Our Executive Chef Zinonas Christofidis (Zinonas) recently published his first book about breads and rusks of Crete. The book is titled "cut the bread with your hands" and specializes on traditional Cretan recipes of sour dough bread. This is actually the first book in Greece specializing in breads with natural curing yeast. Zinonas manages to present highest baking techniques given in the simplest way, simply unders tandable by all. First edition was sold out on the first day of circulation which was a personal bet for Zinonas to prove that people are looking back into their roots and traditions. For him healthy eating is not a trend, it is a necessity that comes together with strong natural flavors and the experiences that follow the tasting.

Zinonas was born in February 1979 in Heraklion, Crete. His childhood is full of happy moments with family and friends. He grew up with the scents and beautiful pictures of the country. Pictures that are almost all associated with good food and loved ones. So, as the years went by and his love for good food grew, it became a need to capture emotions in the foods he was creating.

He managed worked in several notable restaurants around the world, where he was given the opportunity to cook with renowned names of global gastronomy.

Zinonas describes in his book:

"My grandmother was a woman from a village in Crete. When the dough was resting, she was placing a wooden cross on top, covering the dough with a towel and kept it in a warm place. cherishing for it. This picture comes to mind when I hear the word sour dough.

Sour dough bread is characterized by its texture, rich taste and aromas which remind me of my childhood years. If I have to give it a scientific definition, allow me say that sour dough is a culture of microorganisms that grow with flour and water.

Sour dough can be made by any fruits or even with plain water and flour. As for its aromas, they are related to the temperature at which it is getting matured."

The book contains 28 recipes and will soon be published into English and German language. The smell of freshly baked bread at home is a reminder, make sure you fill your people's memories with your breads, it's a great legacy!

Zinonas supervises the kitchens of five distinct restaurants in Abaton: ‘Buddha-bar Beach Abaton Crete’, the renowned Asian fusion bistro ; ‘WOW Steak House’, awarded as the best Steak House in Southern Europe; ‘Bony Fish’, offering seafood and delicacies from the Aegean Sea; 'F-Zin Ivy League Restaurant' an international cuisine feast and finally ‘Elemes Cretan Cuisne’, the ambassador of Cretan culinary.

In the coming season, hotel and restaurant guests will experience a new menu presented by Zinonas to Elemes Cretan Cusine restaurant. The menu will include foods and delicacies cooked into wood fired stoves and ovens. Organic ingredients from the ancient land of Greece, finished with "mouth to mouth" saved recipes will fascinate our epicurious visitors.