Kathimerini newspaper published recently the following article on Kastri, the restaurant of the Women’s Agritourism Cooperative of Syros, a group that was formed in 2000 by unemployed local women with European funding:
The association started branching out by catering for various events, and soon people across the central Aegean island were talking about the high quality of its food. The initial idea had been a kitchen where they’d prepare traditional Greek dishes for customers to take away.
The restaurant started with just four dishes a day, but today diners can pick from 14, which often change, and they’re shifting some 200 portion each day.
The moussaka is the best-seller, says the co-op’s president Anna Palaiologou, adding that Syros does not have its own distinctive cuisine. “The island was populated mainly by refugees who brought their cultures with them, from the West and Asia Minor,” she says.
Any surplus, adds Palaiologou is given to a local shelter, while the association also helps feed a few poor families, “even when we haven’t got any leftovers.”
The association, however, is struggling to keep up with growing demand as it now numbers just 12 members from an original 28, as many women dropped out because of old age, health problems, the grueling pace of the work or simply because tight finances made it impossible for them to keep up with their social security contributions.
Read full article here.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Hans Peter Schaefer License: CC-BY-SA
Source: ekathimerini.com
