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“I see Crete’s younger generation being more into modern food –
light dishes prepared with the finest ingredients – while maintaining the
rich tastes of traditional fare.”
With these words
as his creed, chef Hristos Schinarakis packed up his cutlery and wooden
spoons and went in search of the ideal location to practice what he preaches
– a showcase for his own style of Mediterranean cuisine – a fusion of modern
and traditional.
He chose Kokkini
Hani and named the restaurant, which opened last November,
Ta Nisia.
“I
came here because it’s an important suburb of Iraklion – only a short ride from the city –
with enough room to build the type of spacious restaurant I’ve always
wanted,” he said.
Before putting
down his gastronomical roots in the Gouves Township, Mr. Schinarakis, for the past six years, was
the chef at
Οδός
Αιγαίου
(Aegean
Street), one of
Iraklion’s most critically acclaimed restaurants.
In addition to
Οδός
Αιγαίου,
Chef Hristos,
who graduated from the
Technical and Professional School of Cookery in Parnitha in 1974, honed his
culinary skills at some of the finest restaurants in Crete’s five-star
deluxe hotels, including the Elounda Beach
and the Minos Beach in Aghios Nikolaos.
Also, over the
years he has attended numerous seminars on food and food management in many
countries, and is constantly researching innovative ideas in cooking, which
may be adaptable to his own culinary style.
He is a member
of the Euro-toques (European community of chefs) and the Chefs’ Club of
Crete. He is also a professor of cookery, conducting culinary workshops at
the TEI, University of Crete.
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Some of Chef
Hristos’ signature dishes, which were inspired by his travels, his research
and his own imagination, are Matsata
– a traditional hand made pasta from Folegandros served with wild mushrooms;
home made ravioli stuffed with lobster; veal scaloppini with rocket and
parmesan, and grouper with
askolimprous. In addition, he smokes
his own salmon, using a special technique he learned at a seminar in Sweden.
Chef Hristos, a
native of Iraklion, always knew he would be a chef. His father, Konstantinos,
was a noted chef, and young Hristos showed an early interest in the art of
cooking, to his dad’s delight.
Now, his own
son, Konstantinos, is carrying on the family tradition.
He studied at
IEK in the confectionery department, and worked for Fresh Gourmet from 1999
to 2006.
Joining his
father at Ta Nisia, Konstantinos,
the
pâtissier, supervises the
desert menu and assists in the everyday management of the well-appointed
restaurant.
In addition to
creating a special menu, Chef Hristos showed similar care in designing the
showplace for his food by coming up with a modern, yet warm décor.
The service also
compliments the food, with prompt and courteous attention by professional
waiters.
“The proper preparation and presentation of good food is a team effort,”
Chef Hristos said, “and I’m proud to say we have a really good team.”
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