Gastronomos honors producers in border regions

The 16th Quality Awards of Kathimerini’s influential food magazine Gastronomos traveled to the border region of Evros this year. The event was hosted in the old warehouses of the Alexandroupoli Customs Office, which since the beginning of the last century have been associated with life at the city’s port – as an entry and exit point for people and goods and therefore as a fundamental hub for the economic life of the wider region. 

The 2023 event was graced with the presence of the Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and attended by distinguished guests from Alexandroupoli and the rest of the country. Acclaimed actor Nikos Psarras was the presenter of the event.

This year, Gastronomos exclusively honored producers from border regions of Greece, from Evros to the island of Kasos, and from the northern region of Prespes to Chios. There, the magazine discovered producers operating hundreds of kilometers away from the Greek capital, often under adverse conditions. These people are active and dynamic, standing out not only for the quality of the food they produce, but also for their ethos, and who serve as a motivation for other young people to stay and work in their place of origin.

In the ceremony, the Honorary Award was given to Angeliki Giannakidou, the founder and president of the Ethnological Museum of Thrace. Giannakidou is a tireless guardian of Thracian traditions, which she has been documenting for decades with the aim of preserving and promoting them.

The Olive Oil Production Award was won by Konos – Ktima Micheli, which has been producing olive oil in Evros for four generations. 

The Honey Production Award went to Honey Hasapis, of Lemnos in the North Aegean.

The Cheese Production Award was won by the Vassilas Cheese Factory on Lesvos for its outstanding ladotyri (oil cheese), while the Wine Production Award went to not one, but four wineries from Limnos that cultivate indigenous varieties and have become the best promoters of the island: the Limnos Wines Agricultural Cooperative, the Garalis Winery, Estate Chatzigeorgiou and Limnos Organic Wines.

The Consumer Product Award was won by Thrace Mills – I. Ouzounopoulos SA, while the Entrepreneurship Award was won by the Chios Mastiha Growers Association and the association’s marketing arm, Mediterra SA. 

The Evi Voutsina Award, which is given every year to small producers of rare and exquisite local products, was awarded this year to Vonapartis Ioannis – Kasos Cheese.

Two more distinctions, the Legume Production Award and the Meat and Sausage Production Award, were won by Prespa Top and Kerkini Farm, respectively.

Finally, the Special Prize was awarded to the “lady of the rock,” Irene Katsotourchi-Thireou, the only resident of the island of Kinaros and a living symbol of what it means to be a borderer.

Kathimerini and Gastronomos also offered an undergraduate scholarship at Perrotis College, a division of the American Farm School, to a student from Evros. The scholarship will cover all four years of study starting in the academic year 2024-2025 and we hope that this symbolic move will give the young person the opportunity to realize their dream and acquire the knowledge that will contribute to the agricultural development of the country.

The ceremony was dedicated to the memory of monk Epiphanios of Mylopotamos, a true gastronomist who drew attention to the gastronomy and viticulture of Mount Athos from around the world.

The organizers want to thank the Municipality of Alexandroupoli, the Port Organization of Alexandroupoli and to all the distinguished guests who graced the ceremony with their presence. Special thanks go to the Independent Public Revenue Authority and the Alexandroupoli Customs for providing the Customs Office for the event. Lidl Hellas, Grecotel, Aegean Airlines, Thrace Greenhouses, AQUA Carpatica, Kotsovolos–Dixons Southeast Europe and Nespresso Professional were the event’s sponsors, who showed their enthusiastic support.

A big “thank you” also goes to the volunteer students of IEK Akmi Alexandroupoli for their valuable presence and contribution to the event.