In the lush green Kampos of Chios, we met the lovely Aunt Evangelia Paliou (née Flatsousi) and her son, Stefanos Palios, owner of the estate and the torchbearer of a tradition spanning many generations.
Stefanos runs the traditional sweets workshop, a family craft he inherited from his mother. She patiently and lovingly taught him the secrets of handmade spoon sweets and the traditional delicacies of Kampos—and today, alongside his wife, Katerina, he continues this sweet story.
The sweets business was officially established in 2006, but the tradition goes back much further. From the day Mrs. Evangelia got married and settled on the estate, she made spoon sweets, just like all the women of Kampos did at the time. It is a tradition passed down from generation to generation—from great-grandmother, to grandmother, to her mother, as well as from her mother-in-law, and eventually to her.
Evangelia Flatsousi-Paliou (born in 1929) married Ioannis Palios, the owner of the estate, and together they had three children: Stamatis, and twins Stefanos and Froso Paliou.
In the early 1980s, Stefanos Palios opened a grocery store across from the schools of Klouvas, which operated until 1991. Many of the products he sold came directly from the family estate in Kampos.
Mrs. Evangelia has always been a hardworking and devoted woman. Her husband worked near Chios town at a construction iron yard, while she took care of the children, the animals, and the orchard. Every day began with watering, milking the goats and cows, and gathering eggs. In the afternoon, she would help her husband clear the orchard and harvest the fruits—always with a positive attitude and a smile.
In 1937, the current ground floor and upper floor of the house were built upon the ruins of the old tower, which had been destroyed in the great Chios earthquake of 1881.
This estate, located in the Stafylas area of Kampos, previously belonged to the Skylitsis-Arabas family, specifically to the Stefanovik branch.
Preserved on the lintel above the entrance is the Skylitsis coat of arms: a raised marble eagle holding a shield adorned with nine six-pointed stars.
The imposing stone gate, constructed with ashlar masonry in the style of the era, survives to this day, as do the remnants of a once-noble courtyard. The newer structure was built upon the ruins of the old tower; local lore speaks of a luxurious interior and an estate that bears witness to the wealth and glory of a bygone era.
Mrs. Evangelia has lived on this estate since she was eighteen years old, carrying within her the history and memories not only of the Palios family, but also of the old aristocracy of Kampos.
Amidst the jasmine and bitter orange trees, she continues to share stories, make sweets, and keep a piece of Chios’ tradition alive.
It is a sweet story that lives on through the “Aunt Evangelia’s Sweets” workshop, carried forward with love, passion, and respect for tradition.