What I Learned During Covid.

At a recent event I attended, I asked a dozen or so people what they learned during COVID. Most spoke of the importance of relationships. Quite a few talked about cooking - and discovering new recipes. I resonate. During COVID I perfected the spinach pie, known in Greek as Spanakopita. I first discovered spinach pies several decades ago, when had an office on Newbury Street in Boston. A few block down the street was an old-school neighborhood treasure that wrapped itself around the corner. It was run by a Greek family and the food, served without a hint of stylishness, was wonderful. Egg lemon soup (Avgolemono). Moussaka. Shish Kabob. And, the thick, flaky filo - topped spinach pie.

I would pick one up for lunch or dinner on a regular basis. I occasionally tried a spinach pie from another restaurant and was always disappointed. I had been spoiled with what might have been the best spinach pie in all of Boston. Then one day I read that Steve's was closing. They had opened a Steve's in Faneuil Hall, and the Newbury Street restaurant was closing. It was very sad.

I had always heard that it took a lot of work to make a good spinach pie. During COVID, new recipes became my new friends, and I was eager to master Spanikopita.

While this may seem trivial, let me share with you the truth about spinach pies. They require patience, time and a light touch. During COVID I had lots of time. No need to go to stores - everyone delivered. No need to go to work. Work was in my guest room. So many things that I had thought were necessary became obsolete. So many things that I took for granted now seem more precious.

Not the least of these is my new found achievement and the healing of the loss of Steve's.