A farmer’s dream of a farm to table kitchen for his island

Do you know that feeling of being in complete awe after meeting a stranger? Kostadis, a farmer living in a small village in the middle of Naxos (an island in the beautiful Cyclades of Greece) was such an encounter for me.

About three years ago during my summer vacation, I randomly passed a colorful building with a funny quote on the wall right below a window (“the glory hole”), and, curiosity getting the better of me, I pulled over. Beyond this colorful wall, I entered a magical place with an even more colorful courtyard, with handmade pottery, plants and a number of mismatched chairs and tables. Immediately, I knew that this was a place that had been built with a lot of passion.

Past the courtyard, I saw rows and rows of the most colorful and exotic vegetables, as well as a huge field with happy grazing goats and chicken. I was standing in the middle of Kostadis’ farm. His life’s project.

What followed were perhaps one of the most cherished experiences of my life: Over the course of the past years I learned what it takes to cultivate fertile soil without using chemicals, how to make local cheese from sheep and goat that have been fed with real food, and what a difference it makes to taste a juicy sun ripe tomato that reminds you of the sweetness of an apple when you bite into it.

I am very grateful to call Kostadis a dear friend today. And this is why I am passionate to be sharing his story with you now, in order to help him realize his dream: Expanding his farm into a Food-Remedy-Kitchen.He is on a mission to preserve the century old knowledge of cultivating the only organic food on his island, and wants to make sure that the importance of local, healthy food is not lost amongst the globalization of the food chain. Because it’s his calling. It’s the blood that runs through his veins.

But like most inspiring projects, there is a more deep-rooted cause that let to the farm I got to know: For many years, he lived outside of Greece, learning his craft in top-rated restaurants in the UK, in Austria, and in Munich. When, 11 years ago, he moved back to his home country and his son received the diagnosis of epilepsy, his world was turned upside down. Desperate to provide his son with a holistic approach to a disease that was not well understood, he opened up his small farm in order to help him cultivate organic food that can be used as medicine.

What was a means to providing for his son and family back then, has turned into a very important center for the regional community now: Being a cook at heart, every Sunday, Kostadis invites his friends, family and community for dinner. He will spend all day in the kitchen, and by 6pm, his farm shop will be full of fresh, rich, colorful and satisfying Mediterranean dishes. One of my favorite things he makes is his style of “Briam”, a traditional Greek recipe, with crispy Naxos potatoes, sweet and flavorful aubergines, juicy zucchini and tomatoes and clean summer herbs. Everything is coated with native olive oil and caramelized sweet onions and can be garnished with all sorts of dips, home-made cheese and newly created sauces. Every dish is packed full of flavors and bolt colors. During one of those cherished Sunday evenings, Kostadis opened up and shared his dream of being able to cater his deliciously cooked meals to more people by expanding his farm to a Food-Remedy-Kitchen. That was the point when I knew I needed to help him to bring this project to life.

If you have read along until now, you are hopefully as excited as I am to bring this project to life. So let me give you a couple more details:

Kostadis has a great sense of humor, so naturally his kitchen’s name will be out of the ordinary: “13 Horny goats”. Where does this name come from? Well, it is inspired by the 13 male goats that reside on the farm …

In total, this project will cost around 130-180.000€- which is a lot of money here in Greece (with the average monthly income at about 730€*).

As a first step, Kostadis will need to get his concept licensed, and he will need to renovate the entire space. He wants to create a warm, loving space for people to gather and spent an exceptional evening that feels like sitting at your grandma’s table. Then, machinery and furniture are needed to set up a fully functioning kitchen (see photos below).

Kostadis is very warmhearted once you get to know him. So, your donation is more than just an anonymous financial contribution. Anyone who supports his Food-Remedy-Kitchen is more than welcome to come to Naxos and see the impact of their donation for themselves! Being part of the donor list, you will be greeted with a free meal with the taste of true nature and get to see for yourself what it means to be part of this great community.

We will make sure to regularly update this page, so you can be part of every step along the way.

Pia Anders

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• The summer of 2022 was a special summer for me, where I spent a month in Naxos's Kastraki area and by coincidence found myself in Kostadi's Organic farm which was a 5 minutes ride from the house. I practically passed by that farm every other day for a month, first with my daughters and then with every visitor that spent their summer holidays with us. Walking through the farm and the various food crops planted, you immediately absorb and feel the energy of the earth and Kostadis himself. I fell in love with the farm and it quickly became obvious that Kostadis and his family will be lifelong friends. This is partly because Kostadis shares the earth philosophy of my father, Joseph, who passed away in 2019 and simply had an adoration for the earth, farming and growing his crops which included our childhood favorite fruits and vegetables. My father had so much pride in his farm, and something that you also quickly sense when Kostadis takes you through the farm and explains every single origin of the plants, why he chose it and what health benefits it brings. But the experience doesn't stop there, once you go inside the charming boutique, you are surrounded by the fresh produce that Kostadis himself does end to end, from goat cheese infused with all sorts of garnish, his exceptional liqueurs, and my all time favorites 'candy' sun-dried tomatoes, 'gummy bears' dried raisins and 'more than 100 variety' chillies. To this day, I have them shipped from Kostadis' farm all the way to Dubai, they make for amazing gifts, they add so much experience to my dinners and more importantly my kids love them and remember their time in Naxos. '13 Horny Goats' was the highlight of that trip, when Kostadis told me of his plans, I couldn't stop smiling and imagining the fun, good times that one will certainly have once the restaurant is up and running and I can not wait to be seated around that table with my friends from all over the world and the many friends I made in Naxos including Kostadis and his Family. This is a lifelong dream of Kostadis, similar to my dad's dream to go back to the mountain where he was originally from and build his beautiful Farm. You will not regret visiting the farm, you will not regret enjoying its produce and you will not regret supporting Kostadis' dream of setting up '13 Horny Goats!'
• Mona Abou Hana
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What an amazing place!!! The Little Farm of Naxos is so much more than your ordinary organic farm... It's more like a healing place. From the fresh organic products and the beautiful landscape to the herbal aromas and the wonderful people you ll meet there, the Little Farm of Naxos is a place to stimulate your senses and heal your body and soul. This healing process is orchestrated by Kostas who is not just an amazing host that will greet every visitor with kindness and a culinary treat they will never forget but he is also much like a natural born healer who transfers his love and passion to every seed he plants into the earth. The Little Farm of Naxos is a truly memorable experience and I must say that the world simply needs more places like that and more people like Kostas!

Vassilis K.

*http://wwww.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?loc=84&lo...