Island Ways

Words Alia AkkamImages Robbie LawrenceDate 22 June 2022

Since the Minos Beach Art Hotel first opened on the still-spectacular Mirabello Bay in 1963, the hotel has always supported and welcomed the local community.

In and around the Cretan coastal town of Agios Nikolaos, from allowing access to its extraordinary art park of site specific sculptures to connecting their guests to local experiences.

The owner, Gina Mamadakis, and almost all the staff, including long serving hotel manager Stratos Patsakis, and chef Kalliopi Kourkoutaki, have been born and raised on Crete and possess a profound knowledge of the island. They also have strong connections to the local community, from winemakers to artisans, which they celebrate and share with guests, creating a rich mutual exchange.

In addition, the hotel sources and supports local culinary businesses such as the Kritsa Women’s Cooperative, a traditional bakery run by a dozen local women in a charming village about fifteen minutes away. Overseen by the tiny but formidable Maria Simeaki, the initiative is a way for some of the local women to earn some extra money, but more importantly, it is a lively hub for its members to keep Cretan culinary heritage alive through the collective act of baking family recipes by hand. The tiny, fragrant shop, from which one can watch the women baking, is a favorite destination for those with a sweet tooth and for food lovers. Honey cookies, sticky-sweet and crunchy xerotigana, and cheese-filled lihnarakia sprinkled with cinnamon are on offer, as are savory cheeses, spinach pies, and local honey and olive oil.

“When you eat local cuisine made with local products, I think that you understand the way of life of the local people.”

Star chef Yiannis Baxevanis

For special occasions, such as weddings, the kitchen team at the Minos Beach Art Hotel invites the women to bake in the restaurant; interested guests can also ask to spend several hours baking in the cooperative. Spending time in the kitchen with someone as enthusiastic and knowledgeable about Cretan heritage as Maria invites guests to be a part of the natural and traditional rhythms of the island. When one eats with a local, one experiences the best of Cretan food and its legendary hospitality, or philoxenia.