“Hotels don’t make a place special. The residents and natural beauty do,” says Nikki Rose, founder of Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries, an innovative program of sustainable agro-tourism that works to preserve the growing traditions, foods, and cultural practices of this wonderful Greek island. The pleasures of travel are deepened when tourists act responsibly as visitors to ecologically fragile landscapes. But while the overdevelopment of many popular travel destinations has created a host of eco-alternatives, true sustainability is only achieved when locals are provided with the means to preserve and enhance their cultures, as well as their natural resources. For many destinations, the only sound choice truly supports the land, it’s products, and the local economy. An expert in the field, chef and certified educator Rose has been working worldwide towards this goal since 1998.

Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries is a unique, successful, and beautiful approach to sustainable tourism. Agro-tourism is a perfect way to experience natural settings while participating in the hands-on work that continues the agrarian traditions and culture. To top it off, there is the pleasure of going home with a whole new set of skills for cooking, bread-making, and gardening. While advancing your culinary knowledge, CCS also supports over 40 local establishments, including farmers, artisans, chefs, lodge owners, historians, and naturalists. Rose’s goals leave the ordinary idea of vacation in the dust. She says, “By rekindling resident and visitor interest in nature and culture, eco-agricultural tourism can help sustain communities, encourage the expansion of organic agriculture, and provide extraordinary visitor experiences.”

By design, the programs at Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries are small and go beyond the surface to delve deeply into the cultural heritage of Crete as a way of life. An island paradise steeped in over 4000 years of history, Crete’s way of life is dedicated almost entirely to agriculture and tourism. Drawing on her training as a chef and her family’s roots on the island, Rose provides guests with an immersion in local foods. In Crete, people rely on fresh caught fish, wild herbs, artichokes, fennel, and chamomile, but they also cultivate wheat, olives, and grapes, and raise livestock, like goats. All classes are taught exclusively by local experts  (agroeconomists, women’s cooperatives, musicians, and naturalists) who have experience in cultural preservation and sustainable tourism. Historians and anthropologists in the community teach the subjects of archeology, botany, and nutrition. As Rose states, “Our programs are designed to be informative, professional, and fun. They are also tailored to beginning and intermediate levels in both cooking and gardening. For professional chefs who attend, our programs are approved by the American Culinary Federation for 30 continuing education credit hours, which is significant.”

Seminars – and meals –are designed to match the seasons: “There is nothing like fresh mizithra cheese and olive oil straight from the spigot on a crunchy piece of homemade dakos bread with a sprinkling of wild oregano. It’s even better when you have participated in making or collecting some of the ingredients. In the springtime, there’s lamb on the spit, snails and horta (wild greens). Summer is for beekeeping and winemaking, but also steamed mussels, grilled fish and octopus, smelts, sole and other small fish fried in olive oil, grilled meats, steamed beets, roasted red peppers, eggplant (grilled, fried or pureed), tomatoes, wax peppers, cucumbers, watermelon, figs, apricots and grapes. And during the winter, the island becomes one huge olive oil production operation.”

CCS programs include cooking classes, private tours, and outdoor adventures. Current offerings include a chance to explore the Minoan Palace of Knossos, travel into the central region to tour an organic winery, and hike up the Imbros gorge, which spills into the southern coast.  Imagine a relaxing swim under limestone cliffs before heading to the village of Loutro and spending a few days canoeing.  Another day finds the group making bread in the traditional manner and taking dinner in a local taverna.  The accommodations are in restored traditional homes, most of which have private balconies and fireplaces.  

The best way to offset the heavy carbon footprint left by travel is to make your journey sustainable and to emerge as a different sort of guest. 

As Rose describes, the  “Real Responsible Travel projects aim to protect and celebrate a region’s distinctive heritage. This is not a passing trend; it is a necessity…Travelers need to be the solution.”

By Alice Julier