TRADITIONAL TREATS LURE VALLEY RESIDENTS TO FOOD FESTIVAL.

Traditional treats lure Valley residents to food festival.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
UNGRY FOR A TASTE OF genuine Greek food? But you don't want to book a cruise or take a trans-Atlantic flight. You're in luck. The Greek Food Fest is this weekend at Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church, 401 12th St., Campbell.
Church members have been breaking bread with each other and the community at large for some 40 years during the annual Greek Food Fest. The church will hold an outdoor and larger event in September.
"It got started as a fund-raiser and has continued," said Charlie Pizanias, chairman. "It's also a way to share our Greek food, games, art and pastries."
Traditional foods such as lamb, stuffed grape leaves, Greek-style lasagna, souvlaki (shishkabobs), spinach and cheese pies, gyros, chicken, rice and an assortment of Greek pastries will be available.
"It's all made in the kitchen at the church center," Pizanias said. "The food is all made by the parish mothers (women of the church)."
Family favorites
Probably the most popular item are shishkabobs, a combination of beef and lamb, on a stick.
"Along with shishkabobs, gyros are the best sellers," Pizanias said.
Men of the church will roast the lamb on outdoor spits, and the cooking starts about 6 or 7 a.m. each day of the fest. "We go through four to five lambs a day. Each weighs from 40 to 50 pounds," Pizanias said. "We use wood and charcoal," he said about the cooking process.
"Lamb is part of the Mediterranean cuisine. And it's part of our traditions," Pizanias said. "We always sell out."
Pastries, also made by the churchwomen, will be among featured delicacies. Pizanias' wife, Irene, said the women contributed "their best recipes" to a cookbook that the church published last year. Samples of those flavorful dishes will be featured at the fest.
The food is accompanied with music, also with a Greek flair. There will be a Greek disk jockey playing ethnic music.
And fest-goers won't want to miss the church dance group, Nisiotinka Pedia, which means "the islands." They will perform at 7 p.m. Friday and 4 and 7 p.m. Saturday. "They'll present a variety of dances, reflecting different areas of Greece," Pizanias said.
And for the consumate shoppers, there will be a Greek store of sorts offering icons of various saints, paintings of Greek landmarks and landscapes, flags with colors of the country, CD of Greek music, aprons and hats.
This food fest and others like it refect the rich and varied ethnic background that is an integral part of the Mahoning Valley and neighboring counties. Its many churches preserve culture and customs.
"It's important to use to preserve our heritage so it won't be lost. And it's something to take pride in," Mrs. Pizanias said. The Pizaniases' son, Pantelis, 2, is bilingual even at his young age. "He knows Greek and English. We wanted to pass along that legacy," she said.
She and her husband have made several trips to Greece, where relatives still live. "There's nothing like honey from Greece. When Greeks come back from a trip there, their suitcases are filled with Greek honey and oregano," she said. "We use the honey in so many pastries. The climate in Greece makes the honey wonderful."