Philadelphia, PA – It’s about as authentic as you can get. The Greek food served at Evangelismos Greek Orthodox, during it’s annual Greek Festival is the real deal. And the parishioners that prepare and serve bring you this food straight from Greece. From their villages and towns across the country, they bring you the food we’ve come to know and love. This year’s Greek festival at the intersection of Bustleton Ave and Hellerman Street kept that tradition on a path that should continue for many years.
Below the church inside the kitchen, it was all things Greek. From language to laughter and the aromas of pastries prepared and cooked before your eyes, you could easily forget that you were still in the states. Oven doors popped open while and forks prodded by Greek women checked to see if the food was ready for serving. The atmosphere was the same from the church hall to the big tent, where the tables and food court shared space.
Children roamed the church campus where flags of both the USA and Greece proudly announced the event. Many of the kids were playing, reminiscent of a neighborhood playground. And if you listened in to the conversations, Greek was the dominant language amongst the children of this parish.
Under the tent, Stoxos Entertainment played traditional Greek music, which intermingled with the church dance troupe that performed music from the motherland. Fans snapped up the photo moments while others clapped along in celebration. Behind them, the lines filled during dinner time. All the homemade and traditional sweets you could possible want to sample were on display and ready to be consumed. Smiling parishioners could tell you what each one was and where it came from. Galaktoboureko, Baklava, and Kataifi were crowd favorites. Add in a traditional Greek coffee and it’s a perfect dessert to enjoy with the sounds of Greece echoing in the background. A little slice of Greece is always present, here in northeast Philadelphia.