Theodorou Confectionery in Artemonas

Inside its straits Artemona of Sifnos hides a myth, the Theodorou patisserie.

Vasilodimos is the third generation of Theodoros which deals with traditional confectionery and which for about a century sweetens the people of Sifni and their visitors. Sitting next to his mother, Katina, he tells us their story:

"In 1922, his grandfather, George, went to Syros to learn Turkish delight and halva pie, to return ten years later and open his own patisserie. He was the first to serve ice cream on the island in addition to sweets. He brought ice by boat from Piraeus and then with animals he carried it to Artemonas, and as soon as he managed to turn it into ice cream! But I, the little ones, remember with what longing we waited for them!

My father, Mr. Nikos, we lost him unfortunately last year (2016), he took over the business in 1967, when they moved to the store where we are today and it operated for a long time as a cafe. I got it in 1994. In our laboratory we prepare everything traditional sweets of both the island and the Cyclades: Turkish delights and halva pies, pastelia (the most traditional Sifnos sweet served at weddings, christenings and festivals), patties (mainly Christmas treat), kourabiedes, macaroons and submarines, I am now preparing, here next door, a workshop with modern facilities - not that the handicraft will stop - and thus free up a little space to function again as a cafe ".

If you are in the picturesque alleys of Artemon of Sifnos, surely your steps will lead you to the old, picturesque patisserie-cafe of the Theodoros family. But be careful not to skip it because in nothing it resembles a professional space, but more of one Cycladic traditional house. Let it be an elegant sign with calligraphic letters and of course the perfumes and scents that will warn you.

A while ago I had the good fortune to photograph Mr. Nikos and Mrs. Katina and to capture the warmth and hospitality of the family and the adoration that Mrs. Katina nurtured in her husband!