Filenews 16 December 2025 - by Ioanna Mantziipa
The School of Gastronomy in the community of Moniatis is entering the implementation trajectory, as last Friday the contracts were signed between the local Authority and the contracting company J. Mantis Construction, which emerged as the contractor after the relevant tender of the Community Council.
This is an important project for the wider area of Saittas and Troodos, which, however, had faced problems in the past, as the previous contractor failed to complete the works. For this reason, the local authority proceeded to terminate the contract and re-announce the completion of the project.
The project will be implemented in an area of 30 tens in the area of Saittas, on the main Limassol – Platres road, which was part of the government farm of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, and which the Moniatis Community Council acquired by lease.
The project was awarded for an amount of about €590.000 plus VAT, as the community president of Moniatis, Charalambos Konstantinidis, told "F", adding that the works are expected to start on December 19, 2025 and the schedule provides for completion within 12 months.
Yesterday, a meeting was held between the president of the community and president of the School Board with the director of Secondary Technical and Vocational Education of the Ministry of Education, Elias Markatzis.
As Mr. Markatzis told "F", a first inspection of the space was carried out and the possibility of its use for the Post-secondary Institutes of Vocational Education and Training was discussed. "This is a preliminary meeting, as the completion of the building and the making of the necessary technocratic and political decisions are prerequisites for the further development of cooperation. However, we believe that there is a possibility," noted Mr. Markatzis.
The community leader stressed the importance of the project not only for Moniatis, but also for the entire mountainous Limassol, stressing that it will bring life and development to the Troodos region. The main objective of the project is the creation of an open-air Gastronomy Park and a Culinary Art Training Centre, where local actors will have a "home" to promote the rural and gastronomic culture of the Troodos region.
This is the outdoor space that surrounds the building of the School of Gastronomy. Native trees, vines and aromatic plants, as well as vegetables, mainly from local seeds, will be planted in the park, which will be used by the trainees.
The space will also include shelters for rest and covered areas for attending educational programs. It is essentially an outdoor learning space, connecting nature, Cypriot agriculture and agricultural production with the authentic and traditional gastronomy of the region.
On the other hand, the School of Gastronomy will offer programs for students, pupils, local catering businesses and tourists, with the aim of educating in the use of local products in cooking, getting to know the raw materials and raising awareness about the utilization of Cypriot agriculture and indigenous species.
