This year George Hadjiparaschos turns 87 years old and celebrates 75 years of experience in the art of handmade pastry sheet and kataifi dough. He is the only artisan in Crete and one of the few left in all of Greece still following traditional techniques that require method and mastery.
First, he makes the dough with just three ingredients (flour, salt, water). Then, in order for the dough to roll out properly, it must be shaken in the air in a circular rotation and –with quick movements that resemble some kind of choreography- it must end up on the preparation table in the form of a small dome. Now, the dough is ready to take its final form. This process is not only visually stunning, but also leaves a subtle imprint on the acutely smooth flavour of the dessert. You’re bound to get a mini crush and feel like you’re trying the otherwise popular dessert for the first time. Apart from the famous kataifi, of course, you should also try the other syrupy desserts made here, such as baklava, which you’ll find at the entrance right in front of the cashier.
George Hadjiparaschos is a unique personality, a man full of experiences. It all began in the 1940s, when, as a child, he started working in a relative’s pastry shop; he was only 12 years old at the time. The business was set up in a three-storey building. In the morning he worked in the shop and at night he slept on the first floor. He was, in a way, trapped in very narrow circumstances. He only left the business when it was time to fulfil his military service. The knowledge he had acquired, however, was immense and that is why, immediately after completing his service, he decided to open his own workshop, without ever imagining that it would develop into a family business that would last through time.
We visited the now legendary workshop one summer morning and to our pleasant surprise we met three generations in action. The father and owner George, his son Paraskevas and his grandson, also named George. A valuable ally throughout these years is of course Mr Hadjiparaschos’ wife, Katerina.
They all move together in a single, all-white, high-ceilinged workshop, operating like a Swiss watch, with love and consistency from another era, as if they have sprung from an old, black-and-white photograph. They have the utmost respect for their customers and are particularly proud that they have managed to resist the industrialization that has dominated the market. As Paraskevas Hadjiparaschos informs us, “It is a difficult equation. We can produce 25 kilos of dough per day, while a single machine can produce up to 60 kilos of dough per hour. You can’t compare volumes, but you can compare the final product in terms of flavour. They have nothing to do with each other”.
This unforgettable taste played an important role in the sustainability of the workshop, with endless positive impressions being passed from mouth to mouth. Paraskevas Hadjiparaschos argues that tourism was yet another key factor in the success of the workshop. “In the 1980s, when tourism boomed in Crete and hotels were built en masse, we gained a lot of publicity. Later, when hotel construction was halted, we had already managed to establish ourselves and we gradually gained media coverage from all over the world. YouTube has helped us a lot in the last few years. People all over the world have heard about us. We have people coming from Colombia, Mexico, Alaska, Iran, Canada. Several years ago, the host of the most famous cooking show in Argentina dedicated an entire episode to our workshop. Visitors from Europe and America were among the first to discover us, however”.
This traditional workshop is housed in an imposing Venetian mansion in the old town of Rethymno and –against all the difficulties brought by the pandemic and the market competition- it manages to operate normally all year round, even in winter. Throughout these years, Mr Hadjiparaschos has received cooperation proposals from large groups –even takeover proposals- but he has always been negative as the risk that succession would work to the detriment of quality has always been more than likely. And a man who has dedicated his whole life to quality pastry, could never compromise with such a prospect.
George Hadjiparaschos workshop –30, Vernardou Str. Rethymno, Crete
