By Suzanne Corbett, STLSportsPage.com Travel/Food Editor
Barbecue, baseball, and baklava. A winning combination that has kicked off St. Louis summers for decades over the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day weekend.
Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Des Peres is shouting Opa! And for good reason. it’s the 40th St. Louis County Greekfest. A festival that has been bringing the community together to with great Greek food
When asked how Assumption’s Greek Orthodox Festival got started long time volunteers Diane Sieckmann said, “Food is always a way to bring communities together. They (the church) wanted to be known in the community and welcomed people to come to the festivals to experience our food and traditions. And the festival, that started small grew into what it is today.”
GreekFestSTL will once again be a drive through event.
“Since we must plan so far in advance, we were unsure what the Covid situation was going to be. So, we decided to do drive through one more time,” Sieckmann said. “It still allows us to It bond with community and provide our festival food that has become a part of so many families’ Memorial Day traditions.”
All food orders are done online. Simple make your order, pick the day, and time you want, then arrive it your order will be brought to your car. Last year I bought my Greek fest to the park and took in a community ballgame. Gyros are a great hand held to enjoy at the game.
To make your order, go to: www.stlgreekfest.com.
The St. Louis County Greekfest will run Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Monday, May 27 – 30, 2022, 1 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Sunday until 3 p.m.).
Assumption Greek Orthodox Church is located at 1755 Des Peres Road, St. Louis, MO 63131
Show Page Insights As special treat, the volunteer bakers at Assumption has shared its recipe for baklava. Give it a try. Better yet, order up baklava at Greekfest before you try to make this for yourself.
Assumption Greek Orthodox Church Baklava
2 lbs. shelled walnuts or pecans
3/4 cup sugar
4 tsp cinnamon
2 lbs. sweet butter, melted
2 pounds phyllo
Syrup:
4 cups sugar
3 cups water
1/2 cup honey
1 stick cinnamon
1/2 lemon juice
Mix nuts, sugar, and cinnamon together and put aside. Grease pan with melted butter. Lay out six pastry sheets in pan, one at a time, buttering each one. Sprinkle with nut mixture. Repeat this process until you have six sheets left on top.
Place in refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Remove and cut into diamond shapes. Place a clove in middle of each piece. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Then, reduce heat to 350 and bake an additional 30 minutes. Cool. Prepare syrup by boiling all ingredients together for 15-20 minutes. Pour hot syrup over cooled baklava and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes before serving. Recipe baked in a 15″ x 18″ pan yields about 100 pieces.
