Fall festival season has arrived in Galveston and an island-favorite returns for the 40th year. The annual Galveston Greek Festival will be held at the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church, 1824 Ball Street, on October 12 and 13.
A celebration of the Hellenic culture, this lively event transports guests to the Greek islands offering authentic wines, beer, food and pastries.
Yes, guests enjoy the colorful, energetic dancing and entertainment and the market filled with uniquely Greek items. But the big draw for most of us is the homemade food that is wholly prepared by parishioners.
Some volunteer chefs are lifelong restaurateurs like Kritikos Grill owner Larry Kriticos and others are home cooks who use recipes that have been passed down and shared through the generations.
“Traditional fare is prepared with the freshest ingredients,” said Parish Council President and Event Chair Mary Jo Naschke who is a first cousin to Kriticos. Naschke has been the event chair for the last five years and before that, her husband Leroy held the reigns for a decade.
The Greek Festival is the church’s biggest fundraiser; its purpose is to generate funds for operations annually. Naschke encourages everyone, Greek or not, to be their guests.
“Greeks are hospitable by nature,” she said. “We dance, we drink, we eat. This event is not just a festival to us. It’s a great experience. It is the closest anyone will get to Greece without getting on a plane.”
“Greek food and music are in our blood and our souls,” said Naschke whose maternal family comes from Kalamata. Her mother and Kriticos’ mother are sisters.
Volunteer cooks spend the weekend prepping, cooking, and serving. Some spend hours toiling in the church’s large, commercial-style kitchen. Others, like Stephanie and Brian Jinks, man booths outside, serving gyros and souvlaki.
Festivalgoers can expect to find their old favorites and some exciting new food items at this year’s event.
GREEK GASTRONOMY The “full plate dinner” is served inside and consists of pastitsio, meatballs, dolmades, olives, salad, feta cheese, tiropita, spanakopita and pita bread.
For those of you not familiar with authentic Greek dishes, pastitsio is a layered dish like lasagna, with macaroni, chopped beef and bechamel. Dolmades are rice- or meat-stuffed grape leaves. Tiropita is mixed Greek cheeses baked in phyllo dough. And spanakopita is spinach and feta baked in phyllo dough.
Vegetarians will be happy to hear that meatless meals are an important part of the Greek diet and are always offered at the festival.
“Greek is a fasting religion in that we have days that we are restricted from eating meat and sometimes cheese,” Naschke said. “We recognize the value of offering vegetarian meals and are happy to offer an alternative. Guests need only ask when ordering.”
Ala carte items are served outside, including the very popular gyros and souvlaki. Both are made to order.
Gyro, (pronounced “yee-roh”) is a Greek street food. It is a special meatloaf created from a combination of lamb and beef and formed into a cone.
Gyro in Greek means to “go around” and represents the rotation of the meatloaf on a vertical spit. The meat is sliced off the cone and served on pita bread with a homemade tzatziki sauce of yogurt, cucumbers, and garlic.
In the same booth, you can order the souvlaki (shish kabob). This common meal is another street food made from top-quality beef that has been marinated for several days then skewered before being grilled over an open flame.
DELECTABLE DESSERTS “Our pastries are spectacular,” Naschke said of the large array of homemade Greek desserts that will be available. “We will be baking the usual suspects and some very special new additions this year.”
The pastry selections include baklava, kourambiedes, paximadia, koulourakia, and, a rare treat, loukoumades (Greek donuts), which are prepared by order.
All of the dessert recipes come from the individual villages or islands of their homeland. “The ladies come together and bake all weekend. It’s a unifying project for us.”
Baklava is probably the most popular and well-known of Greek desserts. It is comprised of layers of phyllo dough with warm spices, like nutmeg, and nuts with syrup made from honey and lemon.
Delicious koulourakia, another favorite, is a braided cookie made with butter, vanilla, and nutmeg. Naschke recommends serving these with Greek coffee or tea.
Festivalgoers can expect a few new desserts this year as well. Kataifi looks like shredded wheat but is made of spices, nuts and honey. And flogeres is phyllo dough with nuts and spices, rolled like a cigar, and drizzled in chocolate.
Lastly, a tsoureki has been added to the dessert lineup. Tsoureki is a sweet bread that is often served toasted with butter for breakfast. This item will be limited and Naschke says if you want to try it, it’s best to order it early in the day.
THERE IS NO PARTY LIKE A GREEK PARTY The weekend’s entertainment lineup will feature live Bouzouki music by Dimitri Karageorgo.
This plucked string instrument is popular in Greece and reminiscent of a mandolin but pitched lower.
Traditional Greek dancers, dressed in all their ornamental glory, will perform throughout both days. Church tours will be led by Father Stelios Sitaras.
To commemorate the event, imported merchandise and food products from Greece are available for purchase in the Greek market.
All foods and pastries are available to go. Special beverages include FIX, the national beer of Greece, and an assortment of favorite American beers. Greek wines will be available by the glass or bottle. All beverages complement the cuisine.
There is no admission to attend the festival, however, a donation is greatly appreciated as all event proceeds benefit the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church. Food and drink tickets are sold in $2 increments. Cash and credit cards are accepted.
Festival hours are Saturday from 11 am to 7 pm, and Sunday from 12pm to 5pm. An inside and outside event, the festival is rain or shine.
For more information, visit www.galvestongreekfestival.com.