As a child, Maria Benardis had a secret hideaway: a magical fruit and vegetable garden in the mountains, overlooking the sea.
The garden was hidden in the mountains of Psara, Greece, a small, remote island to the northeast of Athens—about five hours by ferry—where Benardis and her sister were sent to live with their grandmother when Benardis was 3 1/2 years old. On a solo walk one day, she stumbled upon a small, enclosed area and decided to make it her own.
