cheesemakers, beekeepers and to the island’s completely untrammeled mineral springs, where guests can dip in the therapeutic waters heralded by the Father of Medicine, Hippocrates.

The philosophy behind each of the classes is to promote the healthful, flavorful, simple foods of Greece and to give students plenty of ideas and recipes they can use in their own kitchens back home. Part of the experience is an immersion in local ways, into to the timeless, stress-free atmosphere of real village life. The menus are geared toward home cooks, and the ingredients are accessible in kitchens far away from this glorious Greek-island retreat. Every class is taught in English.