What’s not to love about a plate full of authentic gyros, souvlaki and baklava? Last week, the Array team visited the 56th annual Greek Festival at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church on Union Street in Akron.
Originally in search of the famous Greek pastries, we were in awe of the tables upon tables filled with tasty cuisine. Volunteers from the church had obviously been preparing for weeks for the celebration. There were thousands of treats lovingly dished out by smiling faces. Weaving through the food lines definitely left us with a feeling of our-eyes-are-bigger-than-our-stomachs! Delicious choices included lamb, chicken or pork gyros, spanakopita (spinach pie made with flakey phyllo dough and egg), kataifi (shredded phyllo dough with Greek syrup), baklava (layered honey, nuts & phyllo dough) and last but not least, heavenly loukoumades (dough puffs drizzled in honey and cinnamon). Έτσι, νόστιμα! (So delicious!)
Churchgoers say the festival is about a lot more than great food. The celebration also included Greek music and dancing, church tours and a plethora of treasures to be found in the Attic Tag Sale. Needless to say, we all found a few things to take home that day!
The festival, “is a way you can see the entire life of the church … the entire life of someone who is Orthodox – the food, the family, the culture, the faith,” said the Reverend Andrew Lentz.
What a fantastic way to get out into our community, meet people and enjoy great culture. I’m already looking forward to next year’s ice cream and baklava sundaes!