Church serves up fresh food and fun for event

EAST COUNTY — Being married into the Greek culture and Greek Orthodox religion for 46 years, Marilyn Blazakis has grown to love the ethnicity as if it were her own.

Her love for Greek cooking is no exception.

Olives, cheeses and varieties of fresh breads have become staples in her kitchen and her dinner menu. She describes the creamy béchamel sauce that tops pastito, or Greek lasagna, in great detail.

“I love Greek food,” Blazakis says. “The ingredients are so rich and so fresh.”

This weekend, Blazakis, along with other members of St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church’s women’s club — Philoptochos — will put her passion for Greek food to work to help grow and transform the church’s new event.

From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 15, the church will house its inaugural Greek Autumn Festival. The event replaces the annual bazaar.

Although the bazaar offered select food options for attendees, the festival features expanded food items and recipes to celebrate Greek culture through the taste buds.

“There’s going to be much more food than we’ve ever had before and more kinds of food,” Blazakis says.
The free festival will also feature an option that wasn’t a part of the church’s bazaar — a station that offers take-home food options for patrons. All food items are homemade by parishioners and event volunteers.
Benefits from food sales go to area organizations.

For Blazakis, the event’s makeover will help the church reach deeper into the community to celebrate a culture she, and the church, is passionate about.

The event’s shift toward growing to attract more than the 300-estimate it typically brings in, is apparent even in the name change.

The women’s club aims for 400 to 500 attendees for the festival’s debut. A Greek marketplace will also offer olives, cheeses and other ingredients for attendees who want to bring the culture back home to their own kitchens. The indoor event will also feature a Timeless Treasures area in the Hellenic Hall, in which patrons can purchase donated household items and kitchenware.

The event’s shift toward growing to attract more than the 300-estimate it typically brings in, is apparent even in the name change.

For Blazakis, the event’s makeover will help the church reach deeper into the community to celebrate a culture she, and the church, is passionate about.

“We replaced bazaar with festival, because festivals are bigger events,” Blazakis says. “We needed a name change to spice things up. This is a new event that further celebrates good culture and good food.”

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].