Kouzina 2025: Eastern Halkidiki’s Gastronomy Event to Celebrate Honey and Wine

Photo source: Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association

The Municipality of Aristotle in Eastern Halkidiki has announced the key themes for its upcoming “Kouzina” gastronomy event, scheduled for May 17-18, 2025.

Organized by the municipality’s Gastronomy Cluster — a collaboration between local producers and hoteliers — the next Kouzina event will feature the following educational themes:

– Wine Lees in Culinary Practices: Dina Nikolaou, head chef of the Kouzina event. will showcase professional chefs and pastry chefs who will demonstrate the use of wine lees in preparing bread and other flour-based delicacies. This ingredient is gaining popularity in hotels and restaurants throughout eastern Halkidiki.

– Honey Production and Beekeeping: Slovenia will be the honored destination, with the Union of Slovenian Honey Producers collaborating with local Halkidiki producers to exchange knowledge on honey production and beekeeping practices. The event will highlight ancient Greek methods of honey production and conclude with traditional dancers from both the local and Slovenian communities, fostering inter-Balkan cultural exchange.

– Promotion of Athonian Wine: This initiative aims to establish a wine identity for Eastern Halkidiki, with a focus on “Limnio,” a grape variety cultivated on the Athonian Peninsula since ancient times.

Municipality of Aristotle’s Gastronomy Cluster

Photo source: Municipality of Aristotle

The event is organized by the municipality’s Gastronomy Cluster, which comprises 192 members. Launched in 2020, the cluster represents local tourism businesses and aims to promote local products to visitors through hotels and other hospitality services in the area.

One of the cluster’s recent initiatives includes partnering with a reservation management consultant to implement a marketing plan for small tourist accommodations. Additionally, the Gastronomy Cluster serves as a communication hub for targeted business promotion across tourist offices in Greece, Europe, Asia, and America.

Photo source: Municipality of Aristotle

Aristotle’s Mayor and Gastronomy Cluster President, Stelios Valianos, emphasized that the increasing participation of businesses in the cluster reflects its effectiveness and unity as a powerful development force for tourist destinations.

Thomas Aslanidis, owner of Alexandros Palace Hotel and Suites and a board member of the cluster, remarked that the initiative aims to gradually create a “Tuscany in eastern Halkidiki”, promoting local products to visitors based on quality standards.