“Story on the Plate” is an innovative intergenerational action, focusing on cooking as a practical and experiential process of dynamic intergenerational connection, implemented by MedINA with the support of the Captain Vassilis and Carmen Konstantakopoulou Foundation (CVF). The aim of this pilot action is, on the one hand, to preserve, promote and exploit the traditional knowledge of Messinian cuisine and, on the other hand, to educate young people in the gastronomic culture of Messinia through interaction with people of the third and fourth age.
The first step of ” Story on the Plate” was the first meeting of the participating teams, which took place in Kalamata and Pylos during this summer. Women – members of the Ladies’ Association in Pylos, who will reveal the secrets of traditional Messinian recipes, together with the curriculum manager of the Horizon Vocational Training Institute in Kalamata Nikos Stakias, met with the creative teams of the Captain Vassilis and Carmen Constantakopoulos Foundation and MedINA.
The enthusiastic spirit of getting to know the participants set the stage for the current autumn season during which ” Story on the Plate” is being planned and is set to be implemented in November!
The menu will have structured narratives linked to the Messinian cuisines of the past, as they are preserved today, workshops of traditional recipes and creative challenges for a group of cooking students of Horizon Vocational Training Institute in Kalamata, who will be invited with knowledge and sensitivity to propose their own versions of the recipes, which will be taught by the women of the Ladies’ Association in Pylos.
An essential ingredient of the plates to be created is the memories and the stories that carry flavours and recipes. As expressed by the president of the Ladies’ Association in Pylos Mrs. Visviki: “Family tables, celebrations, Sundays – our common place, where we meet to talk lovingly, laugh and cry”.
Can a traditional plate with a modern approach and knowledge succeed in giving continuity to our small or big social rituals? The challenge is great and we look forward to the next steps!
The “Story on the Plate” initiative is implemented by MedINA with the donation and care of the Captain Vassilis and Carmen Constantakopoulos Foundation (CVF) in collaboration with the Ladies’ Association in Pylos and the Horizon Vocational Training Institute in Kalamata.
