REVIEWS

Wonderful host and amazing experience
What a wonderful host and amazing tour! Honestly can’t recommend Maria more, she was such a lovely lady with great knowledge and made us feel comfortable. The whole experience was informative and we learnt so much.
This is appropriate for adults and families. Thank you Maria for such an enjoyable experience and we will try out your cookie recipe you recommended. If we come back to the area we will be sure to try out one of your cooking classes.

Olive Oil, Knowledge and Great EVOO and Food Experience!
“Wonderful” and “Amazing” are the first two words that come to mind in reviewing our olive oil experience. Understanding the history of the craft of making EVOO and seeing the equipment and being able to see the tools used in the process, demystified and helped to understand the pressing process.
The second stop of the experience, the tasting with George and Kelly was perfect! George is a luminary in the olive oil business, and him taking the time to talk through the samples, explain how to taste and the different characteristics was so fulfilling for us! They even added a little bit of honey to the end of the tasting to make our time together extra sweet.
Maria wrapped up the experience with a wonderful “light” lunch of five courses. We didn’t need dinner and the food and Maria’s wonderful attentiveness were just amazing.
Overall, while we went for an olive oil education, we feel as if we came away with SO much more. Knowledge and appreciation of the art, and three new friends in Maria, George and Kelly!

Amazing Olive Oil Experience!!!
Maria gave my wife and I an unforgettable experience. We had an amazing time learning about olive oils and eating incredible food. She could not have been nicer and the setting was amazing......thank you!!!!

Making a friend for life!
OMG Maria was fabulous. The concept of her business was fantastic. We felt we experienced a completely unique part of Greece that we wouldn’t have done without her.
She goes out of her way to be informative and to experience the Greek culture. All the details she put into our visit was greatly appreciated. Maria is so personable, we feel we’ve made a friend for life!

Olive oil and food tasting in Kalamata
Maria at Mama's Flavours is absolutely amazing! We had a wonderful experience on our tour in Kalamata, it was one of the highlights of our trip to Greece. She is knowledgeable, interesting to chat with and so funny! My husband and I felt like we were spending the day with a family member!

Thank you so much for yesterday. Everything was perfect and enjoyed by all!

Thank you for a wonderful experience!

A “must do” experience!
This tour was one of the highlights of our trip to Greece. The tour of the olive grove and processing plant was fascinating. The olive oil tasting was great. And Maria was an excellent guide—informative, personable, and thoughtful.
By the end of the experience, she had become a family friend. If you are visiting Kalamata, this is a must. And do yourself a favor—make sure you also arrange to have the full lunch added to the tour. You won’t regret it.

The BEST cooking class experience
We had the most wonderful day! An interactive, hands-on experience in the most beautiful setting. Our food was fun to prepare and delicious to enjoy with wine. We love learning about the olive harvest as well. A MUST-DO experience!

We really enjoyed our day with you today and had a wonderful time! We very much enjoyed our experiences with you today! You are an amazing host and we learned a lot about the local foods and culture. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and warmth with us..!

Pam: Our tour with the delightful Maria was one of the most memorable experiences in 24 days in Greece. Maria is enthusiastic, well-spoken and very knowledgeable about local foods and history. The tour is very well organized and we met several local vendors with loads of personality. We sampled more than 20 different foods and beverages. I would definitely book with Maria again. Her philosophy of keeping the tour size small and limiting it to just your group contributed to the exclusive feeling. If only Maria could expand her empire and offer tours in other regions!
Brenda Amazing day. This was a wonderful day! Every stop was amazing and delicious! Maria made our day so special! From start to finish, perfect!
Charlotte: Very special insider experience! This was a peak experience in our time in Greece. Maria was a knowledgeable, well-spoken delightful guide. Our tour was just our small group which made it feel so special. We met several local vendors and enjoyed so much food! I think we walked about 12,000 steps although each vendor was a short journey. For this private experience, Maria doesn't charge enough, so if you go, please tip well. I would book again with her. I see she has cooking experience and boat experience. Her knowledge of the history of Kalamata and Messinia really adds to the day. She is a kind person. I just can't say enough good things! The only negative thing was the weather. It was quite a hot day, if that's the case for you plan accordingly.

This was a wonderful day! Every stop was amazing and delicious! Maria made our day so special! From start to finish, perfect!

Thank you very much for the experience! I liked it very much!

We had a wonderful trip with you. It was a pleasure meeting you and hopefully again in the future!

We LOVED our tour with Maria! We got to have an authentic tasting and meal that we could never have found on our own. You won't believe the variety of oils that one region can produce! Also, this tour is extremely kid friendly. Maria was so kind and engaging to my children. Many tours say they are okay with children but actually aren't. This one is!
Maria paid attention to our interests and was able to move the tour at our speed. She wasn't just going through the motions and checking boxes, she was making sure that we spent more time on the things that excited us. If you're looking for good food and a local experience, this is your tour! This is not a generic experience or a tour guide trying to clock in and clock out. She truly cares about the experience.

Michele: Thank you for your hospitality and for sharing your knowledge so generously Mama's Flavours!
Bryan: You did a fantastic job! Our FAM loved every minute and every bite!
Heather: This Food tour in Kalamata includes 6 different tasting shops and a lunch at the end – Ours was a shorter version but we still got to taste a lot! We visited local businesses, a grocery and herbs store where you can find local delicacies of Kalamata. We learned about sweet treats and the tour includes a visit to a small bakery to them being made and of course the Kalamata olives are famous! An olive oil tasting was also included with a professional olive oil taster; fascinating to taste the peppery and fiery aftertaste of some of the olive oils!
Mike and Anne: We explored the old town Kalamata and the origins of Peloponnese cuisine with Mama’s flavours food tour. In a region of 15 million olive trees, we of course had to try their famous Kalamata olives! We had a delicious and educational tasting with the co-founder of the Kalamata Olive & Olive oil School. Loved that our Food tour ended with a proper lunch at a delicious restaurant!
Yosh: Excellent Food Tour It gave us a fantastic intro to Kalamata cuisine. The olive oil tasting was particularly enlightening! Would gladly join this tour again when I return to Greece with family.

Maria, the olive oil tour with you was one of the highlights of our time in Greece and we have told about you to many of our friends!

We had a great time, and our morning with you was so sweet!

This food tour should be the first thing you do when you come to Kalamata. Not only will you get a delicious introduction to the traditional foods of Messinia that will help you avoid tourist traps and understand the local culture but you'll come away feeling as though you've made new friends in Kalamata among the shopkeepers, baristas, olive oil and wine producers you'll meet at the food stops.
Maria is a passionate advocate of creating authentic food experiences for participants and it shows. Come hungry to this tour!

Fantastic experience!
Maria made this experience fun and personal! We learned so much about olive trees, olive oil and the local food!
I highly recommend making time for the full lunch! It was exceptional and we learned about dishes we never would have known to order!
Maria stayed to chat long after the tour was over, and we really got to know her and see her passion for food, olives and supporting her local community!

Who Knew Olive Oil Could be Spicy?
Don't pass up an opportunity to book this tour. Maria is very passionate about olive oil and Greece in general. She is a wealth of knowledge and you will walk away with a better understanding of where our food comes from. We opted for the optional lunch afterward and did not regret it. The food is more than just french fries and gyros. You get a slice of what real local flavors exist all around the country. You will leave Greece with a newfound love for the country and a new friend!

Thank you so much for the very beautiful day and the delicious food!! I had such a wonderful time with you and also with Kyriaki at her shop and thank you, thank you, thank you. You are so generous!

Amazing food and hospitality! Fun experience
We did a tour back in February with Maria and we loved every minute of it! She has such a great warmth personality that makes you feel super comfortable and like we were friends for many years. We have tasted many good delicacies and learned so many new things about olive oil (even being Greek).
Lovely family at the olive oil tasting place and at the end I bought many goodies so I can continue the tasting extravaganza back home ;) One tip try not to eat much before the experience!

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...

We had a lovely time with Maria from Mamas flavours. She is a really spontaneous person with great knowledge of Kalamata, the special places and of course about the culture. Since we will be moving to Kalamata soon, this was for us the best way to get to know our new city. I think this should be mandatory for everybody who is coming to Kalamata. Because it is the best way to integrate ;) Now we know where to buy our dairy products, our meat and a lot more. Highly recommended!

TO DO IT IF YOU LIKE GREEK FOOD…
Maria, our guide for the visit and tasting of products in Kalamata was very nice, happy to share experiences, suggestions and her passion for food, local products and small shops.
We had less time for the visit than we would have initially pick up due to flight departure time, but we would recommend any activity proposed as we much enjoy the one we had and are looking forward to our next cooking class. Many thanks, Maria and see you soon.

We thank you very much for the wonderful evening. We had a great time and we enjoyed not only the cooking class but also the food, which was delicious!

We had a really great time with Maria. We can only recommend going with the ‘Traditional food and olive tasting’ tour. Maria will let you experience so many different local specialities that you definitely won’t go home not loving Greek food. Maria is really passionate about food and will surprise you with her enthusiasm and knowledge. The locals you will meet are equally passionate about their products and will give you a warm welcome. A great way to experience Greek traditional food. We really enjoyed our time in Kalamata, the food, the people, the atmosphere, and it was definitely a highlight of our trip!

Unforgettable, fun experience in Kalamata - a must do (Stephen)
Thank you Mama’s Flavours in Kalamata, Peloponnese, Greece! The generosity of time and spirit Maria, George V. Koutelas, and Kelly gave us on a beautiful, sunny day in Kalamata was a treat. Hours flew by discussing olive growing in the groves, tasting the differences in types of olive oil, and enjoying the delicious light lunch at a favorite Taverna. Easily one of the best highlights of an 11 day trip touring the Peloponnese. Do yourself a favor and book some time with Mama’s Flavours. Adds an important, personalized experience in between historic sites in this amazing country!

A great experience curated by Maria. Highly recommend it! (Carolyn)
Lovely, personalized experience with Maria. Visit to the grove, olive oil tasting and light lunch were fantastic! From the moment we met Maria we knew we were in for a treat. She goes above and beyond to create an authentic, informational and fun Greek experience. She is so positive, friendly, knowledgeable and truly cares about treating her guests to an authentic experience. The visit to the grove and olive oil tasting with George, a professional certified taster was perfect - he is experienced and answered all of our questions. If you are looking for an authentic small olive oil tasting that is fun, casual and flavorful, this is it! Be sure to enjoy the light lunch - the small bites were fantastic and a highlight of our taverna meals. Thank you so much for your gracious hospitality and awesome experience! You are the best! We hope to return again with friends. Highly recommend Maria and Mama’s Flavours!

The cooking class was excellent! Me and my wife cooked moussaka from scratch with Christos, the Head chef, and Maria who welcomed us in a very warm way. From cutting the vegetables, the potatoes, preparing the béchamel sauce to the oven! Moussaka was delicious and accompanied with appetizers and fine wine. Thank you so much for this experience!

Our family of 5 adults and 1 three year old had a wonderful time touring multiple, unique food venues and learning about Greek food culture and traditions.
Maria was so passionate about everything she shared with us and she really made us feel engaged and well cared for. Our three year old had a lot of fun with the hands on dough rolling and the adults enjoyed the many different tastes of Kalamata.
It was a lovely day that engaged all of our senses: sight, taste, touch, smell and sound!

As a travel advisor specializing in sharing authentic Greece for the last 17 years I have looked far and wide to find like minded trustworthy partners with a passion for the food, flavors and culture that makes Greece unique and special. Finding Maria was like finding an oasis in the desert after a very long journey. In Mama's Flavors Maria has made accessible the types of experiences that only a local knows - and she's developed relationships with the locals who are normally busy with their daily lives and the products they grow, harvest, prepare and market to the local community. The people one meets during her tours and classes aren't making their living off of tourism and that's important because it means these aren't experiences developed to sell to tourists, they're authentic experiences designed to off travelers a peak into Real Greece. Maria, you're simply amazing!

Maria, thanks so much!!

We had a wonderful time! Thank you so much for your friendly help, the amazing tour and for the lovely day!

Andrea Estell E.: Such an incredible day/experience!
Jessica P.: This was such an awesome adventure!
Erin E.: A beautiful, beautiful day!!!
Sheila E.: Best bachelorette extravaganza! And with the sweetest kindest ladies. Still smiling!
Pam A.: Thank you so much @mamas_flavours for the most perfect event yesterday- from the thoughtful snacks to the beautiful lunch with and Greek traditions. We had the BEST time....you are amazing!!
Georgia A.: Thank you Maria and Mama’s flavours for an amazing time and for making this bachelorette party so memorable and unique!! Everything was so very well planned, organized and executed. Maria, the host, provided thoughtful gifts to all of us and snacks on the boat. The lunch at the olive grove was exquisite and delicious with amazing views of the sea. The food was amazing made with local, fresh products and the explanation of local wedding customs was a great add on. The boat tour was also amazing, barba Yianni our captain was awesome. The boat experience was a true Greek experience with a local captain, we felt comfortable and relaxed. Communication was top notch and we were so very well taken care of. Thank you, we wish you much success and look forward to booking one of your other tours on our next trip to Greece. This experience was far above our expectations, I highly recommend it!

Nous avons fait un tour de Kalamata cet été en famille, dont deux adolescents, en compagnie de Maria et Vasiliki. Il s'agissait d'une demi-journée d'un tour gastronomique au centre ville. Sans cette visite, Kalamata, sans grand caractère par rapport à Neapolis par exemple, nous aurait complètement échappé.
Grâce à nos guide, nous avons pu entrer dans diverses boutiques pour en goûter les diverses spécialités, café, biscuits, huile, fromage, vin etc. (de quoi remplir l'estomac des jeunes) et pu parler avec beaucoup de gens sympathiques qu'il aurait été dommage de ne pas rencontrer. Notre visite du Péloponnèse en a été enrichie, merci.
English: We made a tour in Kalamata city this summer with our family, including two teenagers, and along with Maria and Vasiliki. It was a half day gastronomic tour in the city centre. Kalamata, which hasn't so special character, compared with Neapolis for example, if it wasn't this visit we would have missed it.
Thanks to our leaders, we visited several local shops and tried different delicacies such as coffee, biscuits, olive oil, cheese, wine etc. (enough to sate the appetite for the teens) and we had the chance to talk with a lot of kind people, who it would be very pity not to have met them. Our visit to Peloponesse was more enriched thanks to this Food tour, thank you!

The Food tour in Kalamata was just excellent!! We really enjoyed the time spent with you discovering the excellent local specialties. We wish you all the best!

We were very happy with the time of the tour, we saw and did so much and didn’t feel rushed!!
My wife and I took the food tour with additional wine, olive oil, and honey tastings. The tour was so much more than we expected. Maria was warm and very knowledgeable about Kalamata and its local products. This is the type of immersive cultural experience that we look for on vacation, where we get to interact with people and get both a literal and figurative “taste” of what it’s like to be a local. Last but certainly not least, the food was amazing. We learned a lot, ate plenty, and bought some treats to take back with us. One tip, don’t eat breakfast before the tour.
Thanks again for an amazing tour and best of luck with everything!

Regarding Kalamata, Maria has wonderful energy, put in a ton of work and creativity, and was very generous with her time. We generally enjoyed the day. But, it was a bit too long (especially because of the heat) and not very cohesive.
D and I agree that she could vastly improve the tour by sitting down at the very beginning with participants and giving an overview – perhaps a history of the food of the region (maybe with a map), explaining up front where we’d be visiting and why, and what the schedule would be. Also, she should shorten it to 4 hours. I personally think it might have been even better if only Maria gave the tour on her own (rather than splitting up tour guiding with a second tour leader).

Our review would contain only the best. Exploring Kalamata and the Peloponnese in general was very exciting with Maria. Maria herself loves good food and ingredients and knows where to get them. The 4.5 hours were a perfect mix of historical facts, stories about the food and traditions and friendly contacts with local stores who sell high quality products to fair prices. Nobody expected you to buy something so the atmosphere was very relaxing. Thank you very much for this experience! Thank you very much Maria!

A fantastic cooking competition along with a famous Greek chef, under the Greek sun among olive trees ...Thirty (30!) amazing smiling faces, eager to learn and have a nice time! Delicious homemade food full of local tastes and aromas by Mama's flavours sealed the gastronomic experience!

The olive oil tasting was fantastic! Giorgos and Maria introduced us to the olive oil world with enthusiasm and professionalism, answered all our questions and we liked it very much. Time went by quickly and pleasantly and we left with the best impressions and more knowledge about this unique gift of nature: the olive oil! Highly recommend it!

Thank you so much for the fabulous gourmet tour of Kalamata today, it was a wonderful experience!

Greek Lunch
You should try it out! The wines were of high quality and very tasty! Of course the lunch was something that you cannot find easily to taste, except if you have a Greek mama to cook it for you! Maria our tour guide was also fantastic!!

A fantastic gastronomy tour with authentic people!! I loved it! Maria, our leader was great with her smile and her knowledge! Although Laconia region is something more than an hour from Kalamata, we did not get bored and she made our tour a great experience!

Wonderful Day with lots of Greek tastes in Messinia!
Wonderful travelling and organised tour to one traditional Greek place in Messinia. All was planned and wonderful. The teacher as we can say, the food, the whole was an extraordinary experience for us. I am from Kalamata but I didn't know so much so it was a surprise for me to learn and taste new traditional food. I would highly recommend it. It is worth it every euro. Maria has done incredible work.

19th century cook books!!!
I would recommend it without any doubt! The Cookware Museum with its old books of 19th century (!) really impressed me! The two storey stone establishment was one of the most beautiful libraries I have ever visited! Maria told us about the local gastronomy of Arcadia and customs of the area, very friendly and so so nice!

Gastronomy tour
All was awesome! The local people, our enthusiastic local guide Maria, who answered all our questions and kept our interest alive in the whole tour!! The women in the workshop were very friendly and with them we prepared delicious food!! Thank you all for everything!

Great tour!
Maria our tour guide is simply amazing from the beginning till the end of the tour! The view above the Castle was amazing! It was so beautiful to see an olive grove valley in front of you! Also the olive oil tasting was exactly as we expected it. Personally I loved the local delicacies!!

An exciting wine tour!!
A wonderful experience! The wine tasting was great and the wines were flavorful and accompanied with delicious local delicacies: the handmade pie was fantastic! Also, we liked very much that Maria introduced us to the local customs and Greek gastronomy during our tour! Smiling and very polite she made our tour a great experience, thank you, Maria!!

A..delicious authentic experience!
I love cooking and travelling in different countries for new tastes. This experience was one of my best! The cooking lesson with the local ladies had been for me a new great experience and sure I will come again to taste the Kalamata olives and trahana (a fermented milk pasta that Greek local women make in the summer!).
Maria, our tour guide was amazing and so friendly with us! I recommended it for anyone who travels to Arcadia and wants to taste authentic Greek food!!

It reminded of my childhood years!
I love eating good food, especially when it is made from old traditional recipes of our grandmothers! The tour has exactly this characteristic, which impressed me! A unique experience for me!!

Amazing olive oil experience
So close to Kalamata and Ancient Messini this small village has its own interesting history! Thank you mama’s flavours for the tour, everything the service, the olive oil tasting, the treats were fantastic!!

Laconia Olive Oil & Wine tasting tour
We enjoyed it very much! Well organized, Maria, our leader, ‘’travelled’’ us into the past with her interesting narrations during the tour! Our visit in the Olive Oil Museum in Sparta in combination with the olive oil tasting gave us an all embracing icon of the great history of the olive in Greece!

Hospitality and delicious food!
Laconia is one of my favourite regions to travel! During our tour, Maria told us about the exciting and very interesting history of Greek Gastronomy. Visiting the eco-touristic farm was something more than I expected! Maria, Fragkiskos and Marilena were absolutely professionals!
Very friendly, they explained to us about the ingredients of the recipe and revealed some secrets about how to cook the best gemista (stuffed peppers and tomatoes)!! It had so much fun! Definitely do it again, thank you guys!