Our Mission

In Greek Wonders we believe in community - empowering people to come together through sharing stories, cooking meals, celebrating, and getting to know one another. Having deep roots and experiences in the Greek culture, we have seen first-hand the benefits of the Greek collectivist culture and we have the unwavering belief that people feel stronger, happier and healthier when they are in community with their friends, coworkers and family.

Our aim is to bring unforgettable experiences to the Bay Area, one gathering at a time, by engaging in immersive Greek travel and adapting Greek traditions, music, food and culture to the Bay Area locale.

My journey

I was born in a small, mountainous town in Greece, in the 60s, where the local farmers’ market was conducted mostly in Macedonian and Romanian dialects. Our family gatherings to celebrate Greek Orthodox holidays and Name Days were monumental, and growing up, I took for granted my lively, tight family of thirteen cousins and scores of aunts and uncles.

At the age of twenty I left Greece for the Bay Area for a 3-month trip that lasted a lifetime. While I have enjoyed a successful career in higher education, my sweet spot has been hosting get togethers, gatherings and evening events, much in the Greek tradition.

Greek Wonders strives to create delightful experiences through small venues in the broader Bay Area. It is a fusion of my profound love for this community and my heritage of deeply-rooted Greek traditions and culture to celebrate life, each other, and our relationships.

- Ina (Despina) Prapavessi, Greek Wonders Founder

We would love to connect with you.

Greek Wonders is about building community, one person at a time. Shall we count you in?

Maybe you have been to Greece and had a wonderful experience. Maybe you are planning to visit Greece and you are looking for tips about dishes to try and places to go. Maybe you are a Greek immigrant in the Bay Area, with a desire to stay connected with your culture back home. Or maybe you are charmed by Greek history or culture or dancing. Whatever it is, we want to hear from you.

Greek Wonders is about bringing Greek experiences together, one gathering at a time, and adopting Greek traditions, music, food and culture to the Bay Area locale.

Please subscribe to our quarterly e-newsletter to receive updates about:

  • Greek themed events in the Bay Area

  • Recipes of authentic Greek dishes and deserts

  • The calendar of Name Days for the upcoming month

  • Greek Wonders’ news and updates

  • …and much more

    Questions? Contact Us at:
    info@GreekWonders.org

The North Wind and the Sun

The North Wind and the Sun had a quarrel about which of them was the stronger. While they were disputing with much heat and bluster, a Traveler passed along the road wrapped in a cloak.

"Let us agree," said the Sun, "that he is the stronger who can strip that Traveler of his cloak."

"Very well," growled the North Wind, and at once sent a cold, howling blast against the Traveler.

With the first gust of wind the ends of the cloak whipped about the Traveler's body. But he immediately wrapped it closely around him, and the harder the Wind blew, the tighter he held it to him. The North Wind tore angrily at the cloak, but all his efforts were in vain.

Then the Sun began to shine. At first his beams were gentle, and in the pleasant warmth after the bitter cold of the North Wind, the Traveler unfastened his cloak and let it hang loosely from his shoulders. The Sun's rays grew warmer and warmer. The man took off his cap and mopped his brow. At last he became so heated that he pulled off his cloak, and, to escape the blazing sunshine, threw himself down in the welcome shade of a tree by the roadside.

Gentleness and kind persuasion win where force and bluster fail.

Fable credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller who lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BCE,