In this paper we propose a novel iterative search procedure for multi-objective optimization problems. The iteration process -- though derivative free -- utilizes the geometry of the directional cones of such optimization problems, and is capable both of moving toward and along the (local) Pareto set depending on the distance of the current iterate toward this set. Next, we give one possible way of integrating this local search procedure into a given EMO algorithm resulting in a novel memetic strategy. Finally, we present some numerical results on some well-known benchmark problems indicating the strength of both the local search strategy as well as the new hybrid approach.