Hi! I'm Katherine Karagiannis Richards, welcome to Sopiki Kouzina. My goal is to provide you authentic, flavorful and nutritious home-cooked Greek meals that your family will love.

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I grew up in a traditional Greek family, where food always played a central role, think Big Fat Greek Wedding!

 

My story actually begins with my great-grandparents who were from the village of Sopiki. There, they lived with their community a traditional and much slower pace of life. After the War, in the 1950's, they immigrated with their families to the US, settling in St. Louis, Missouri. They brought with them their culture and in 1975 my uncles and father opened Spiro's Restaurants. This of course meant all us cousins worked in it. Yes, it was work, but it was a ton of fun, and many wonderful memories were made. Today, 50 years later, my family’s restaurants have expanded and remain St. Louis favorites!

 

I knew growing up I was lucky when I would get to eat at the restaurant. With time I realized I was just as blessed at home as mom regularly provided us a true Mediterranean diet. She often prepared traditional Greek village dishes, including homemade bread, yogurt, soups, salads, pitas, greens, and stews. I must admit, sometimes I didn’t want to eat those dandelion greens!

 

Today, each spring, as my family and I plant our garden, I tell the stories of going to yiayia's. She was a chef too and took great pride in her organic garden. With great anticipation we'd go out back to harvest the fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs that she would immediately use to make us a delectable meal. 

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Now, as it turns out, my youngest is a budding chef. She too loves to cook and eat these traditional recipes that have been passed down through the generations.

 

My hope is that you too will greatly enjoy them and perhaps be inspired to try even more Greek food!

 

Kali Orexi!