With the conclusion of the fifth Cultural Festival, Maria Polykríti launches Polikriti Gastronomic Dialogues, a new initiative bringing together gastronomy, art, culture and education, rooted in Naxos and envisioned to grow beyond the island.
The fifth edition of “An Evening Beneath the Olive Tree” came to a close on Saturday, 10 October, with a special musical evening in the historic Kampones olive grove, marking the culmination of three days dedicated to gastronomy, knowledge, music and contemporary cultural expression.
Held from 8 to 10 October, this year’s festival marked a new chapter in its evolution with the official launch of Polikriti Gastronomic Dialogues, an initiative by Maria Polykríti and the cultural organisation Polykríti. The project aims to establish an ongoing platform for the exchange of ideas and creative collaborations across gastronomy, art and culture.
From a musical gathering to a broader cultural initiative
An Evening Beneath the Olive Tree began in 2022 at the initiative of Maria Polykríti, as a cultural gathering set within the historic olive grove of Kampones. Over its five editions, the original concept has gradually expanded, welcoming prominent figures from music, literature, the performing arts and gastronomy.
Artists such as Manolis Mitsias, Giannis Kotsiras, Grigoris Valtinos and Giorgis Xylouris, alongside distinguished Greek and international chefs, have taken part in previous editions, helping shape a cultural programme with a distinctive identity.
Alongside the festival, Maria Polykríti has developed a broader field of cultural activity through Polykríti, encompassing contemporary art exhibitions, educational programmes, creative workshops and initiatives that connect cultural heritage with contemporary expression. Projects such as Rewoven: Memory Woven Anew and the recent exhibition Nurturing Mechanisms: Interweavings in Kampones are characteristic examples of this approach.
The festival’s five-year journey and the parallel development of Polykríti now converge in a more integrated cultural vision, one in which local identity, creativity, education and outward-looking engagement are interwoven as complementary fields of action.
Polikriti Gastronomic Dialogues: The Beginning of a New Journey
On Thursday, 8 October, Kampones hosted the inaugural gathering of Polikriti Gastronomic Dialogues, launching a new platform for discussion and collaboration rooted in the gastronomic heritage of Naxos.
At the heart of the conversation were the connections between food, history and local identity, the importance of primary production, the preservation of culinary knowledge and the possibilities for reinterpreting tradition through contemporary creativity.
The discussion was moderated by journalist Nikos Thrasyvoulou, with contributions from Dimitris Rousounelos, author and contributor to Gastronomos; Nikos Mastropavlou, journalist, author and creator of Eudemonia; Haris Charalambidis, founder of Gastronomy Essentials; Haris Vlachos, Executive Pastry Chef at Conrad Athens The Ilisian; and Konstantinos Eleftherakis, ambassador for Naxian products.
The conversation highlighted the role of local products as carriers of knowledge and cultural continuity, as well as the importance of the people who preserve, pass on and reinterpret this knowledge through production and creative practice.
The evening’s gastronomic experience extended the conversation beyond words. Chef Thodoris Papanikolaou, who collaborates with Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens, presented contemporary creations centred on Naxos potatoes and graviera cheese from the Pitaras dairy. Meanwhile, chef Kostas Votanos of Tortuga Restaurant curated a selection of small dishes celebrating local ingredients.
The inaugural gathering also revealed the broader vision behind Polikriti Gastronomic Dialogues: to create a shared space where chefs, artists, producers, journalists and professionals from different creative fields can come together, exchange experiences and develop new collaborations. With Naxos as its starting point, the initiative is envisioned as an evolving platform, shaped by different themes and new meeting places.
Gastronomy as a Learning Experience for the Next Generation
On Friday, 9 October, the festival moved from Kampones into school classrooms and a professional kitchen, placing education at the heart of its cultural mission.
At Vivlos Junior High School, Haris Vlachos and Dimitris Rousounelos met with third-year students for a discussion connecting gastronomy and nutrition with local production, personal choices, creativity and professional development. The students’ active participation underscored the value of direct engagement with people working across different fields of knowledge and creative practice.
Later, students from Naxos Second Junior High School took part in a hands-on pastry workshop in the kitchen of Amour restaurant in Agia Anna. Guided by Haris Vlachos and pastry chef Makis Mathiasos, they prepared cakes and cereal bars, gaining practical insight into food preparation and ideas for everyday nutrition.
Makis Mathiasos also provided sweets for the students of Vivlos Junior High School, further enriching the educational experience.
Both activities were organised in collaboration with the schools’ administrations and teaching staff, strengthening the connection between the cultural initiative and the local educational community.
Bringing gastronomy into the school environment reflected one of Polykríti’s central aims: passing knowledge on to younger generations through personal encounters, active participation and experiential learning.
A Musical Evening in Kampones Brings the Festival to a Close
On Saturday, 10 October, the festival returned to the historic olive grove of Kampones, where the idea for the event first took shape five years ago.
Evanthia Reboutsika, accompanied by Andreas Symvoulopoulos on piano and Panos Dimitrakopoulos on kanun, presented an evening of music charged with emotion, in a setting where the natural landscape and historical memory coexist with contemporary artistic expression.
Amid the ancient olive trees, the music created an atmosphere of intimacy and emotion, bringing back into focus the element that defined the festival’s inaugural edition: people coming together through art.
The closing performance brought the three-day programme to a symbolic conclusion, tracing a journey from dialogue and the exchange of knowledge to education and the shared experience of music.
Maria Polykríti: Naxos as the Starting Point for a Broader Cultural Vision
For Maria Polykríti, President of Polykríti and the driving force behind the festival, the conclusion of its fifth edition marks the beginning of a new phase in the development of the cultural initiatives she has established in recent years.
The vision taking shape through Polykríti is grounded in a lasting connection with place, the reinterpretation of cultural heritage through contemporary creative approaches, and the development of collaborations that bring together people and disciplines from different fields.
Within this framework, Polikriti Gastronomic Dialogues represents a new step towards establishing an enduring institution that can travel, welcome new voices and create opportunities for exchange between gastronomy, art, education and culture.
Naxos remains the initiative’s central point of reference and inspiration, while its ambitions extend towards collaborations and activities both on and beyond the island.
With the conclusion of the fifth An Evening Beneath the Olive Tree Cultural Festival, Polykríti continues to build a sustained cultural presence, investing in the creative reimagining of local knowledge, the engagement of younger generations and the connection of Naxos with a wider network of people and ideas.
Five years after the first gathering beneath the olive trees, Maria Polykríti’s initiative is evolving into a broader cultural undertaking, embracing new thematic directions, creative collaborations and a vision for the future.
