ECOCLUB, Issue 93
_____
_____
9
THE ECOCLUB INTERVIEW
NIKKI ROSE
"If we think tradition should be offered to us for free, we are part of the serious
problem. The people we meet during our travels are not obligated to treat us to a
single peanut, let alone a feast free of charge. They are not our free entertainment –
no matter who we are."
Nikki Rose, Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries Founder and Director,
is a Greek-American professional chef and writer. She is a
graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has worked in
fine dining establishments and cultural-culinary education in
Paris, San Francisco, New York and Washington, DC. She
explored Greece for over 10 years before settling down in her
grandmother's homeland of Crete in 1998 to form Crete's
Culinary Sanctuaries.
Ms Rose has designed and hosted distinctive culinary arts
preservation seminars since 1996, featuring leading US chefs.
Her programs are approved by the American Culinary Federation
for Continuing Education credits and have been professionally
videotaped for educational purposes.
Nikki Rose was assistant cookbook editor at the Culinary
Institute of America, working on professional and commercial cookbooks. She contributed to “Thirty Secrets of the World’s
Healthiest Cuisines” (John Wiley & Sons). Her published articles, upcoming book and documentary focus on traditional cuisine,
culture, sustainable agriculture and environmental issues.
Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries programs or "Intensive cultural immersion experiences" according to Nikki, cover the whole
picture of Crete: culture, natural beauty, organic food and gardening. Classes are conducted in residents’ kitchens, gardens, olive
oil factories, vineyards and ancient sites. Presentations are by local experts who have a proven track record in cultural
preservation projects and sustainable tourism action programs. Over the years, CCS has expanded its all-local network to
include 40 small businesses and individuals throughout the island.
Nikki Rose frequently speaks about eco-agritourism at international conferences and advises start-up programs, authors and
researchers on the responsible travel as a means to help solve social and environmental issues.
The Interview follows:
ECOCLUB.com: Following your work over the past three years, it is evident that agrotourism & culinary tourism is
far more than a job for you, you are a really passionate and articulate advocate. So, what brought you to culinary
tourism and to Crete?
Nikki Rose: You are very right. I am a passionate advocate for preserving the cultural and culinary heritage of Crete, and
created CCS as a vehicle to communicate the vital relationship between our beautiful environment, our heritage and the often
damaging choices we make regarding travel and tourism.
Cultural-culinary heritage preservation has been my focus for over 20 years. I trained to become a professional chef and have
worked with many extraordinarily skilled chefs and farmers. I have watched the foodservice and agriculture industries become
more and more automated at the expense of quality food, safe food, and our environment.
In reaction, I began organizing dynamic educational seminars to rekindle public interest in the culinary arts, featuring fantastic
chefs, sustainable organic farmers and artisan producers. The overwhelming interest and enthusiasm from the public fuelled my
own. This led me to my family roots in Greece over ten years ago, where sustainable organic farming and artisan production is
still of way of life for more people we might imagine.
Today, Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries supports the efforts of over 40 small businesses and individuals working on action
programs to preserve Crete’s culture and environment. CCS is an internationally acclaimed program for best practices in
responsible travel.
