Decades ago, Milos restaurants collaborated with a woman from Northern Greece who made wonderful sweets. Her quince was Woody Allen’s favorite. Suddenly the lady disappeared. A few years later, at a food fair in Thessaloniki, Mr. Costas Spiliadisfounder of the international network Milos, saw her at her stand, as says “K”. “She told me how she was approached by an Italian food packaging company to work with them, how she took out loans and hired sales and marketing people, how she imported huge amounts of fruit because local production was not enough for the business. He asked me how many … tons I was interested in. I left the booth sad. Later I learned that he had passed out.” “One prisoner,” as Mr. Spiliadis points out: “We are a small country. The models and approaches of the major industrialized countries must be adapted to our own reality, to our own dimensions, used as a source of inspiration, and not attempted to be copied.”

In the summer of 2012, when the Mazi restaurant opened in London, its co-owner Christina Muratoglu she asked her father to collect for her kritam – such that grows in abundance on the rocks by the sea near their holiday home in Halkidiki. Customers were delighted with the tangy herb that flavored their salads. They started asking for it systematically. In the same way, they learned about oil from Crete, honey from Taygetos, mountain tea from Olympus, metsovone from Epirus, caviar from Messolonga, mastic and even sword grass, as the menu of Mazi (and later the “little brother” Suzy Tros , not only in London, but also in Abu Dhabi and Morocco), has relied on quality Greek products from the very beginning. “In the early years, of course, those who traveled in Greece did not find similar products in the vast majority of restaurants that had specialties such as kleftiko and moussaka, but the landscape of Greek gastronomy is changing dramatically. His “moment” has come, and he should not go unused. More and more tourists are enjoying great Greek food while on holiday and are looking for a similar culinary experience when they return to their home country – in restaurants or grocery stores,” Ms Muratoglu emphasizes. Secondly, the prisoner: the momentum of Greek gastronomy is perhaps not an overly optimistic assessment, but a reality.

In 2022, almost 28 million people visited our country. It is expected that this year their number will reach 32 million (which will generate income of about 20 billion). What flavors will they try? Which of our products would we recommend to them? Will they be able to find them in their countries? What image for her Greek cuisine will they form? “This is a real opportunity: to make 32 million ambassadors of Greek products on the planet and highlight our gastronomy as our competitive advantage along with culture. However, let’s clarify what gastronomy is and what is not. It’s a grandmother’s pie with a handmade crust and ingredients from the field – our version of the Italian Cucina Povera – but it’s also a new approach to raw materials with modern technology, courage and imagination. Common denominator: good taste. It’s not gastronomy to make dishes that you can’t eat for Instagram, and not choosing cheap ingredients to deceive the buyer and take his money, ”emphasizes Yannis TsakalosManaging Director of strategic marketing company AQ Strategy.

“We must put a burden on the Mediterranean diet, let the international community know that the only authentic version of it is the Greek one.”

Gastronomy, according to all the studies around the world, can add value to a destination and its products. “So thought the unforgettable Giorgos Hatzigiannakis, who created an innovative menu for his “Moon” in the Fira caldera in 1998, at a time when restaurateurs in Santorini were serving filet a la cream and a shrimp cocktail. He gradually brought to the fore the products of the arid land of Terei and transformed the island gastronomically,” continues Mr. Tsakalos.

OUR chef Vassilis Zacharakis he was fortunate to serve alongside Giorgos Hatzigiannakis. For five years he has been working at the Greek wine bar YNOS in Zurich. “Many crimes have been committed in the kitchens of Greek restaurants for profit. What should I mention first? Ready-made frozen kale and moussaka salad? Octopuses brought from Morocco, which we present as the emblem of Greek cuisine? “Plastic” cheeses for breakfast in most hotels? Of course, there are mitigating factors. Given the shortage of staff in recent years, what restaurateur would make dolmadaki buns and not get jars ready? Wrong policies that do not favor small local industries also cause long-term problems. Most producers, especially on the islands, by the way, are engaged in the primary sector and with a heavy heart. They see it as overkill. They make sausage or cheese, try to sell “black” and are satisfied. Not yet. Neither legislation encourages the production and distribution of quality local products, nor broader support for worthy endeavors to flourish,” notes Mr. Zacharakis.

Wrong policy. Legislation that poses insurmountable obstacles. Lack of strategy. All four of my interlocutors agree on this. So what can be done? “We must blame the Mediterranean diet, let the international community know that the only authentic version of it is the Greek one. How; Coordinated efforts of the state and the private sector. Fill Athens with serious restaurants based on the Mediterranean diet. There should be a campaign to highlight such restaurants. Culinary schools should take seriously the training of amateur chefs of this cuisine. In this way, we will be able to attract visitors to Greece to enjoy the Mediterranean, to see Greek cuisine, just as they go to Spain for tapas, to Italy for pasta, to Japan for a fish shoulder. Finally, on every continent we define an ambassador for Greek gastronomy and give him the tools to promote our products. Spain commissioned my friend José Andrés to promote Spanish goods to America. Requires coordination and perseverance. High-quality and expensive Greek cuisine can also become a vehicle for high-quality and expensive tourism.”

“Tons of ink have been spilled on the study of gastronomy and its relation to tourism, but in the end it’s very simple. A comprehensive strategic plan is needed that will touch the whole country and enhance the role of gastronomy in the tourism product offered, creating a strong culinary experience,” says Yannis Tsakalos. “Let’s keep the next generations of travelers (Y and Z) in mind: the experiences they expect on each trip will be the most important factor when choosing destinations.”