Having just come back from Greece, Chris Hanes of Lombard headed for the Greek taverna tent at the Big Greek Food Fest of Niles Friday, July 17. He came away with a tray piled with grilled octopus, pita bread and loukaniko sausage.
“It’s my third year coming here,” said Hanes. “The food ranks right up there with Greece.”
The taverna was one of many food and activity stations at the annual fest, a major fundraiser for St. Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church on Caldwell Avenue. Every July, hundreds of parishioners pitch in to help plan and staff the fest, and they start cooking food, and freezing it, a month in advance.
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While the proceeds go toward the church’s operating expenses, this year some of them will go toward constructing a $5.5 million multi-purpose building. An existing reception and community center area will be repurposed as classrooms.
Rain temporarily threatened those proceeds at the 5 p.m. opening of the fest Friday, but the sun came back out about 90 minutes later. The same thing happened Saturday, with thundershowers in the afternoon and pleasant skies by 5:30 p.m.
“It really picked up after the rain, so we’re really excited,” said Jolynn Ruggerio of Glenview, who was volunteering Friday in the bookstore area, which sold icons and religious books.
Perry Giannopoulos, the fest chairman, said the fest typically gets its highest attendance on Saturday and Sunday, so that even with the rain, it was a pretty good Friday. Crowds also showed up Saturday just in time for dinner.
Many visitors, such as Connie Guzman of Burr Ridge, who attended with her daughter Erica Guzman of Niles and friend Nancy Abbala of Niles, were enjoying the warm weather and food.
“It’s beautiful here,” she said. “I love the music.”
A Greek band played Greek music, attracting dancers holding each others’ hands in a long line and circling around in front of the band.
Most people, though, came for the food. At one tent, volunteers grilled sausages; at another, they turned kebabs over flames.
At the gyros tent, Athanasios Kendilis of Des Plaines prepared saganaki, or flaming cheese, in a pan, stepping back quickly as a flame rose high above it.
“I’ve been volunteering in the gyros tent for 10 years, since I was 13,” he said.
Tina Zook of Des Plaines, who had brought her son Alexander to the Kids Korner area to play games and have his face painted, said, “This is our church. People love the food—it’s amazing.”
A long line stretched in front of the loukoumathes tent, with people waiting for the cinnamon-scented fried doughnuts. Rev. Panagiotis Boznos of Sts. Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church in Glenview and Rev. Chris Mihalopoulos of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Glenview were standing in the line.
“Loukoumathes are what every Greek festival is known for,” Mihalopoulos said. “They’re to die for. Even us clergy are waiting patiently.”
Pam DeFiglio is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.