Oakmont Greek food festival serves record crowds, meals

Officials and parishioners of the Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church are celebrating after a record-setting weekend of the Oakmont Greek Food Festival.

Tens of thousands of people participated in the post-pandemic party and fundraiser June 23-25.

“This year was a record year for us, and we prepared food in record quantities,” festival co-chair Andy Gavrilos said. “We are very thankful the local communities have supported us for years at our annual food festival, and especially the past three years, where we had to modify our normal model.”

Organizers said at least 5,000 dinners, 10,000 gyros, 15,000 sides and a la carte items, and 30,000 pastries were sold by the end of the festival.

Loukoumades, or honey balls, were at their traditional spot, a tent outside the small banquet hall that housed the rest of the desserts.

Grill masters Panagiotis Mikroudis and Ray Zeliznik prepared pork souvlaki in a larger tent closer to the gyro line than previous years. Spoiler – the gyro line returned.

Many volunteers worked at an accelerated pace to keep the lines moving smoothly. Nearly all pastries sold out early on the second night. One reason could be the return of almond and pistachio baklava and chocolate brownies. Baking teams replenished what they could the following morning.

Lines for the main dining hall – with the signature dinners Chicken Alexis, lamb shanks, pork souvlaki, side dishes and the church’s legendary gyros – wrapped around the church and onto the sidewalk close to the nearby Elks Lodge.

Entertainment from the church youth dance groups, the Grecian Odyssey Dancers and the Junior Grecian Stars, made the wait outside less cumbersome. Live music and dancing continued for several hours each night after the kitchens closed.

“This year, the crowds were larger than normal despite some raindrops and a few brief showers,” Gavrilos said. “Perhaps everyone was more than ready to get out and have a good time after the extra cautions people have been taking the past three years.”

Several of the younger generation helped longtime volunteers, including Micah Thompson, 9, of New Kensington.

She learned from Dr. Michael Contes of New Kensington, her grandfather, the delicate balance of keeping iced tea, water and lemonade bottles in coolers for as long as possible while having some ready on tables for servers to grab during lunch and dinner rushes.

“Over the past few years, we have streamlined some things and we continue to work to improve our speed of food delivery to our patrons,” Gavrilos said. “We are already thinking about how we can enhance the experience next year for our patrons. Thank you to all for making our festival a huge success.”

Next year may be even bigger, as the festival turns 50 and the church hits the century mark.