All Retreats

TABLE TALK: FOOD AND WORDS

Creative writing, cooking, art de la table

October 4th – October 7th 2025

Food is never just food. It is a memory, a moment recaptured in a mouthful. It is friendship, it is love, it is celebration.

We have many means of expression, but two of the most lasting and the most poignant are through language and through food. This retreat will explore both of these themes and the inherent link between them.

Set against the beautiful backdrop of Andros in early autumn, where the vines leaves are frilled with russet and the grapes are bursting with purple juice, we will use nature and its abundance as our primary inspiration, and try to encapsulate its beauty both in words and culinary creations. The beginning of Autumn provides the perfect bridge between early morning swims in the sparkling Aegean sea and a warming cup of herbal tea, paired with fresh, homemade bread, butter, and wild thyme honey.

This season and its mellow fruitfullness, provides fertile ground for the creation of both deliciously memorable dishes, and meaningful creative writing born of our own memories, whether they are food related or not. Lemons, pumpkins, and persimmons pop up around the landscape, and in Letitia’s hands they will become the most wholesome meals, shared over a glass of natural wine. This retreat is a chance to get inspired and explore your own inner creativity through the intersection between food and words.

Jay will guide us through uncovering our creativity on paper, allowing small, unpretentious writing sessions throughout the day to tickle our imagination. As with all our retreats, this combination of words and food provides a feast for the senses, and ultimately serves as a springboard for your own creative impulses, allowing you the time and space to dream, to absorb inspiration from your surroundings and to meet like-minded people.

You’ll also have time to chat and learn from Letitia about her cooking and the process behind the creation of a cookbook as well as the dishes she makes.

As ever, this retreat will culminate in a perfect, beautifully curated supper inspired by Andros’ bounty. Allegra will share her seemingly inimitable talent of creating a perfect Table setting, in her Art de la Table class, where she will show you how to recreate your own beautiful tablescape inspired both by the Andros landscape and your newly acquired skills.

***No experience is required for this retreat. All of our workshops are suitable for all levels.

YOUR HOSTS:

  • Jay Deshpande is a poet, educator, and psychotherapist based in Brooklyn. He is the author of Love the Stranger (YesYes Books, 2015) and The Umbrian Sonnets (PANK Books, 2020). A former Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, his poems have been featured in the Guggenheim Museum, The Slowdown, and Poem-a-Day and have been published in Best American Poetry, Poetry Magazine, and elsewhere. He has taught at Columbia University and Sarah Lawrence College and is the director of the Brooklyn Poets Mentorship Program.

  • Letitia Clark is a food writer, illustrator and chef. Born and raised in Devon, she gained a degree and Masters in English Literature before pursuing her other passion and training as a chef. She worked in some of London’s top restaurants, including Spring, Moritoand The Dock Kitchen. In 2017, she moved from East London to Sardinia and began writing about food, as well as painting and illustrating. Her first book, Bitter Honey: Recipes and Stories from the Island of Sardinia, was highly commended by the Guild of Food Writers and the New York Times. Her second and third books, La Vita è Dolce, Wild Figs and Fennel, are also highly reputable in the food world. Currently, she’s busy building her own Agriturismo in Sardinia and finishing her latest book. She has written for/contributed to/been featured in CN Traveller, The Times, The Telegraph and The NYT.

  • Allegra Pomilio - Mèlisses’ founder and art director. Her knowledge of hospitality and gastronomy, combined with her photography and visual art skills, strikes the perfect balance on Andros. Born and raised in Abruzzo, Italy, Allegra opened Mèlisses at 24, creating a space for like-minded people to slow down, and seek visual inspiration. Featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Condé Nast Traveller, and more, her second home became more than a simple hospitality venue but rather a cherished and sought-after creative retreat for travellers, creatives, epicures, and many more worldwide. Every year, with her team, she hosts curated gatherings focused on discovering the island's wonders, each time with a different perspective and with fresh eyes.

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

  • Accommodation and use of all Mèlisses facilities. A boutique home, which comprises a main house, two saltwater pools, four beautiful accommodations, a seasonal vegetable garden with homegrown ingredients and wild herbs, a mini animal farm for our goats and chickens, and private access to the sea. Mèlisses captures old-world Mediterranean charm and offers a way of life that is authentic, inspirational and convivial.

  • All meals during the retreat, including sea view aperitivos, candle-lit dinners, lunches, breakfasts, and much more

  • Daily hands-on practices and sessions with your hosts

  • All materials and tools, and a welcome gift

  • All outings and excursions to get to know and document the island and its most secluded corners;

  • Check-in and check-out transfer from Gavrio port to Mèlisses and back

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED:

  • Airfare and/or transportation to and from the island. Travel insurance (highly recommended).

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:

  • Please consult our Mèlisses guidelines and FAQs HERE for all details and extra information

  • We will share further information about your stay before arrival, including our curated tour guide to Athens and other useful details

  • Please note that you will not need to rent a car for your trip; we will take care of the transportation for you unless you decide to extend your stay beyond the retreat

HOW TO REACH US:

  • A two-hour ferry ride from Athens (Rafina) or Mykonos harbours

  • Book your private transfer from Athens or Mykonos airports to the port HERE

  • Check-in: Book your 7.50 am ferry ticket Rafina - Andros HERE (we will serve brunch soon after you’ve settled in).

    Please keep in mind that you may be unable to book your ferry tickets long in advance (especially during low season period). 

  • Check out: By noon

PRICING & ROOMS:

  • We have six unique rooms available for our guests. Whether you are travelling solo or wish to share accommodation with friends or partners, please review the rooms ahead of time, as you will be required to select your desired room when reserving a spot in the retreat. 

  • Prices below are per person and include accommodation, workshop, meals and activities. Reservations are on a first-come, first-serve basis. 

You can extend your stay at Mèlisses beyond the retreat for an additional night or more.

The Sea Urchin suite (private room, ensuite bathroom)

Solo: €3.350
Shared with partner or friend: €2.850 per person

You can extend your stay for an additional €250 per night. The cost is to be considered per person. We also work as a regular B&B.

The Red Mullet suite (private room, ensuite bathroom)

Solo: €3.350
Shared with partner or friend: €2.850 per person

You can extend your stay for an additional €250 per night. The cost is to be considered per person. We also work as a regular B&B.

The Coral Cottage

  • Master Bedroom (private room, shared common areas)

    Solo: €3.150
    Shared with partner or friend: €2.600 per person

You can extend your stay for an additional €350 per night. The cost is to be considered per person. We also work as a regular B&B. 

  • Bunk bed** (private room, shared common areas)

    Solo: €2.500
    Shared with a friend or another participant: €2.150 per person

    You can extend your stay for an additional €250 per night. The cost is to be considered per person. We also work as a regular B&B. 

    **Please note: Bunk Beds can be reserved individually (Top and Bottom). If you choose to book a single bunk bed, you will be responsible for paying the Solo price if no one else books the other bed. If you have any questions about this, please contact us at info@melissesandros.com

The Oyster rooms (two independent rooms with one shared bathroom) 

  • Room One:

    Solo: €2.850
    Shared with partner or friend: €2.400 per person

  • Room Two:

    Solo: €2.850
    Shared with partner or friend: €2.400 per person

You can extend your stay for an additional €250 per night. The cost is to be considered per person. We also work as a regular B&B. 

*If you would like to extend your trip beyond the retreat, we can help organise your few extra days with us. We can arrange transfers, visits to the Neoclassical capital of Chora, organic farms, beautiful beaches and some of our favourite taverns. We do need to specify that this is an extra fee as part of your extended stay and not part of the retreat. We only include breakfast as categorised by our B&B offering.

CANCELLATION POLICY AND PAYMENT:

  • To participate, full payment will be required upon registration, paid through a bank wire transfer.

  • Please know that there will be NO REFUNDS due to the nature of this retreat. If you must cancel, we can accept someone to take your place. You must have your travel insurance to participate. Please contact us for any additional information.

  • *The retreat will be cancelled if we do not reach the minimum number of participants. If this is the case, you will be given at least two months' notice before the scheduled start day of the workshop, and your retreat deposit will be refunded 100%. Refunds will be through international bank wire transfers only, and we won’t be able to refund any travel arrangements made. 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: