With great success, the 4th Halkidiki Gastronomy Festival, TASTE HALKIDIKI, was held on Wednesday, July 31, at the New Moudania Pier. The event was organized by the Halkidiki Chamber in collaboration with the Municipality of Nea Propontida.
This annual event, established by the Halkidiki Chamber in 2021, is now in its fourth consecutive year. It serves as the central event of the TASTE HALKIDIKI activities, aimed at showcasing the region’s culinary wealth, promoting economic development, and advancing gastronomy as an alternative form of tourism. This initiative is led by President Yiannis Koufidis and the Board of the Halkidiki Chamber.
At the 4th TASTE HALKIDIKI FESTIVAL, local producers of olives, olive oil, honey, herbs, aromatic plants, nuts, wines, beers, and sweets from all over Halkidiki participated. Visitors had the opportunity to taste, learn about, and purchase these products.
The participating producers were:
Olives and Olive Oil: Asterios Olive Groves of Halkidiki, Marmaro Olive Oil, Periapton, Klea Premium Golden Tree Olive Oil, Olivellas
Honey: Boulakis Honey & More, Meloida, Passion Honey
Wine & Beer: Domaine Agrovision, Ktima Papathanasiou, Afytaion Gaia, Valtinger – Fresh Handcrafted Beer, Beer METHIA
Aromatic Plants & Nuts: Gougousi Agrofarm, Simoni Almonds
Sweets: Andreadi Boutique Patisserie
In the specially designed cooking area, chefs from renowned local restaurants, the Culinary Professionals Greece, and the Chefs Club Hellenic Gastronomy prepared live, distinctive dishes featuring characteristic products from the region and the exhibitors. Visitors then had the opportunity to taste these dishes.
The dishes included:
- Sourdough Bruschetta with Halkidiki Sweet-Sour Sauce by Kostas Giannopoulos, Navigli Coffee & Wine Bar.
- Sea Bass Stuffed with Spinach and Feta, Black Olive Powder & Apricot Jam by Alexandros Notoudas, Bottice Comfort Food Restaurant.
- Orzotto with Fresh Mussels by Marinos Chondrolidis, Culinary Professionals Greece.
- Shrimp Millefeuille by Stelios Digkas, Chefs Club Hellenic Gastronomy.
- Stuffed Black Pork Fillet by Antonis Symenteriadis, Member of the Chefs Club Hellenic Gastronomy & Amelia Cocktails-Restaurant.
As part of the parallel events of the Festival, two masterclasses on local Halkidiki products were organized. Nana Zygoura, a Business Development Consultant and Adult Educator, along with Charalambos Eftaxias, an Olive Oil Taster, led these sessions. Through an immersive tasting experience, they introduced participants to the secrets and stories behind these exquisite treasures.
The event was hosted by the well-known journalist and presenter Kostis Zafeirakis, who, in his own unique way, introduced the producers, live cooking demonstrations, and the official guests.
The event also featured the participation of Stelios Choutas, the First Vice President of the Halkidiki Chamber, who, along with his colleagues from the Laboratory of Food Chemistry & Technology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), presented the innovative product FILELIA – a green olive with reduced salt content, set to be available on the market in about a year and a half.
The sponsors of the event were Doubia Carbonated Natural Mineral Water, Millennium Education Centre, and the Faros Moudania Cultural Association, supported by its enthusiastic volunteers.
Media sponsors included ERT3, the radio stations 102fm ERT3, 9.58fm ERT3, and halkidikifocus.gr.
The event was organized by Chef Stories, a Marketing & Gastronomy Consultancy and Gastronomic Event Management company (www.chefstories.gr), which conceived the entire concept, branding, and the organization of the Taste Halkidiki activities.