Greek Gastronomy Guide Marks 1st Anniversary

By Maria Paravantes

The Greek Gastronomy Guide (GGG) celebrated its first birthday on Monday at the Athinais cultural center with ideas, plans and incredible edibles.

Food critics, writers, bloggers, connoisseurs, wine buffs, foodies and tourism professionals gathered to discuss ways to promote Greece through its local products, food and wine.

Giorgos Pittas, founder of the GGG also behind the “Greek Breakfast” initiative, said the idea was to focus on “creating synergies and in a coordinated effort promote Greece through its gastronomic culture. That’s what the Greek Gastronomy Guide is all about.”

Speaking on the panel of guests, Alexandros Angelopoulos, vice president of Aldemar Resorts referred to the Sympossio Greek Gourmet Touring project as a way to bring in tourism through hands-on experience with Greek cuisine.

“We must respect what is given to us. Tourism is just the display, hospitality is the essence and food is that step. In its 8th year, we plan for Sympossio to ‘cook’ Greek food in 40 countries.”

Adding to the discussion, George Skouras, owner of Domaine Skouras and president of the Greek Wine Federation, spoke about the significance of synergies in creating an all-encompassing tourist experience. “Enotourism brings people to the countryside. They visit wineries, from there the visit cheese-making units, they pick up recommendations along the way about local ‘kafeneia’ (coffee-shops) and tavernas and this pans out into a complete and unique tourist experience.”

Founded in 2015, the Greek Gastronomy Guide, in both Greek and English, offers insight into Greek food, products and the culture behind it.