About Greekfest
What: The 50th Anniversary Greekfest.
Where: St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 6984 U.S. 70 in Bartlett
When: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday.
What: The 50th Anniversary Greekfest.
Where: St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 6984 U.S. 70 in Bartlett
When: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday.
The 50th Anniversary Greekfest at St. George Greek Orthodox Church takes place Saturday.
For the past few weeks, anyone lucky enough to get close to the basement kitchen of St. George Greek Orthodox Church has been comforted by the company of gracious cooks and the sweet smell of baking pastry.
Early Saturday, when the men get the fires going for the church's 50th Anniversary Greekfest, the savory aroma of grilling meat will inspire a more primal urge and make folks want to eat, period.
"It started as a picnic," said Kathy Zambelis, the publicity chairwoman for the event.
Families from the church, which was on North Parkway at the time, gathered at the farm of Spiros Vrionis on Egypt-Central Road. The late Pete Kolopanas lit the fire, and a tradition started.
There were about 100 people there in 1961, and last year as many as 2,500 visited throughout the day to eat and drink, listen to music and dance.
"This year, God bless the weather, it will be even bigger," Zambelis said.
Her family runs the gyros booth at the festival. Like most people involved with this production, it's a family affair.
Mary Kapos and her daughter, Julia Kapos, are among the women who bake thousands of pastries -- they started in mid-September -- that will be sold individually as well as with dinner. Husband and father Bob Kapos was at the grill until his death 10 years ago.
"He was known as the chicken man," Julia Kapos said.
Penelope Bennett is an integral part of the massive pastry preparation (she's very particular about production; there must be a process to make everything work smoothly). Her husband will be there, and her son will come from Florida.
"He gonna cook the chicken," she announced in her charming, still-heavy accent, though she's been here nearly 50 years.
And Gus Mavraganis, who was at the first picnic, will still be tending the fires on the 50th.
After several years on the Vrionis farm, the annual event moved to the River Bluff Lodge at Shelby Forest.
"The extent of our advertising then was my sister and I sticking signs in the ground," Julia Kapos said. "Greek food. Follow arrow."
It wasn't just families and church members by that time, but also friends and friends of friends, and eventually the festival started costing a bundle of money.
"So we started charging, because the expenses grew and grew," said Bennett, who has taken part in the cooking since the third year.
When the church moved to its current location on U.S. 70 in Bartlett in 1987, the festival grew again as the women began cooking enough to sell pastries to the public. A big blue-and-white tent was put out every year, until a pavilion was built in the mid-'90s.
Something that has changed very little is the menu. The adult meal is souvlaki (shish kabob), kota riganato (baked chicken), spanakopita (spinach and feta cheese in phyllo dough), rice pilaf, Greek salad, Greek bread and Greek dessert.
It's those desserts that break down the strongest will. Among the offerings are baklava, rosettes (pictured with the story), galaktoboureko (custard-filled phyllo), kataifi (similar to baklava, but with shredded pastry), and melomakarona and kourabiethes cookies.
"We tell people that if they want the pastries, they better get here early," Zambelis said.
It's not because there won't be plenty; abundance isn't the issue. They just sell fast. Besides being homemade -- every morsel, along with every loaf of Greek bread, is baked on premises -- all are baked with the care of a yia yia, or a Greek grandmother.
"We bake everything with loving hands," Bennett said.
-- Jennifer Biggs: (901) 529-5223
Early Saturday, when the men get the fires going for the church's 50th Anniversary Greekfest, the savory aroma of grilling meat will inspire a more primal urge and make folks want to eat, period.
"It started as a picnic," said Kathy Zambelis, the publicity chairwoman for the event.
Families from the church, which was on North Parkway at the time, gathered at the farm of Spiros Vrionis on Egypt-Central Road. The late Pete Kolopanas lit the fire, and a tradition started.
There were about 100 people there in 1961, and last year as many as 2,500 visited throughout the day to eat and drink, listen to music and dance.
"This year, God bless the weather, it will be even bigger," Zambelis said.
Her family runs the gyros booth at the festival. Like most people involved with this production, it's a family affair.
Mary Kapos and her daughter, Julia Kapos, are among the women who bake thousands of pastries -- they started in mid-September -- that will be sold individually as well as with dinner. Husband and father Bob Kapos was at the grill until his death 10 years ago.
"He was known as the chicken man," Julia Kapos said.
Penelope Bennett is an integral part of the massive pastry preparation (she's very particular about production; there must be a process to make everything work smoothly). Her husband will be there, and her son will come from Florida.
"He gonna cook the chicken," she announced in her charming, still-heavy accent, though she's been here nearly 50 years.
And Gus Mavraganis, who was at the first picnic, will still be tending the fires on the 50th.
After several years on the Vrionis farm, the annual event moved to the River Bluff Lodge at Shelby Forest.
"The extent of our advertising then was my sister and I sticking signs in the ground," Julia Kapos said. "Greek food. Follow arrow."
It wasn't just families and church members by that time, but also friends and friends of friends, and eventually the festival started costing a bundle of money.
"So we started charging, because the expenses grew and grew," said Bennett, who has taken part in the cooking since the third year.
When the church moved to its current location on U.S. 70 in Bartlett in 1987, the festival grew again as the women began cooking enough to sell pastries to the public. A big blue-and-white tent was put out every year, until a pavilion was built in the mid-'90s.
Something that has changed very little is the menu. The adult meal is souvlaki (shish kabob), kota riganato (baked chicken), spanakopita (spinach and feta cheese in phyllo dough), rice pilaf, Greek salad, Greek bread and Greek dessert.
It's those desserts that break down the strongest will. Among the offerings are baklava, rosettes (pictured with the story), galaktoboureko (custard-filled phyllo), kataifi (similar to baklava, but with shredded pastry), and melomakarona and kourabiethes cookies.
"We tell people that if they want the pastries, they better get here early," Zambelis said.
It's not because there won't be plenty; abundance isn't the issue. They just sell fast. Besides being homemade -- every morsel, along with every loaf of Greek bread, is baked on premises -- all are baked with the care of a yia yia, or a Greek grandmother.
"We bake everything with loving hands," Bennett said.
-- Jennifer Biggs: (901) 529-5223
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