A Middle Eastern Food Festival will take place this weekend in Wilkes-Barre.
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Food was being prepared and cooked all morning at St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church in Wilkes-Barre. Trays upon trays of food were loaded up to get ready for a Middle Eastern Food Festival this weekend. “You smell it, you need to eat it,” said co-chair Alyssa Fort.
Organizers were preparing kibbee, tabouli with bread, hummus with bread, grape leaves, green rice & beans with bread, and of course, dessert.
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“Back since I was a little girl, in the kitchen at my grandmother’s house, that’s where it started, and we’ve always been involved in the church, and from my grandmother’s house to the church, and here we are, now we’re running it,” said Fort.
Money from the event will go to the church and community. The festival is in its seventh year, and Fort has helped every year since the start.
She said they cook all different types of Middle Eastern food using recipes from members at the church.
“Everybody in the Middle Eastern culture does things a little bit differently, and adds a little bit of a different spice here and there, so we compiled all of the past generations into what we produce now,” Fort said.
Having a fundraiser like this not only helps to raise money, but it also gives the church an opportunity to share Middle Eastern food and culture with the community.
The festival is Saturday, October 17, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church, 905 South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre.
The day will be complete with a dance troupe, vendors, basket raffles, and, of course, delicious food.
Dining and Cooking