St. Luke’s to Offer Food and Music for All Tastes

Uncommon delicacies such as pirogi and spanokopita will be among foods offered at this weekend’s International Festival at St. Luke’s Orthodox Church in Garden Grove.

Greek, Slavic and Middle Eastern foods will be for sale from noon to dusk Sunday, when the church opens its doors to the community for the 37th annual event.

Other activities will include carnival games for children, ethnic dancing and tours of the Byzantine-style church, which has colorful stained-glass windows and painted icons. There also will be beer and wine sales, a silent auction and a raffle.

Participants will be invited to take part in Middle Eastern and Greek line dancing.

The festival, which organizers said draws about 4,000 people annually, gives visitors the opportunity to learn about the multicultural backgrounds of the church’s 500 members, said Charmaine E. Darmour, publicity chairwoman.

Unlike typical Greek Orthodox or Russian Orthodox churches whose members are mainly descendants of those respective countries, St. Luke’s draws its congregation from many Eastern regions, including Russia, Serbia, Romania, Greece, the Middle East and Central Europe, Darmour said.

St. Luke’s is called a Pan-Orthodox parish, which means it comprises many ethnicities.

The church is established under the faith of orthodox Christianity, which focuses on the teachings of Jesus’ apostles and early martyrs of the church, St. Luke’s Father Simeon said.

The religion was brought to North America about 200 years ago by Greek, Russian and Middle Eastern missionaries, he said.

“We’re a melting pot of orthodoxy,” said Jon Bayouth, event co-chairman, whose family is from Lebanon. “Why not share these vast backgrounds in the ways of food and entertainment with the community who may not know much about them?”

This week, volunteers have been busy in the church kitchen preparing pirogi (baked bread filled with seasoned beef), spanokopita (fillo triangles stuffed with cheese), holubtsi (stuffed cabbage leaves filled with rice and meat) and other international delights.

The beverages and food, including the well-known Greek desserts loukoumades and baklava, will be sold at the event.

The festival is the church’s primary fund-raiser each year. Much of the proceeds go to a children’s relief project and to community outreach programs.

St. Luke’s is at 13261 Dunklee Ave., Garden Grove, near Haster Street and Garden Grove Boulevard.

Admission to the festival is $2 for adults and free to children younger than 10 when accompanied by an adult.