Opa! Two local church festivals will soon be serving up gyros, souvlaki, moussaka and other Greek favorites.
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Bethlehem
First, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, at 1607 W. Union Blvd. in Bethlehem, will host its biannual Greek Food Festival Thursday, May 15, through Sunday, May 18.
The event features several handmade Greek specialties for sale, including pastitsio (Greek baked pasta dish with ground meat and bechamel sauce), moussaka (layers of sauteed slices of eggplant, ground beef flavored with tomatoes, onions and cinnamon and covered with a custard sauce sprinkled with grated cheese) and Athenian chicken (boneless and skinless chicken breast, filled with spinach, feta and other Greek cheeses, baked and topped with light gravy).
Other menu highlights include gyros, Greek salad, avgolemono soup, pork or chicken souvlaki, pork or chicken kabob sandwiches and sides such as green beans, orzo, rice pilaf, spanakopita and Greek fries (with salt and oregano).
For those with a sweet tooth, parishioners and volunteers also will be making and selling baklava, finikia (honey-dipped orange cookies), galaktoboureko (custard filling inside filo dough, topped with honey and cinnamon syrup) and other desserts…