Nicholas Tsakiris - Sea Salt and Honey: Celebrating the Food of Kardamili in 100 Sun-Drenched Recipes: A New Greek Cookbook

To friends and family who inspire us always, especially David Perluck and Craig Sax (Uncle Craig)

Nicholas, Olivia, and Chloe

To David Perluck, my best friend, not to mention the biggest fan of my cooking. Your photography and artistry brought about a turning point in my life.

I remember when I asked you, How come my photograph isnt as good as yours? and you told me: You have a camera. I have a camera. But along with a camera, Ive also got something that took me more than thirty years to develop: an eye for the unique, the compelling, the almost inexplicable thing that makes an image or, more specifically, an image of an object, person, or place far more beautiful and desirable. Yes, you can make a picture, but I can communicate intangibles: quality, grace, value, and intelligence. So, this one time when you asked, But we used the same ingredients, how come yours tastes so much better than mine? I answered, You have spices. I have spices. But along with the spices... You are missed.

Nicholas

To Uncle Craig: Though you passed when we were young, the memories we have of youour own along with stories told to us from Mom and Mimiare cherished. You were our best friend when we were young; we ate cereal with you every morning and loved going to the beach with you. Thank you for passing along your love of cooking and your joyful nature. We know youre watching over us both but wish you were still with us today. We hope this book makes you proud.

Olivia and Chloe

Life in Kardamili is largely about losing track of timeand learning to be comfortable in that timelessness.

Its about using a clay pot to cook chickpeas ever so slowly, not worrying about how long its taking to get the meal on the table, because when its ready itll be even more delicious for the time it took to simmer. Its about walking the twenty minutes along the beach road from home to the miniature grocery store at the edge of town, even though it would be quicker to hop in the car and drive, because the walk itself is beautiful and worth doing for its own sake. Its about harvesting sea salt, foraging in the mountains and on roadsides for wild herbs, and preserving fresh capers plucked from the salt-sprayed plants along the coastnot because its an efficient way of doing things (though often it isand frugal, too) but precisely because it takes time and requires care.

Its about savoring every aspect of life and appreciating it for what it is.

Our family has a long history in Greece, going back generations. I was born in Athens and grew up in the city and on Corfu, one of the largest islands in the Ionian Sea, on the western side of the Greek peninsula, and I spent a lot of time with family on Crete.

As a kid I loved to hang around and play in the kitchen and watch my mother and my grandmother cook. Both my grandmother and my mother were great cooks. But they had different styles. My mother leaned toward plain and simple dishes that were tasty because she knew how to use salt well. My grandmother was never afraid to experiment with herbs, spices, and unusual ingredients.

Whenever my mom cooked chicken, she always gave me the liver, which, believe it or not, was my favorite part. I loved it, but there was never enough. One day, when I was around ninewe lived on Corfu at the timeI was walking through the market and saw on a butchers chalkboard chicken livers for two drachmas per kilo, which was something I could afford with my pocket money. I bought some. Mom was at work, so I called to ask her how she usually cooked them for me. She told me, but then she asked why. I told her that I had bought some and was going to cook them. Her reaction was surprise, quickly followed by concern that Id burn down the kitchen. When she came home, she went straight into the kitchen to be sure all was okay. Then she grabbed a fork and tried one of my chicken livers. She said, These are really good! You should do this more often. And thats how I started cooking.

I spent decades living out of the countrythrough a marriage, my daughters childhoods, the building of a career and a life in the United States, and a divorce. But in 2006, one of my clients opened an office in Athens, and I flew over to help with the project. As often happens in Greece, a few weeks turned into several trips of a few weeks, and the whole project took more than a year to complete. In my spare time I fled the city, with its crowded streets of building after building, the streetlights washing out the night sky, the traffic and its constant noise. I wanted to see the stars on clear nights, I wanted to feel the wind uninterrupted by office buildings, I wanted to hear the sea. On weekends I explored the Greek countryside, taking in the incredibly varied landscape, from beaches to sheeps meadows to mountain ranges.

The first time I visited Kardamili was on a weekend trip with friends. My relationship with the village wasnt a sudden whirlwind romance, but I kept visiting, even after Id left the work in Athens and returned to the States. In Kardamili I somehow felt as if I was simultaneously on an endless vacation while also feeling at homeI loved the rugged landscape and its proud people.

Eventually, in 2007, I decided to rent a house in the village so I could come more often and my daughters could come too, on their vacations. I couldnt wait for Olivia and Chloe, who were teenagers at the time and thoroughly enjoying their lives in the United States, to join me in the village, and I was certain theyd fall under its spell as deeply as I had.

Kardamili is a village of about 450 people. From start to finish the village is a five-minute walk. The essence of life here is to be outdoors. We hike and pick herbs in the mountains, work in the garden, walk or bike the paths by the sea. The swimming season spans from April to December and we swim almost daily during that time. Cafs, restaurants, and bars are all open-airwe even celebrate New Years Day in an outdoor restaurant. While the weather variessome years we may be wearing sunglasses and T-shirts; other years we may be wearing scarves and sweaterswe still have our New Years brunch outside. Since ancient times, the shelter provided by the Taygetos mountains has created a microclimate that gives us olives, figs, and all kinds of vegetables in every season.

I could never think of living in a city again. The nature of my work requires only a laptop and an internet connection. My life feels as if it has turned into a permanent vacation, even if that is far from the case. I can still work hard, but the peace here allows my mind to travel to wherever it needs to go to design, to invent, to garden, and to cook.