ECOCLUB Blogs™

The Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle Join fellow dietitians, students and University of Missouri Nutrition and Exercise Physiology Department faculty member, Candy Gabel in Greece! When:  May 14 – May 26, 2012 What: The Greece location of the Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle study abroad course provides an ideal setting for a two week overview of the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet and way of life. You will study different aspects of the Mediterranean diet through activity-related experiences, including visits to archaeological sites, organic food markets, farms, traditional tavernas, olive oil factories, and wineries as well as participate in food preparation classes. You will take a guided botanical hike to learn about the native vegetation that is incorporated into the diet. And will finish your experience in Athens where you will learn about the research focused on adherence and behavior change related to the Mediterranean diet. Where: This course will be held in the town of Heraklion and the villages of Archanes and Vamos on the island of Crete as well as in the city of Athens. Who: Learning opportunities will be provided by MU Nutrition and Exercise Physiology faculty, Chef-Author Nikki Rose, Founder of Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries Eco-Agritourism Network and Mediterranean...

  Eco-Friendly Foodies Explore the Birthplace of the Mediterranean Diet Eco-Friendly Foodies Explore the Birthplace of the Mediterranean Diet by Jennifer Hattam Treehugger / Living / Travel November 26, 2011 http://www.treehugger.com/travel/culinary-ecotourism-crete.html

  Bethesda, Maryland, December 11, 2011, 12:30 - 3:30 pm: Presentation at Bethesda Green by Chef Nikki Rose, Founder of the award-winning Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries Eco-Agritourism Network and author of “Crete: The Roots of the Mediterranean Diet, enjoying the benefits of one of the world‘s healthiest cuisines wherever you live.“ Presentation followed by book signing and brunch at Yamas Mediterranean Grill. Space is limited. Reservations required. (301) 312-8384.  Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  What’s Cooking? Nikki Rose Professional Chef & Culinary Writer Talks About Life on Crete and New Book Greek Reporter, 15 October 2011 by Lorraine Eyre Nikki Rose is a Greek American editor, culinary writer and professional chef.  She is also the founder of Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries which works to protect Crete’s cultural and culinary heritage, the root of the Mediterranean diet.  She has received numerous awards for her innovative projects that bring attention to cultural arts plus agricultural and environmental issues.

  Greetings -  Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries is featured in the October issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller. Many people in our network are interviewed in this piece. A marked improvement in travel writing about community-based tourism. The full story: http://gourmettraveller.com.au/travel_features.htm

If you are in Washington DC on October 20, we'd be delighted if you would join us! Nikki Rose, a Greek American Professional Chef and Writer, and founder of the award-winning Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries Eco-Agritourism Network will be speaking about her work and book at the Embassy of Greece. Details. http://www.cookingincrete.com/Nikki-Rose-Book-Presentation-Crete-The-Roots-of-the-Mediterranean-Diet.html

Greetings, our 2012 Seminar Calendar is up. We are organizing a range of educational programs focusing on biodiversity, historic food and wine routes and short courses. Details are here Best regards, Nikki Rose

New Book by Nikki Rose, Crete: The Roots of the Mediterranean Diet, enjoying the benefits of one of the world’s healthiest cuisines wherever you live. Nikki Rose, a Greek American Professional Chef-Instructor and Writer, has been hosting teachers, students and journalists in Crete for over 14 years through her project Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries (CCS). Her focus celebrates and helps protect Crete’s cultural and culinary heritage. The concepts of the well-researched and highly regarded Mediterranean Diet originated in Crete. Chef Rose, with her CCS initiatives, demonstrates that Cretan cuisine is not just a diet, but is a way of life that has much to offer our on-going pursuit of healthy and sustainable approaches to eating. In this concise book, Rose shares her knowledge, and passion for her heritage, along with practical strategies for applying the celebrated concepts of Cretan cuisine, wherever we live. Rose has received numerous awards from National Geographic, the United Nations and many other organizations for her success in creating sustainable travel/community-based tourism and culinary projects that bring focus to the expanding inquiry into sustainability. Proceeds from this book benefit ongoing CCS initiatives. Information and chapter preview:  http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2401646

The Future of Food - Washington DC, May 4, 2011 - 9:00am - 4:30pm   "This conference will bring together many of the world’s leading experts on food, including The Prince of Wales, a lifelong environmentalist and organic farmer, Eric Schlosser, author of “Fast Food Nation,” and Wendell Berry, winner of The National Humanities Medal. How is American and international food production changing to respond to growing demand from consumers for healthier and more natural food? Experts from some of world’s biggest food companies, academia and nonprofits discuss trends in agriculture and consumer behavior that is shaping the future of food." Note from Nikki Rose -- I was at the premier of this film in San Francisco in 2004. People risked their careers to get this information out to the public. Things have changed but not fast enough. So many people still do not even know what GMOs are. But they are eating it...so we are what we eat.

  A great article by Gene Logsdon: "...a farmer can learn more about sustainable farming from history rather than from current science. Agriculture has been taking giant leaps “forward” and archeology giant leaps “backward,” both with intriguing and absorbing results. Both work under a handicap. Archeology studies a silent past and has to worry that it’s getting the story right. Agriculture assumes a future that may not turn out to be true either. The two sciences have markedly different philosophies. Agriculture is interested in making farming a money-profitable business. Archeology is interested in finding out why profitable farming invariably leads to wrecked civilizations." Gene and Carol Logsdon have a small-scale experimental farm in Ohio. Gene is the author of numerous books and magazine articles on farm-related issues, and believes sustainable pastoral farming is the solution for a stressed agricultural system. Full article on the Contrary Farmer Blog: Note from Nikki Rose: Good timing! CCS developed a whole seminar series related to this issue:  Historic Food and Wine Routes of Crete, June 6-14, 2011.