Authentic Experiences

What is it like consuming what the nature or your garden has to offer by collecting your own food to prepare your dinner? This super healthy and sustainable way is part of Crete’s culture to date. People collect wild greens, asparagus, mushrooms, and snails in the fields and cook delicious dishes, which they then enjoy with friends. Try this authentic experience with Harris, a professional cook and nature lover, who will take you to the fields to collect what is in season and cook creative dishes with you at your house.

A culinary evening experience, where Harris will prepare a delicious dinner with the catch of the day and freshly collected ingredients.

Although Fanis started a career as a seafarer on commercial ships, his passion for his birthplace, Pefki village, brought him back and decided to revive the old “kafeneio” (traditional café) and turn it to the Piperia taverna. He strictly serves traditional dishes, which are all infused with this passion and his deep knowledge on the local food culture. With Fanis, you learn about the local cuisine and together you prepare a few dishes, which you later taste together with shots of raki.

Crete’s wine culture dates to the ancient times with several distinctive local varieties. Wine making in Crete is being revived the last years and Crete is now the second largest wine making region of Greece. For the Papadakis family, wine making is a family tradition for over 250 years. Their vineyards are a hidden gem high up on the mountains, at Orino village, where during the last years they have been reviving all the local varieties and the local wine making organic processes. Visit the vineyard and enjoy a unique wine tasting experience in situ and the home-made cooking of the grandmother Papadakis, with freshly prepared dishes and cooking in the open air stove and in the wood oven.

Ever wondered how olive oil is produced? Join the locals and follow the whole process from the olive groves to the press.

Raki or tsikoudia is a local spirit made from the remnants of grapes, after they have been trodden for wine. The process of raki making, called “Kazanemata”, is a social event from one end of Crete to the other, and a feast with singing, dancing, eating and the tasting of the raki when it is distilled.