He came to the Kythera 10 years ago. Almost driven by a twist of fate that forced him to drop out of school and seek a future different from the books he loved so much.
And here, on the island of love and opportunity for a new, life-changing experience, it all came full circle. As a person, as an entrepreneur, as his destiny. «I’ll stay here forever; this is my home now,» he tells us in a disarming tone, his eyes shining.
Ο Sabaudin Yatay, ...the 15-year-old Albanian boy who found refuge in Tsirigo 10 years ago, having been driven from a life of hardship, is now a fully self-aware young man. And he is thoroughly content. That’s the impression he gives you right from the very first glance. Calm, gentle, and always smiling, he takes pleasure in sharing his inner fulfillment with you. You don’t see that in people anymore. Everyone puts up defenses, erecting their own personalities as protective walls—or even walls of domination. Our Babis (that’s what everyone calls him now) has no need for any of that. He doesn’t play roles, He was content with the warmth with which the island embraced him from the very first moment, enough to write the script of his life. Just as he dreams of it every moment.
«The people and the fresh air—that’s what I love most here,» he tells us, and his expression reflects a rare sense of inner fulfillment.
A well-rounded individual, yet also a fighter in life—a man who seeks new challenges, who grows, who dreams, who dares. From his years in construction to the restaurant business and then to his first restaurant, “Karydies” in Logothetianika. «Why not a second one in the future?» he tells us. «»Either that or I’ll get into real estate,” he adds. He doesn’t seem to be in any hurry at all; he seems to be savoring the moment to the fullest. Just like a good meal, like the ones he serves.”. «Greek cuisine—that's what people are looking for.», he emphasizes and states that he is determined to support her at all costs. He makes a point of supporting local producers, whose products he prefers to use in his dishes.
Everything in this child’s soul speaks of Kythira. Every breath he takes, every thought he has, all his dreams. «This is where I’ll die,» he says, with a sense of fulfillment. «After all, tradition tells us that whoever drinks water from the spring at Agia Pelagia never leaves this place,» he adds. The only thing that saddens him is that young people are leaving his beloved island. He ponders this, his expression clouding over, almost in despair. «The tourist season needs to be extended everywhere—in the restaurant industry, in tourism, everywhere. We need to keep the young people here, attract tourists even in the winter, and make sure everyone, everywhere, knows about us. It’s good that the island has been promoted more over the past three years, but is that enough?» he wonders, fully aware of the image Kythira projects to the outside world. Because he knows that this image reflects our inner commitment to the principles that guide our lives. And for Sabaudin—our very own Babis—the beginning is a crucial factor in what follows. Because the end doesn’t come until you’ve finished what you started. And when it all began with a warm embrace offered by such a blessed place, the omens for what lies ahead can only be excellent—no matter what you do in life.
