Registration deadline: May 6, 2016

The “Captain Vassilis and Carmen Constantakopoulos” Foundation, in Messinia, faithfully adhering to its goal of spreading the message about the benefits and the significance of Messinian cuisine, as an extension of the Mediterranean diet, is organizing for the 4th consecutive year the free “Messinian Gastronomy Seminars” aimed at food service professionals, in collaboration with the Messinian Chamber of Commerce, the “Orizon” Vocational Training Institute, and the Technological Educational Institute (T.E.I.) of Peloponnese’s Olive Oil Tasting Laboratory. The seminars will take place at Navarino Dunes, Costa Navarino, on May 10, 11 & 12, 2016.

The aim of the seminars is to educate the participants and acquaint them with the special traditional cuisine of Messinia, focusing on the great variety of select local products produced in the area. Next to distinguished professionals in the field—Dimitris Melemenis (“Costa Navarino”), Costas Tsigkas (“Vespa Rosa,”“Pere Ubu,”“Testaccio”&“Steak Frites”), Lefteris Lazarou (“Varoulko Seaside”), Doxis Bekris (executive chef for the hotels and resorts of the “Fairmont” group in Africa), Dimitris Dimitriadis (chef at “Artisanal”), Yiorgos Venieris (chef at “Mr. Pug”), and Alexandros Fouroulis (chef &co-owner of “ΜΑΝIΜΑΝI”)—the participants will gain invaluable experience, and receive useful knowledge and advice. The distinguished chefs will cook and share with the participants local Messinian dishes, prepared with the finest raw materials, and incorporating modern flavors and cooking methods.

The three-day seminar’s programincludes the training of approximately 150 food service professionals from the wider area of Messinia. The participants will divide into teams; each seminar will last 4 hours for each team, and will include a theoretical and practical part. The program includes olive oil tasting, and a visit to Costa Navarino’s vegetable gardens.

It should be noted that the seminars are exclusively aimed at professional cooks, chefs, and restaurant and hotel unit owners; at the end of the seminar all participants will receive a certificate of attendance.

The “Captain Vassilis and Carmen Constantakopoulos” Foundation, a faithful proponent of the Messinian diet, regularly organizes innovative actions for the preservation, recording and study of Messinia’s culinary tradition. For that reason, apart from the Gastronomy Seminars, the Foundation has also created the Virtual Museum of the Messinian Diet, with the aim of collecting, preserving and presenting traditional Messinian recipes, as well as the local products used for their preparation. The Gastronomy Seminars are a significant chapter of this remarkable work, and the results—and recipes—will soon be available atwww.messiniandiet.gr.

The visitors to this website will have the opportunity to become acquainted with traditional utensils and tools, as well as recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation, and are an integral part of the history of the Messinian diet.

Those interested in registering for this year’s seminars should contact Ms Georgia Paloglou (Messinian Chamber of Commerce) at (+30) 27210 62218, between 9.00-15.00. Outside office hours, call (+30) 6986 689093. To secure your place, prior registration is needed.

Registration deadline: May 6, 2016
Note: Places are available on a first come, first served basis

Below you will find the program of the Gastronomy Seminars 2016.