Explore traditional Greek cooking using foraged wild herbs

"Spent a wonderful late morning and afternoon preparing and eating brunch with Maria in mid-August 2019. She picked us up at our cruise ship (4 adults). We foraged through a field next to her home. Since it was late summer our foraging was limited to sage, lentil, several seed spices and some leafy greens in a neighbor's watered garden. She supplemented with local produce. Our aproned group of 4 diced, sliced and chopped various ingredients, except for smashing the Greek potatoes. After an hour or so, we sat down at the table in her home and had an enjoyable meal. Maria was previously a chef for 20 years and has taught Greek cooking."

"It's hard to know where to start in describing the experience we had with Maria. To put it simply, we had an incredible, activity packed, 17 day honeymoon in the Greek Islands and my husband and I unanimously agreed that our dinner with Maria and her husband, Nikos was the highlight of our entire trip. If you are the type of traveler who likes to learn something about the people, the history, and the culture of the place where you're vacationing, and someone who loves food, I cannot recommend this experience more. It was my birthday and my husband wanted to set up something special as a surprise. I was dressed and ready for dinner at a restaurant when Maria pulled up in her car to pick us up. I had no idea where we were going or what to expect. She drove us to her house, chatting along the way about who we were, what brought us to Syros, etc. Their house is adorable and the table was set up outside on their terrace, which was lovely and quaint with views of the water (a very romantic setting). What really struck me immediately about Maria was her passion for food and not just for the act of cooking, but the ingredients, the history and culture, the medicinal properties of certain herbs she incorporated, etc. This woman knows food and the way she explained everything to us in detail made the food (which was mind blowingly delicious) that much more special. With each course, Maria explained where the ingredients came from (almost everything was native to Syros), why she made it the way that she did, and often what the history behind the dish was and why it was important to Greek culture. We learned so much! Between courses, Maria and her husband disappeared into their kitchen as they prepared the next round of food, which made for this really nice balance between a romantic and intimate experience for my husband and I and an informative, intellectually stimulating food class. The main course was a veal dish that we learned was an ancient recipe that had originally been found on the wall of a cave dwelling and yet was still prepared by Greeks today--it was delectable. The evening ended with a chocolate souffle cake complete with candles that Maria made to celebrate my birthday. As if that wasn't enough, she also presented me with a gift--a special facial oil to use at night that repairs and rejuvenates the skin (it's amazing..I've been using it ever since!). The cherry on top of the perfect dinner was that Maria and Nikos sat with us at the end and we had an amazing conversation about life, current events, cultural differences between the US and Greece, travel, etc etc. We so enjoyed getting to know them and felt like we were friends who had been invited over for dinner. The feeling we had when Maria dropped us off that evening was something like that feeling you get when you've just discovered this amazing secret that you know most others will never know about or have the opportunity to experience and you're just so thankful that you were lucky enough to somehow be let in on the secret. I'm writing this review so that YOU can be let in on the secret. If you're in Syros, please do yourself a favor and go spend some time with Maria and Nikos. You will learn so much and you will leave feeling more knowledgeable about the amazing island of Syros, the people who call it home, and the food grown/raised there. We can only hope we will someday be lucky enough to find ourselves back in the company of Maria and Nikos, enjoying another incredible meal. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience."

"We spent an incredible day with Maria - she has a wealth of knowledge to share about Greek cooking and traditions, how to forage for and use herbs and spices in cooking as well as for health and well-being, and for being so generous and kind in all she does. The experience that Maria offers is truly one of a kind, leaving you with a greater knowledge, passion and respect for food and cooking, and that simple, quality ingredients cooked with love and care are the most nourishing for body, mind and soul. It was a highlight of our trip to the Greek Islands. We cannot thank Maria and her wonderful helper Eleni enough for such an amazing day - Morgan & Leona"

"The four of us thoroughly enjoyed our day with Maria who is knowledgeable, an experienced cook, a great teacher and a fascinating person. We foraged and cooked and ate and talked and learnt and discussed and laughed and shared. This is a delightful experience on so many levels. If you're considering booking this experience, consider no longer, just do it. There are not enough words to describe this extraordinary woman and her wonderfully wholistic approach to life. Enjoy!"

"My girlfriend and I had a great day with Maria. She gave us her knowledge of the kitchen in a detailed and yet simple manner. It wasn't just about the technical aspects of cooking, but also about the love and devotion to fresh products. Cooking is an emotional matter and Maria conveyed that very nicely. I think it's important that we know what we eat and how we eat. If you take your time, eating can contribute a lot to our wellbeing. I thought that were the most important lessons Maria could give us (and delicious recipes, of course). Also that we pay more attention to what grows in our garden and what you can do with the different plants (apart from eating). After we had prepared the food there was a cozy get-together with a beautiful view on your terrace. Maria and her husband were great to talk to and not only share wisdom about food. It was a successful day like with friends. We would like to thank both of them for this. I hope to meet again. (translated by Google)"

"My girlfriend and I were lucky enough to spend the afternoon with Maria in Syros. Her wonderful hospitality made both of us instantly feel so at home. Her knowledge and passion for Greek food was amazing and kept us very interested along the way. And the cherry on top was getting to share some delicious food altogether. Overall it was and unforgettable moment from our trip and we would recommend this to anyone visiting Syros! We are looking forward to coming back to see Maria!! "

"Maria is incredible! Her knowledge about local herbs and spices in cooking and how it relates to your health is unprecedented! One comes to Syros to be off the beaten path to get true local color. Maria doesn’t disappoint! I only wish we could bring her to America to cook for us! Thank you Maria for a truly wonderful meal and experience!"

"We had a wonderful day with Maria, making some traditional Greek vegan and vegetarian recipes and foraging locally for herbs. Maria was knowledgeable and gentle with instructions, and the whole experience was relaxing - and delicious! She was also respectful of my dietary requirements (gluten and dairy). We made a lunchtime feast of many dishes which we enjoyed together on the terrace after 4 happy hours in the kitchen. Highlights were the parsley and potato dish and making a ‘mandala’ salad 😊 Highly recommend this on Syros - worth a trip there to meet Maria and learn about her cooking philosophies"

"Maria’s cooking class was unique and fascinating ; a wonderful blend of local ingredients and authentic Greek cuisine with Maria’s special take. Maria is so welcoming and kind. The meal was delicious and we highly recommend this experience."

"We had a wonderful experience! Maria was extremely knowledgable about her craft, and she spent lots of time ensuring that we walked away with new knowledge about herbs, flavors and ingredients native to Syros. She is passionate about cooking and teaching others. The food was absolutely delicious--even the meat eaters in our family thoroughly enjoyed the vegetarian meal. Overall this was a great learning experience with great conversation. We would highly recommend this experience to anyone visiting Syros who is interested in learning about the local produce and traditional dishes."

"We did Maria’s cooking class as a family and had the best time! We learned about the native plants and herbs, how to make traditional greek meals, and enjoyed a big feast at the end of the lesson. Maria sent us the recipes after and we have already started cooking them at home. I couldn’t recommend her cooking class experience more if you are in Syros! :)"

"Maria was an excellent speaker and gave us delicious recipes/meals!! Very authentic lunch!! Her passion for healthy living and eating was clear!! She stayed in contact with us through what’s app as we came in by cruise ship!! The Mandela salad was a very special moment! Glad we did it and would do it again!!!"

"Maria is both an excellent cook, having had her own restaurant for many years, and an experienced nutritionist. She is also extremely knowledgeable about wild greens, flowers and herbs and their uses in cooking and natural medicine. This makes for an experience which is both gastronomically and intellectually stimulating. On top of this Maria is a very warm, gentle but enthusiastic person to be with. She is also highly professional and committed. Her home, which she shares with her lovely partner Nikos, who is a painter and teacher, is the ground floor of a two-storey house. It is situated in an olive grove and looks south over the sea to the other Cycladic islands. It is a modest, functional home with nothing fancy about its interior decoration. As for the food, the tastes are fresh, varied and often unexpected. It is outside the mainstream of Greek food. There is something inspiring and exhilarating about the simplicity and easy availability (all gathered within 200 yards of the house) of the ingredients and the complexity of the palate. It also looks beautiful on the plate. But probably the best thing of all was Maria sharing her historical and scientific knowledge about the plants we were gathering and eating, which often went beyond the actual food we were preparing. This added an extra layer of pleasure to the experience. "