Opa! St. Barbara Greek Festival is a feast

It was the first hour of the three-day St. Barbara Greek Festival and the parking lot at the orthodox church on Friday was already filling up. 

NIck Rantis, the general chairman of the festival, said the weekend was the culmination of nearly a year’s work.

“We start planning for the next year, like a couple weeks after this starts. It's like a 10-month ordeal, because we're always trying to make it better.”

One thing that will improve this year is something they had little control over — the weather. 

“Last year, we got rained out,” he said. “I mean, it was bad. It blew our Saturday night, which is big, and pretty much our whole day Sunday. 

The opening day was near perfect, with clear blue skies and just a bit of chill in the air.

“We prayed for good weather, and I think we're going to get it,” he said.

Rantis said there are some new features at this year’s festival, including new tents for the popular Saganaki station, a Greek coffee shop, and a new delicacy — yogurt, nuts and honey. 

“If you're from a big city like Chicago or New York, when you go into a Greek restaurant, everybody knows baklava and everything,” he said. “But I'm telling you, when you go up north, yogurt, nuts and honey is like the go-to dessert. So we'll see if it's successful.” 

Photo by Jim DeLa

 After all, it is, pretty much, all about the food at the St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church.

Near the main entrance, Zach Kalles was at the saganaki booth, drawing customers like a carnival barker, juggling frying pans and bottles of brandy.

Saganaki is a simple but flashy dish.

“It’s Greek goat cheese,” he explained. “What you do, is lightly toast it on both sides so it gets melty on the inside. And then you pour the brandy on top, which gives it more flavor,” he said.

He then lights the brandy, which cooks off with spectacular effect. 

“It’s sort of like a grilled cheese without the bread. It’s out of this world,” he said. “Then you squeeze lemon on top. You’re in heaven.”

His booth served another Greek speciality, Loukaniko, smoked Greek pork sausage, flavored with exotic spices, orange rind and wine. It’s served with grilled pita.

Inside the main tent that featured a singer, accompanied by a keyboardist and bouzouki, servers were busy handing over generous portions of ethnic favorites including moussaka, gyros and dolmathtes.

For the uninitiated, a sign at the entrance displayed a mouth-watering menu, including: 

• Psari Sto Fourno: Oven-baked white fish with Mediterranean lemon oregano sauce.
• Moussaka: Alternating layers of sliced eggplant, potatoes, and ground beef, topped with a creamy bechamel sauce.
• Pastitsio: Baked payers of tubular pasta and ground beef blended with parmesan cheese and spices topped with creamy bechamel sauce
• Dolmathes: Ground beef or rice wrapped in homemade marinated grape leaves.

Ellie Lawton was sitting with friends, finishing her Athens chicken.

“I get it every year,” she said. “It’s so good.”

She has been coming to the festival for at least 10 years. 

“I’m going to have to go back for a leftover one to bring home,” she said. She had her eye on the pastries for sale.

“We’re going there next.”  

Another big attraction to the St. Barbara Greek festival is the raffle. For $100, you can register to win a Mercedes Benz. It’s been a popular draw to the festival, said Carol Pandis, who, with her husband, George, has been managing the raffle for the last few years. 

She said people can buy raffle tickets online before the festival. By Friday afternoon, they had sold about half of the 2,200 tickets that will be available. The grand prize winner can choose either a coupe or SUV, or $35,000 cash. Other lesser cash prizes will also be awarded.

The winners have been pretty well split between taking the car of the cash, she said. Two years ago, a teacher from Bradenton’s name was selected as he was coming out of the food line. 

“We drew the number and all of a sudden his wife is screaming,” Carol said.

 “He’s in line, saying “I have to pay for all of this,’” George recalled. “ We’ll spot you two sandwiches, go up on stage,” he said.  

Photo by Jim DeLa

At the corner of the food booth, Thelma Hunter was making gyros with machinelike precision, filling up an aluminum tray as fast as servers could take them. How many will she make? “About half a million?” she said, “Just rolling and rolling and rolling.”

Taking orders for those gyros was 18-year-old Demetria Guimond, who was also in charge of the Greek music coming from a bluetooth speaker on the counter. 

When she wasn’t taking an order, she was dancing and singing along to the music. “Dancing is my favorite thing,” she said. 

She said she’s been working at the festival for years, reveling in sharing Greek culture with the community. 

“It’s showing people our culture, our Kefi,” she said. “It’s the passion of Greece,” she explained. If someone has Kefi, they’re showing their energy and pride.”