Greek church celebrates its heritage with food

Annual festival continues Sunday 

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Alison Shea/NorwichBulletin.com

Bob Peterson of Foster, R.I., serves souvlaki, chicken and pork kabobs, to The Rev. Charles Simones of Waterford at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church's annual Greek Festival on Saturday.

Danielson, Conn. —

The smell of lamb shanks, spinach pie and a dozen different kinds of honey and walnut pastries lured visitors to Danielson on Saturday for the annual Greek Festival.

This was the first year the Holy Trinity Green Orthodox Church, which has run the festival for many years, will hold the event over the entire weekend. Previously, it had been a Saturday event.

Spiro Haveles of Brooklyn, one of the chairmen of the event, said just before suppertime Saturday that the event was going great. Haveles said the church’s goal is to see the festival grow each year. Several years ago they expanded their food offerings at the festival, and this year they’re expanding to Sundays and to include more children’s activities. A bounce house, ice cream truck and glitter tattoos, he hoped, would help bring in more families.

While the festival includes music and Greek gifts, such as tiny Greek flags and car stickers that proudly proclaim Greek heritage, the highlight is the food, Haveles said. The biggest sellers Saturday were the lamb shanks, souvlaki (chicken or pork kabobs) and spanakopita (spinach pie).

“The lamb shanks especially. We started with those four or five years ago, and every year since, they go like crazy,” Haveles said.

Behind the grill, George Lakatzis of Danielson and Demetrios Skyriotis of Ellington turned chicken and pork kabobs, called souvlaki. They’re not ready to go until they’ve reached golden brown perfection, Lakatzis said as he took a large tray over to the food line, where visitors chose from kabobs, lamb shanks and other Greek selections.

At a table piled high with desserts, half a dozen men and women chatted in Greek and jockeyed for position to offer up their homemade baklava, kourabiedes and custardy galaktoboureko.

"It’s all delicious, visitors said.

Among those visitors was Ray Fredericks of Brooklyn, who visited with friend Marie Schrecengost of Danielson. After souvlaki and pastries, they were already contemplating returning Sunday, they said.

“The baklava is out of this world,” Schrecengost said.

One of the church’s oldest members, Alexandra Pappajion, 92, of Brooklyn, said she can still remember when the festival was just a picnic with other Greek families. She’s glad to see it grow, she said.

“I like that they’re trying it for two days. It’s usually just one day, but the younger people have the energy for two days,” she said.

Read more: Greek church celebrates its heritage with food - Norwich, CT - The Bulletin http://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/x1697573003/Greek-church-celebrates-its-heritage-with-food#ixzz2WbmY5eDO
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