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WILKES-BARRE — The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church concluded its three-day, semiannual Greek Food Fest Saturday, dishing out the country’s authentic cuisine to the masses.
Located in the church basement, patrons stood in line as they decided what dish to order. Everything from Greek salad and spanakopita to gyros and baklava were prepared and ready for hungry customers. Greek music played in the background, and pictures of the country flashed on a television screen.
Christine Stelmack, church board member and festival chairwoman said, the festival is the church’s major fundraiser – with one happening in the fall and again in the spring.
She said the community has played a large role in its growing success, and the church offers the public something they can’t get otherwise.
“Every year it grows more and more,” Stelmack said, noting the festival’s Facebook page has over 5,600 likes. “We have a lot of good cooks, and a lot of local people love the food. But it’s not really accessible to them.”
While the church is small — it has less then 100 members — the people within it work together to continue the event year after year.
Many of the parishioners prepare the food, working months in advance and using authentic Greek recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation.
“They prepare what they grew up with. They know the recipes. They know the taste,” said church member Argyrios Varonides. “It’s a wonderful event, a chance to give back to the community.”
Sisters Becky and Linda Mullen attended the festival for the first time Saturday after seeing a Facebook post about it. Becky, who is visiting from Florida, said she couldn’t believe how good the food was.
“I ate a taste of everything and had to go back for more to take home,” she said.
Linda says that although she isn’t of Greek descent, she loves the country and has traveled there in the past. They both commended the church on the amount of work members put into the event.
“Our other sister tried to make baklava,” Becky said. “She said it was a lot of work.”
Peckville resident William Anagnos has been a member of the church all his life. He spoke about the festivals beginning, dating back to the 1960s.
“Over the years, we used to do small things on the square. Then the Fine Arts Fiesta started, and we would bring tables and food to that,” he said.
Anagnos said members would also travel to the 109th Field Artillery Armory, selling meals at various shows and events until about 15 years ago, when the church decided to run the fest out of its basement.
The group agrees the event has gotten bigger over the years, attracting those who love Greek food and those who are trying it for the first time.
“Thank you to everyone for supporting us all this time,” Stelmack said.
