2022

Oils ain't oils
Maria organized a delightful and interesting tour, including a visit to a local olive grove with the manager on hand to explain the harvesting and pressing, and learning to tell the difference between different types of olives.
Then the olive oil "blind" tasting, which we took as seriously as a vintage wine tasting. It was a fascinating insight into the small family-run olive growers and olive oil producers, and the amazing variety of oils.
We certainly now only look for extra virgin olive oil (Greek of course) and how to store it. Highly recommended! Maria, thank you for the wonderful tour! It was so informative and fun!

MEET LOCALS, TASTE OLIVE OIL & EAT INCREDIBLE GREEK CUISINE... MAMA KNOWS BEST!!
I was doing some groceries at Mammy's Market (organic shop in Kalamata) and I had asked the owner Julie if she knew of any nearby olive farms that I could visit. She connected me to Maria, who is the woman power behind Mama's Flavours. Right away, it was easy to communicate with Maria in order to organize and personalize the experience.
She is so knowledgeable about the history of Greece and the region. I was very impressed by her professionalism and her passion that she has to connect people through these experiences in order to learn more about local ways of life.
This experience was above all what I had expected. I appreciated Maria's presence, sincerity and attention to all the details for creating this olive oil experience. I learned so much about the history of olives, olive oil making and tasting.
She arranged a delicious Greek lunch at a local restaurant. It was a huge pleasure to meet Maria; I had a lovely time and would definitely return for more tips from Mama's flavours :)

Greatest experience ever!
In October 2022, my wife and I had an olive oil tasting tour with Maria. It was an extraordinary experience. Maria is a very warm, kind-hearted and knowledgeable person. We learned so much. She was very focused on details. The cherry on top was an exquisite lunch at the end of the tour. We had a chance to taste outstanding, top-notch local cuisine. It was something and a half!
If you are looking to get a service that comes from the heart – not from the money, use their service without a single doubt. Maria, you are amazing!!!

A MEMORABLE AND ENJOYABLE JOURNEY OF TASTES, AROMAS AND TRADITIONS!
Marie & Lorenzo:
The traditional food tour with Maria was an absolute delight! Although we have been going to Greece for many years, this journey around the charismatic streets of Kalamata where we got to meet the locals, taste, sip and discover the foodie traditions of the region was like nothing we have experienced before.
Maria is both passionate and knowledgeable about Greek cuisine up to and beyond the famous Kalamata olive! She collaborates with small producers, food store owners, restaurateurs and all those passionate about preserving the culinary traditions of this region. Get ready to discover local delights, traditional sweets, spices, Greek coffee and more!
Learn the correct way to cool down your Ouzo, discover the secrets of extra virgin olive oil and meet a local wine producer. Oh, and I forgot to mention that this tour concludes with a delicious light lunch at a charming taverna! The food tour experience with Maria is an absolute must for self-confessed foodies, or anyone who is curious about local culinary traditions and has a love for Greece and Greek food.
Maria also offers many other gastronomic and foodie experiences and we can’t wait to join her on another foodie odyssey the next time we are in town!

Michael Review: Mouth Watering and Eye Opening!
A really excellent experience. Maria is passionate about her subject and has found fabulous places to take you. Before this tour I definitely didn't like διπλες (sweet honey and cinnamon pastries, speciality of Kalamata) or Greek coffee - now I am hooked on both!
Maria explains everything extremely clearly, the history, nutrition, provenance of all the products and she has found excellent partners in shops, producers and places to eat. Can't fault this experience and good value for money.

LA CHALEUR HUMAINE À LE GOÛT DE L'HUILE D'OLIVE !
Maria et George sont d'adorables professionnels et ils se complètent parfaitement dans l'explication de la fabrication de l'huile d'olive, de son histoire, de celle de Kalamata, et de leur partenariat!
Nous avons découvert les différents goûts d'huile d'olive, pour mieux cuisiner, choisir et apprécier ce que nous achetons.
Très heureux d'avoir pu vivre cette expérience, nous recommendons !

This was one of the best experiences we had while in Kalamata. We were coached by one of the best chefs in Greece, and then enjoyed a long dinner with the chef and our tour organizers, Maria and Giannis, that allowed us to talk about everything ... politics, life in Kalamata/Greece, family ... all the things that brought us to Kalamata in the first place. Christos (the chef) has such great stories about who he's cooked for.
We are heading back to Kalamata later this year, and intend to repeat this experience, primarily to enjoy the company of Christos, Maria and Giannis. I will also say that the value of this event was clearly there ... We likely would have paid what we paid just to go to a restaurant, and the "experience" of cooking instruction and great company was sort of "free."

Unique and Fun Experience
This was a venture that my wife and I took with 4 other adults (our daughters and their husbands) and grandkids of 5, 2 and 1-1/2 years). The farm/vineyards are incredibly cool on their own account, with olive trees that are hundreds of years old.
Loved the food and libations, but the olive oil tasting was particularly great. Had no idea of what "great" olive oil tasted like, but it was obvious shortly after we started. The owners of the farm were awesome people, with young kids and a interesting backgrounds. The organic focus of the farm was very cool.
Our tour "hosts," Maria and Giannis, are very special people. This tour was our first engagement with them. We had such a great time and liked them so much that we did two other events that they arranged during our stay in Kalamata. They are delightful, smart and interesting.
We've done other tours (including some in Kalamata), and no one compares to Maria and Giannis in terms of personal touch and creativity. We consider them to be our friends.

Thank you for the nice pictures and for the super interesting and tasteful day! It was really nice how it felt like a nice day out between friends rather than a guided tour. We have made lots of great memories and would like to thank all of your amazing partners as well. You built out an excellent network of people and places to provide any tourist with a nice all day experience. Thank you so much and we wish you the best of luck with Mama's flavours!

THE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR VISIT TO GREECE.
Maria was absolutely delightful. She was personable, passionate, thoughtful, and obviously well connected in Kalamata. She not only introduced us to local specialties, but locals themselves. We started with a history lesson of Kalamata then the tour began with a visit to a storefront bakery that was preparing delicacies for a wedding in Athens. After tasting, we were gifted a box of them along with another freshly made snack.
The walk progressed thru a Greek coffee shop, thru the main market, sweet spoons in an artisan herb & preserves shop, ouzo & charcuterie in an outside taverna, honey tasting, a memorable visit to a wine shop with plenty of wine & tsipouro, followed with lunch featuring the meat from a roasted whole hog that we saw in the very beginning of our adventure.
Everything was so fresh, local & wonderful. We never felt rushed, even when we visited with a Canadian at the coffee shop.
Maria and the Kalamata foodie tour is an 11 on a scale from 1 to 10.

Incredible day of cooking on a beautiful, traditional farm in Messinia!
What an amazing, perfect day. It's hard for me to express how wonderful the experience of cooking together with our friends in this beautiful outdoor, garden kitchen in Messinia.
Maria along with, Stephanie and her family gathered us around a large wooden table under a beautiful shady pergola built by Stephanie's husband Panayotis from local cedar trees that were repurposed.. Stephanie's mother in law, our Yiayia for the day, reminded me so much of my own grandmother as she encouraged us to get involved in every part of the meal prep.
We learned how to prepare and bake rustic bread, lamb, tsasiki, tiropita, a villager’s salad and oven baked potatoes. The clay oven used to cook the meal is one you will see in many Greek's home gardens or behind local restaurants. While we learned how to cook these things, Maria & Stephanie taught us about the lifestyle in Messinia, the traditions behind many local foods, the importance of the olive trees and so much more.
All of our hosts were so warm, funny and interesting. They are well prepared. While your lunch is baking in the oven, you are served local wine and learn about the processing of olive oil and the purpose of raising awareness though agrotourism. The property is idyllic and set on a hill not far from Voidokilia and Petrohori beaches where you can visit after for a swim.
You can purchase Olive Oil produced at the farm to carry home and enjoy when you are missing the flavors of Greece. There is a genuine feeling that your hosts deeply care about the traditions, food and culture of Greece and Messinia in particular. My grandparents and father lived and grew up in this area and I'm so happy to be able to share this experience with my friends from the US who came with us to visit last summer.
We have already planned the same cooking class with our next guests when we are there this summer. You arrive as guests of Maria, Stephanie, Yiayia and Panayotis and leave feeling like friends.

Ciao Maria! It was very very emotional being with all of you today! My boss friend Anette was really overwhelmed by your hospitality and generosity! The light in your eyes is talking to us about your happiness and energy! Keep it like this and you will be successful! Thank you so much again and l hope to meet again!

Dear Maria, thank you very much for a wonderful day with many interesting new impressions and lots of new information. It's great that Lars and Ina were allowed to be part of the meal. The pictures of you are a nice reminder, thank you for that. We wish you and your loved ones all the best for the future!!

THE WARMEST AND MOST PASSIONATE GUIDE EVER!
Maria is the warmest and most friendly guide we have met on our food tours and we have attended many. She is most accommodating and flexible in fitting with our schedule and passionate and knowledgeable about Greek cuisine and we thoroughly enjoyed the trip. She also went the extra mile to prepare little take away gifts at the end of the trip. It was time well spent and we highly recommend it!

Fabulous tour! Who knew there were so many different olive oil flavours?
I absolutely loved this olive oil tour and tasting with lunch! I was the only one on the tour (I goofed and thought there would be others), so I had Maria (the tour guide) and the manager of the olive groves all to myself. They were both so kind and took the time to answer my many questions. Maria was the consummate guide and super-friendly. If I lived in Kalamata, I have no doubt that we would be friends.
The tour itself was impressive and very educational. I love olives and olive oil but had little knowledge about the harvesting and pressing process. I was then treated to a blindfolded taste-testing to learn about the different natural olive oil flavours. Who knew there were so many! I also learned that I should be an olive-oil connoisseur because of my heightened sense of smell.
After the tour, Maria and I had lunch together. All the dishes were mouth-watering local gastronomies that we enjoyed with beer (or was it wine?). All in all, it was a wonderful experience, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is visiting Kalamata!
P.S. I also did a bike tour with Maria (just the two of us) of Kalamata. I've attached photos of that as well for anyone who might be interested. It was fantastic and well worth it. I'll provide more details once that tour is up on the Trip Advisor site. :)

Maria thank you for a wonderful birthday evening!!! I will never forget it! Thanks so much!!

We are back in Canada and keep wonderful memories of our trip to Greece and short stay in Kalamata.
Thank you for the pictures and information provided. My sister loved her visit to Corfu and found it very regal. We appreciated our olive oil tour and tasting, and the nice touch you provided to each of us. It was really kind of you.
We wish we had done the full tour and had a chance to enjoy a light lunch. We hope we could have stayed longer in your beautiful city of Kalamata!
We headed to Sparta and the beautiful Byzantine old city of Mystras on our way back to Athens. We will remember each of our visits and the warmth of the people from Greece.
Again, thanks to you, to Georges and his wife for the great time spent together. It was really nice and enjoyable!

CHARMING OLIVE OIL TOUR
Maria was a pleasant and knowledgeable person. She made the olive oil tour enjoyable. We highly recommend this tour to learn about different type of olive oil and different tastes!

EXCELLENT TOUR WITH MARIA!
We had a wonderful time on the Oil tasting tour with Maria. She is passionate, interesting and the tour was informative. My wife and I had an enjoyable tour and it was well worth going. If you are driving to Kalamata, I would suggest that you find parking on the street near the central square if you can as the meeting point under the soldiers statues in the square is just to make sure everyone was there.
We then went back to our cars and drove to another meeting area. You essentially are driving yourself to the Olive grove which is not far. We paid for parking and were only in the outdoor lot for 20 minutes. It was a flat fee. The tour was very interesting as Maria explained how the olives are harvested and we learned about how the olive oil is graded in Greece.
After visiting the grove we went into town to do a tasting. We chose not to go to lunch. On our tour it was just my wife and myself that day so it was essentially a private tour. Maria left us with some small gifts at the end of the tour which was a very nice touch. If you are in Kalamata, I would definitely go on this tour.

A can’t miss highlight for a trip to Kalamata! The tour combined great food, wine, coffee, company, city sights and history with memorable local interactions. Maria was like an immediate best friend to the entire family. You could tell she was incredibly passionate about the food tour and making sure we all had a blast. I would recommend her food tour to everyone!
Maria, I cannot express enough to you just how much we enjoyed your wonderful food tour. There just aren't enough adjectives. It was the perfect combination of delicious, relaxing, energetic, entertaining, informative, and fun.
We too felt like you were a good friend we'd known for years. You made us feel at home, taught us a lot, introduced us to lovely people, and fed us delicious food. Kalamata is a wonderful place that we were glad to have experienced. The bags you gave us with the notes and snacks were so sweet. It's a wonderful business and experience you've built and I'll be sure to recommend it to my brother and his wife who are coming to Greece soon. Thank you again!

Thank you again for a lovely tour yesterday! We really enjoyed our day with you and we look forward to another tour with you in the future!!

OLIVE OIL TASTING! WHAT A LOVELY EXPERIENCE!
We went on a olive oil tasting experience with my daughter. We loved it! From the factory where we could see all that is involved in the production of EVOO to the final tasting of different oils in a charming historical shop in Kalamata. Maria was very knowledgeable, helpful and kind. I would highly recommend it!!

FABULOUS TOUR - NOT TO MISS!
Not to miss when visiting Kalamata/Messinian area! We did the Olive tour with olive oil tasting and light lunch in Kalamata. It was a unique experience we learned so much about the region, Greece and olives and had an absolutely delicious lunch. Maria is a fabulous host, very professional and a wonderful person. A must!

FABULOUS EXPERIENCE
Wow-I don't know where to start! We visited the region on holiday and I wanted something special for my husband’s birthday while we were away!
From the moment I contacted Maria she was so unbelievably attentive and careful to plan the best experience I could have wished for. Custom made detail to picking us up from our Hotel and arranging the perfect afternoon and evening experience.
Her expertise and knowledge made for an experience we will never forget. Her team made us so welcome. - we came away with so much knowledge and feeling like we made friends for life.
If you want to book a tour or arrange a custom made experience please do not hesitate to contact Mama's Flavours you will not be disappointed!!!!

AMAZING!!!
The Olive Oil tasting was absolutely amazing. We loved every bit of it and you could feel by her enthusiasm that Maria truly cares about sharing her knowledge and passion! We can absolutely recommend booking a tour with Maria!

DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS EXPERIENCE!
Definitely a must-do if ever in Kalamata. An insightful and entertaining tour that was finished with a delightful meal filled with local cuisine! The olive oil tasting itself was a unique affair paired with lots of laughter. The gifts at the end were a lovely cherry on top of an excellent experience. Definitely something to check out when in Kalamata!

ENGAGING AND PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCE
We had an incredible time with Maria as a guide on the Messinia boat ride and lunch in Kalamata. She planned the entire trip down to the very small details to ensure that we had a high quality and enriching experience. She was extremely engaging and answered all our questions about the surrounding area while showing us Greek culture and traditions. The boat tour was very relaxing with an opportunity to go swimming and enjoy a meal on-board. The traditional lunch was served at an oceanside restaurant where we got to experience local foods from the region as Maria described the dishes in detail including their history and how they were prepared. We were blown away by how well the trip was planned and the personalized experience. We would HIGHLY recommend any visitor to Kalamata or the region book this tour.

We had an awesome food tour with Maria. She is funny, knowledgeable and really takes her time for you. A must see when you visit Kalamáta!

Fantastic experience - exactly what we were after
We had absolutely the best time on our tour with Maria! We contacted Mama's flavours quite last minute as we really wanted to experience an olive oil tasting and to find out more about olive oil in this famous area of the Kalamata olive. Maria was so accommodating, friendly and professional.
We also had our 5 month old baby with us, and Maria offered to hold her to keep her happy during the tasting which was so kind. We learnt a lot during the tour, and thoroughly enjoyed our whole experience and we would recommend it to anyone visiting the area.
Maria also emailed over some lovely photos of us after the tour, and we left with a lovely gift to round it all off. Highly recommend it!

Spannende neue Eindrücke in die messenische Küche in einer Atmosphäre griechischer Gastfreundschaft
Maria hat uns fast einen ganzen Tag in die traditionelle messenische Küche eingeführt und uns dabei sofort mit sympathischen und ehrlich interessierten Art eingenommen. Von Frühstück mit griechischem Kaffee über kleine salzige und süße Snacks, Mezze und einem leichten Mittagessen im Anschluss an eine Verkostung lokaler Weine und Olivenöle haben wir nichts ausgelassen. Vielen der Lebensmittel und Gerichte, die wir mit Maria probiert haben, kannten wir bisher nicht. Daher war es sehr spannend, wie viele Hintergrundinfos die studierte Bibliothekarin dazu parat hatte - vom antiken Ursprung, der traditionellen Verwendung bis hin zu Nährwerten. Danke für diesen unvergesslichen ersten Urlaubstag!
Maria introduced us to the traditional Messenian cuisine for almost a whole day and immediately took us with a sympathetic and honestly interested way. From breakfast with Greek coffee to small salty and sweet snacks, mezze and a light lunch followed by a tasting of local wines and olive oils, we didn’t miss anything. Many of the foods and dishes that we have tasted with Maria, we did not know until now. It was therefore very exciting to see how much background information the trained librarian had on hand – from ancient origins, traditional use to nutritional values. Thank you for this unforgettable first day of your holiday!

Maria, thanks for the special day; your hospitality is unbelievable! After 2 years of Covid it was good to see all of you with happy faces and your hospitality was for us a warm welcome. I was very impressed by your project because our family has owned since 1846 bread and pastry bakeries and 2 supermarkets. We will always remember your hospitality, the quality of dinner and last but not least the warm welcome of your employees. Your place is classified with 5 stars! I wish you a lot of success!

Most Amazing Tour in all of Greece!
This was BY FAR the best experience we had during our honeymoon to Greece and Italy. Maria and Giannis are two incredible people. We couldn’t have dreamed of a better day. Maria and Giannis picked us up in Athens and then we began what was the most incredible day of our honeymoon.
If you are looking for a gastronomic experience in Greece, then YOU MUST contact Maria and Mama’s Flavours. Maria and Giannis are so kind, thoughtful and think of every detail to make the tour absolutely fantastic. They went above and beyond in every aspect from the bag of goodies in the morning, selection of shops and restaurants to a hand crafted gift bag at the end.
Last but not certainly not least, after the tour they drove us 40 minutes to Chandrinos so that I could meet my 2nd cousin for the first time. My cousin doesn’t speak English and I don’t speak Greek, so Maria was gracious enough to be our translator for this most memorable experience.
We consider Maria and Giannis to be our friends, as they are two people who have a very big heart and they are the best part of the Mama’s Flavours experience. We are already thinking of when we will return to Kalamata so that we can meet again!

Amazing tour and experience. Had a great time and a lot of fun!
We went on the food tour with olive oil tasting with Maria and we had an absolutely fantastic few hours. We were sad when the experience came to an end. Maria is so friendly and knowledgeable and the tour is fun and interesting and you get to meet local people, taste so many different types of lovely food and also drink local wines and ouzo as well!! This is a fantastic tour and would definitely recommend you book it.

We’ve had an amazing tour with all the best food. This paired with the nicest…made an unforgettable experience. Thank you so much!

The olive tour was so great with Maria! Next time we come we will find some more time to do the olive oil tasting. Our family enjoyed it so much and we really thank you!!

So worth it in Kalamata!! Do it!!
A special day with a great guide who felt like a friend from the start. We went at our own pace, tasted delicious bits of everything and ended up walking and enjoying and filling up on so many wonderful items at great places we would never have seen. I’m not the type to take a guide around, but this was so worth it. A must do in Kalamata. Thanks Maria!!
Tops of fun, food and Flavours. Really got to live and see and enjoy things that were delicious and never would’ve had the chance to do but for Maria. And she was so great and kind and fun to be with. A wonderful and full day. Highly recommended!!
Many thanks again for taking such good care of us on Saturday. The tour was really great and we had a wonderful time. Also the kids liked it a lot. And thanks for all the gifts which we ate in the car on our way back to Athens. Best of luck with the season this year!
FUSION OF FOOD AND HISTORY TOUR!
Maria's passion for food and her love for the region she lives in was inspiring. This was not only a food tour where we got introduced to local meals and the art of olive oil tasting...it was also a Greek history lesson! Efcharisto Maria...