A week of food and wine culture in Greece
Dates have already been confirmed for 2008’s Sani Gourmet Food Festival, the annual culinary event held at the Sani Resort, Halkidiki, Greece. The festival is to be held from 17th – 24th May 2008 and, if last year was anything to go by, the event looks set to be an un-missable occasion for food and wine-lovers everywhere.
Celebrating the very best of world cuisine by showcasing dishes from across the globe, the festival will see nine top class chefs from Germany, France, Cyprus, Greece, Morocco, Turkey, the USA and Japan offering their talents.
Basking in the sunshine on the shores of the Kassandra peninsula, Halkidiki, The Sani Resort is a family owned and privately developed hideaway set on a 1000 acre ecological reserve. It comprises four hotels: Sani Asterias Suites; the Sani Beach Club and Porto Sani Village (both set to unveil a new look in April after refurbishments this winter) and Sani Beach Hotel, which underwent extensive renovations in 2007.
There are two exclusive Sani spa venues, with a marina at the heart; alive with restaurants, cool bars, designer boutiques and art galleries. Home to five of the best restaurants in Greece, Sani Resort is the perfect place to host a Gourmet Festival.
With 16 restaurants ranging from gourmet to traditional tavernas and ouzeries, the Sani Resort has worked with Mr Apostolos Trastelis, owner of the Michelin star restaurant “The Spondi” in Athens, to develop its gastronomic programme for some time.
The 2008 Gourmet Festival will take place in four restaurants: ‘Sea You Up’, launched in 2005, an Asian restaurant with outstanding food overlooking the luxury yacht marina and Aegean Sea; ‘The Water Restaurant’, offering à la carte gourmet dining at the Sani Asterias Suites overlooking the private marina; ‘Tomata’ a lively new-age Greek restaurant that is rich in Mediterranean culture; and ‘Byblos Restaurant’, the fine dining restaurant at the Porto Sani Village.
Chefs who have already been confirmed to take part in 2008’s festival include:
Heinz Winkler: As chef at “Tantris” in Munich, Heinz Winkler became the world’s youngest 3 Michelin starred chef at the age of 31. Now the owner of the prestigious Residenz Heinz Winkler in Aschau, Germany.
Alain Lorca: Owner of the famous “Le Moulin de Mougins” on the French Riviera, Alain Lorca was awarded two Michelin stars by the age of 37. His inventive, refined cuisine is inspired by the South of France, Provence and Spain, his country of origin.
Christoforos Peskias: Peskias follows the traditions of Greek cuisine with an upscale, dynamic twist. Having worked under the guidance of Fernan Adria and Marc Menau, Peskias is considered one of the most creative star chefs in Greece, and heads up the team at 48 The Restaurant in Athens.
Andreas Mavromatis: The acclaimed Cypriot chef brought Greek gastronomy to France with his well-known establishment “Mavrommatis” located in the heart of the 5th district of Paris. He offers creative Greek cuisine, taking original recipes and shaping them to fit today's tastes, in order to showcase the exceptional regional produce of Greece.
Chysanthos Karamolegos: Karamolegoes of Aristera-Dexia, Apla and Tomata restaurants is considered one of the most important chefs of the Greek culinary map. Karamolegos mixes Greek ingredients with oriental spices and herbs from around the world to create recipes of a very unique, yet Greek origin.
Each chef will devise a specially created menu of five or six courses paired with different wines at each of the participating restaurants.
The Sani Resort enjoys a long history of fine dinning which the Gourmet Food Festival will build on. Guests can already take advantage of the variety of cuisine available with the ‘Dine Around’ programme which allows guests staying on a half board basis to enjoy meals at different restaurants throughout the resort. Working on a voucher basis, the guests are able to visit different restaurants allowing them to taste all that Sani has to offer.
With impeccable service, world-class cuisine and beautiful surroundings, Sani’s Gourmet Food Festival is a wonderful opportunity to relax and enjoy gourmet dishes prepared by some of the worlds best chefs in an enchanting Mediterranean setting.
For more information on the 2008 Sani Gourmet Food Festival visit Saniresort.gr/sanigourmet.
