Cretan cook: This is Dimitris, who is 36 years old and has used his shop for a sacred purpose. He started with the supplies left to him in the lockdown. He has made his tavern in Keratsini a refuge of love with the help of our fellow human beings
The tables of the tavern "O Kritikos" in Keratsini were usually full, until the arrival of the coronavirus. Forty years old, this hangout has been run for the last sixteen years by the nephew of the original owner, 36-year-old Dimitris Karkanorakhakis from Hanioti, father, today, of two small children.
He talks about starting at the reins of the store, which in recent months has become a haven of warmth and taste for those in need.
Cretan cook: What he said at the beginning
"I was 20 years old when I took over the shop from my uncle. For health reasons, it had been closed for three years and it was time for our family business to reopen. From the age of 16, I cooked on ships and not only μόνο I feel like a cook, not so much an entrepreneur. "
The store is doing very well and, especially in recent years, it almost never emptied. A few days before entering the first quarantine nationwide, Dimitris had accepted reservations and tables that demanded supplies over 7.000 euros. "We had a baptism, some memorial services and many closed tables. That Friday weekend, the first one we had to close, the store would work well. But the supplies had already been bought… "
The philosophy of the 36-year-old owner for the food he offers is concentrated in the freshness and quality. He always distributed the leftover food in the pans and pots to his fellow citizens who needed it. It went down to the city center, but also gave to locals who needed a portion of food.
Cretan cook: What he said next
When he started handing out free food, cooked by his own hands, he could not believe how many people needed it. From a simple post on Facebook, during the first lockdown, he saw 80 people arriving outside his store. Soon, they multiplied.
"The reason I started it was the closed meals of the church, due to the situation. And since I had so many kilos of food, what should I do? I know one thing: to cook. So, I started. I had the support of a few and good, we saw that all this was necessary for many people. They also came from other neighborhoods; they took the bus for a plate of food. "Especially after the reportage that a morning show did on TV, it started to become a disaster."
Dimitris buys at his own expense the raw material to make cooked food for those who need it: spaghetti with minced meat, lentils, bean soup, chicken with potatoes, oily… Gradually, and especially now, in the second and "hard" quarantine of winter , people started helping with bags full of supplies (oil, flour, pasta, pulp).
What he said later
"I see that it is the ordinary people who help, the poor people who, from their backwardness, buy a few packets of spaghetti, some bread, whatever they can and bring it. No one in the area, rich or financially comfortable, has made a move so far. Not only in the region, that is, in general ", notes Dimitris, who recently found some" bigger "allies in his work.
However, there are many who face Dimitris' move as an occasion to offer what they can: blankets, clothes, toys, books. The area of Keratsini has several inhabitants who have been affected by the coronavirus, but who already had needs. The owner of the tavern confirms it:
"At some point, I see among the people a familiar face, a neighbor of ours, a customer who had long been seen, with his own shop. I go out and ask him what his job is here, in a friendly and anxious tone. I learned that he had to close his business and that he was facing serious financial problems. I was ashamed, I was sad. Many people have a problem, even those that do not occur to us. "I gave the man two bags of food to spend some time with."
Cretan cook: What he pointed out at the end
And for those who can not move due to health problems, Dimitris has provided. Alone or with the help of friends, he goes a few portions to specific houses. On rainy days, he takes young children from affected families to their homes, who come to get some food for everyone. pile of problems. "We can not solve everything, but at least, let them not be hungry", says Dimitris.
The distances outside the store are excellently observed. From one in the afternoon until five in the afternoon, people share and Dimitris is very careful with safety and hygiene issues. Masks, distances and speed in service ensure the proper execution of his improvised meal.
"There are also those who think that I earn from all this, that I get money or that I keep supplies for when the store reopens. Little did they know that to a large extent the action is funded by me and, of course, the selfless offerings to some of our fellow citizens. Each time some volunteers come to help with the cooking, different each time. I appreciate it very much, we always need hands. "
As we talk on the phone, I hear the sounds of pots and pans opening. Our communication took place at rush hour and Dimitris Karkanorachakis closes politely to continue to offer and help. Anyone who can and wants to support him can go to his store for food and other items or offer to cook with him one day.
Here are photos from the daily love effort:
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