Itinerary

Day 1

Welcome to Ikaria! Sunset Welcome Dinner in Nas; we all meet and dine together for the first time at a lovely taverna at sunset

Day 2

9:30 a.m. Pick-up at Hotel Cavos Bay
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Cooking Session: Introduction to Greek Island Cuisine
Students learn to make a variety of dishes culled from the vast repertoire of Island Cooking, full of fresh, robust flavors and simple techniques
Menu Selections (subject to change):
Greek-Island Roasted Eggplant Salad with Capers and Tomatoes
Roasted Eggplant Salad with feta and Herbs
Santorini Fava (Creamy Puree of Yellow Split Pea) with two garnishes
Cretan Barley-Rusk meze
Ikarian bread salad with fruit, vegetables and herbs
Ikarian vegetable medley "Soufico"
Ikarian potato salad with tomatoes and herbs
Fresh fruit
Return to hotel--afternoon free.
9 p.m. pickup--dinner in town at a local taverna for grilled specialties and time in the village

Day 3

9 a.m. Pick-up at Hotel Cavos Bay for visit to local beekeeper
12 noon Stop at Villa Thanassi
Honey Tasting
Greek Cheese Tasting
Light lunch in our garden and return to hotel or stay in village, at will
5:30 Pick-up at hotel for cooking session: Fearless Phyllo
Menu Selections (subject to change):
Basic homemade phyllo pastry
Zucchini and herb pie
Savory pumpkin pies
Multi-layered northern Greek cheese pie
Open-faced chicken pie
Small greens and cheese pies
Custard phyllo dessert
Dinner in our garden with sampling of Greek wines.
11-11:30 p.m. Return to Hotel

Day 4

9:30 a.m. Pick-up from Hotel
10 a.m. Cooking Session: Recipes from a Greek Country Garden
Menu Selections (subject to change):
Stuffed grape leaves
Stuffed eggplants
Greens and lamb avgolemono
Vassili's fries
Black-eyed peas with wild fennel and olive oil
Green beans with trahana
Yogurt mousse with sour cherry spoon sweet
2-2:30 p.m. Depart for Hotel; Afternoon free
5:15 p.m. Pick up from Cavos Bay for excursion to Theoktisti Monastery and wine tasting at Karimanlis Estate in Pigi
9-9:30 p.m. Dinner at Popi's taverna in Fytema, a local landmark for really good home-cooked local food
11:30-midnight Return to Hotel

Day 5

9:30 a.m. Pick-up from Cavos Bay for the Hot Springs in Aghios. Drive around island to see it in its entirety
Lunch on great fresh fish at the port on Aghios Kyrikos
3 p.m. Return
8 p.m. Pick-up from Cavos Bay for Cooking Session: Fish in the Greek Island Kitchen. We will cook the day's catch as well as with other fish and seafood.
Menu selections (subject to change):
Island fish soup
Shrimp with creamy ouzo sauce
Cretan octopus with fennel, orange and olives
Seafood cigars with spicy pepper sauce
Rice-stuffed squid
We will enjoy our seafood dinner in the garden and sample a variety of Greek island wines.

Day 6

9 a.m. Pick-up from Hotel
Walking excursion to Diamanto Plaka's Home and Farm to see Goats, milking and cheese making.
Light lunch on her Veranda
Noonish return to Cavos; afternoon free
5:30 p.m. Pick-up at Cavos for Christos
Final Cooking Session: A Meze Feast
Menu Selections (subject to change):
A not-so-classic tzatziki
Skordalia
Roasted tomatoes
Shrimp saganaki
Haloumi cheese pan-fried with ouzo and raisins
marinated grilled octopus
Light ground-meat keftedes
Kid roasted in the wood-burning oven with potatoes
Loukoumades (fritters) with honey and cinnamon

Day 7

Depart Ikaria.