A small cave at the far southern end of the beach at Akrotiri was dug into the volcanic rock by a local fisherman as a youth. The cave served as a shelter for him and his boat, but the legendary archaeologist Spyros Marinatos, who oversaw the excavations at Santorini, persuaded Nikos, the fisherman, to convert this cozy cave into a taverna to serve the hungry excavation crews. The menu was simple and filling fare—tomato fritters, fava, raw cheese, skordomakarona (pasta cooked in a garlic and tomato sauce), and the fresh catch of the day. Over time, the cave became more widely known to the island’s visitors and many followed a tour of the archaeological site with a meal at the beach to sample the tasty meze cooked up by Efstathia and the aromatic wine put up by Nikolas. In 1981, they handed over the taverna’s management to their daughter Margarita who been taught cooking by Marinatos’s wife. Margarita enriched the taverna’s offerings and expanded its clientele. Her commitment to using local ingredients helped win her the Gourmet award for Santorini’s best traditional taverna in 2007-2008.