Join us for this hands-on cooking workshops with Blue Zone teachers from Ikaria, where people live to 100. A turning point in the way you cook.
About the Cuisine of Longevity
The Functional Kitchen of Longevity is not simply a method George and Eleni invented; it is one they inherited. Rooted in the traditions passed down by their ancestors and refined alongside some of the longest-lived people on Ikaria, its principles have also been explored through modern nutritional science, including research into inflammation, gut health and the prevention of chronic disease.
It is a new concept derived from ancient wisdom, offering a different approach to how food is prepared today. Most modern cooking focuses on the finished dish, but the Kitchen of Longevity also considers how food is treated throughout the cooking process.
The Objective
Tasty food. Nutrient-rich food. Achieving both is a challenge: high heat can create delicious flavours but may degrade certain nutrients, while gentler preparation can help preserve them but requires a different approach to flavour.
The Kitchen of Longevity aims to bridge this gap.
The philosophy extends beyond the kitchen. Movement, sleep, the rhythms of natural fasting and daily rituals all play a role in overall wellbeing. This is what makes it a functional kitchen: food is considered part of a wider system of habits that support long-term health.
The Three Secrets of the Ikarian Longevity Kitchen
Heat – How heat is applied and controlled to help protect nutrients that can be lost during high-temperature cooking.
Pairing – How ingredients are combined, and when they are kept separate, to influence how the body absorbs and uses nutrients.
Balance – How these combinations change from meal to meal and season to season, reflecting the inherited principles behind the Ikarian approach to food.
On the day
30 minutes: An introduction to the principles of the Ikarian Kitchen of Longevity.
2.5 hours: Hands-on cooking with George and Eleni, learning practical techniques to take home and incorporate into everyday cooking.
1 hour: A shared meal accompanied by natural wine from the Karimalis family vineyard.
What’s included:
- Welcome refreshments and drinks throughout
- Use of apron, equipment all at hand, ready for the class
- A shared dinner with natural wine or soft drinks
- 10% discount* on purchases made in store on the day of your class, including cookery classes
About George & Eleni Karimalis
George and Eleni Karimalis run the Karimalis Winery and Farmhouse Restaurant in Pigi, Ikaria, one of the world's five Blue Zones, known for the longevity and health of its population.
With family roots on Ikaria spanning five centuries, their knowledge comes not from textbooks alone but from generations of inherited wisdom and more than 50 years of lived experience on the land their family has farmed for centuries.
They deliver 20–30 workshops each year for medical symposiums, professional chefs and wellness communities across Europe and North America. Their work has been featured on Netflix's Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones and in Channel 4's documentary with Jon Snow.