Thursday 6 June 2019

Spanakopita!

Last weekend was the annual "Doors Open" event, where the general public gets a chance to go inside buildings that are normally closed to them. I went with some friends to the Holy Theotokos Convent..... a small Orthodox Greek convent situated on 20 acres of rolling hills deep in the Ontario countryside.
It is situated only a 15 minute drive from where I live, deep in the countryside, a very unexpected location for a convent. There are 4 nuns who live here, and they run a small industry of producing beeswax candles, beauty products, and baked goods.
Just setting foot in the door, you smell a wonderful combination aroma of warm beeswax and baking and you are greeted with smiling faces. The candles are sold under the business name of Joyous Light Candles, and the nuns produce most of the candles used in religious services at many of the Toronto area churches, as well as candles for the home. They don't keep their own bees, but purchase more than 20,000kg of beeswax annually from beekeeepers across Canada.
Ahhh... the baking! It's worth a visit to the convent just for the spanakopita!



Yes, I loaded up with all kinds of Greek pastries.... all gone now, and they were delicious!

11 comments:

  1. That’s a lot of beeswax. The pastries look delicious!

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  2. I really like Greek Food and I bet it's all gone !!
    Don't know if those pastries would have made it all the way home with me.
    The candles sound divine too.

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  3. Yum. That sounds like a completely blissful visit (and shopping expedition).

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  4. They certainly look delicious!

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  5. Oh my! I'm sure the convent was interesting to visit anyway Shammi, but goodness me the Spanakopita and other pastries would definitely be an added enticement 💙

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  6. I didn't know the Orthodox also had nuns. From watching Call the Midwife, I have learned that the Anglicans do.

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  7. Good for the nuns to give business to the bee keepers. The food they make sounds super delicious. Armenian and Greek cuisines are closely related so we ate a lot while I was growing up. There is a Greek festival in Marietta, GA, but I don’t know if there is one in Nashville – have to check. Looking at your pictures makes me hungry for sure.

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  8. So nice opportunity to have a glimpse into a convent. I like Greek foods. In my hometown Kobe, there used to be a restaurant Greek Village where I came to love Greek cuisine. Moussaka is my favorite. Spanakopita is new to me but the spinach pastry must be delicious for sure. You made me hungry, time for refreshments at 15:40.

    Yoko

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  9. It must be interesting to visit the convent!
    And, of course those pastries look delicious...!
    Have a good weekend, Shammic.

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  10. All the food looks very tasty and I can also smell them too. I went to a Roman Catholic college which was run by nuns. They were wonderful.

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