When Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Wilkes-Barre has its Greek Food Festivals, I often stop by to write a story, and I can pretty much count on running into Tom Iliadis cooking up gyros and other goodies in the kitchen.
But this year I ran into Tom several weeks in advance of the May 7-9 Mini Greek Food Festival, at a line dancing class in Kingston.
Greek food wasn’t on my mind at all, until Tom called to me before I left the gym, “They’ll be rolling grapevine leaves this Saturday.”
For me, that tidbit of information was as inviting as the sirens’ song must have sounded to Odysseus as his ship sailed by their island.
As tantalizing as the grapes appeared to Tantalus as he reached up for them.
As irresistible as the golden apples that caught Atalanta’s eye during a fateful foot race.
OK, enough references to characters from Greek mythology. Suffice it to say I like to stuff and roll grapevine leaves almost as much as I enjoy eating the finished product, served in its lemony sauce.
So on a Saturday in March — yes, the volunteers start cooking and freezing some of their menu items way in advance of the festival — I showed up at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church with willing hands and my own apron.
As I helped the regular volunteers roll the leaves, I just relaxed and enjoyed the camaraderie and imagined that we were all on a sunny Mediterranean shore.
“When will you run these photos?” a grapevine leaf-rolling Aphrodite wanted to know — and no, she’s not the goddess, she’s Dr. Aphrodite Togias, a local medical doctor.
“Closer to the event,” I said.
So here they are, and if you decide to patronize the Greek Food Festival next week, please note that a tiny fraction of the Dolmadakia, or grapevine leaves stuffed with ground beef and rice, have been rolled by a Times Leader test cook.
(Over the past few years I’ve also pitched in making pierogies with the folks at St. John the Baptist Church in Larksville, Vietnamese egg rolls with Sister Anna and her friends at St. Nicholas – St. Mary Parish in Wilkes-Barre and Lebanese-style stuffed grape leaves with the volunteers at the Church of St. Anthony/St. George in Wilkes-Barre. If any other group wants to invite me to learn by doing their ethnic cuisine, I’m open to it.)
Back at Annunciation Church, for next week’s Greek Food Festival, in addition to stuffed grapevine leaves you will find gyros, with seasoned beef in pita with onion, lettuce, tomato and tzatziki (cucumber sauce) and dinners of Greek roasted chicken with manestra (baked orzo in chicken broth with Parmesan) and Greek salad.
Also on the menu are Pastitsio, which is baked macaroni layered with ground beef and topped with Bechamel sauce; Spanakopita (spinach pies) and Tyropita, which has the phyllo dough and feta but not the spinach.
There’s a variety of pastries for dessert, including baklava, flogeres and kataifi and you can order a basketful as a Mother’s Day gift.
The committee appreciates pre-orders, called in or ordered online 2 hours before you’d like to pick up the food. For more information or to place an order, call 570-417-4465 and leave a message or visit greekfoodwb.org.