A lively celebration of culture and food brought hundreds to St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church over the weekend for the 40th annual Zorba Greek Festival.
“This festival was started by my husband Anthony 40 years ago in 1983,” said president of the parish council Olga Bookas, “and there are some people who have come every single year. A lot of people come all four days because once you taste our food, you always want to come here.”
Savory Greek favorites including moussaka, spanakopita, gyro and tiropita were served alongside baked sweets like Baklava and koulourakia. All of the authentic food was made onsite in the church’s kitchen by St. Demetrios members.
“We have some wonderful ladies and men in this congregation,’ said Fr. Don Augusta. “Everything is made fresh by our parishioners. We have a refrigerator that’s a whole room, about 12×12, so that they can prepare everything right here. They put in a lot of work into this, that’s why the food is so good.”
Right: Saint. Demetrios parishioners working at the festival. Left: Festival patrons enjoying some authentic Greek cuisine. | Laura Bailey Photos
Left: Olga Bookas. Right: Angela Bookas. | Laura Bailey Photos
The church hall was decorated in the blue and white colors of the Greek flag and the big tent returned outside of the church after a 3-year absence due to covid precautions.
“It’s absolutely amazing to see the way it’s come together,” said festival co-chair Sarah Popolizio. “Everyone puts in the time and effort to make this festival great from the very beginning.”
The festival featured live entertainment with music by George Karatzas and traditional Greek dancing by the Zorba dancers who performed on Friday and Saturday night.
While many of the festivalgoers were residents of Central Connecticut, some visitors eager for a taste of their favorite traditional Greek cuisine came from out of state.
Festivalgoers enjoying authentic Greek cuisine at the Zorba Greek Festival. | Laura Bailey Photos
“I drove here from New York for the food,” said Mira Catalano. “I had the lamb and I’m going to get desert soon. Everything is so well seasoned; it was worth the trip.”
The Zorba Greek Festival has been an annual destination for thousands over the past 4 decades. Bookas contributes the lasting success of the event to hard work from dedicated volunteers and love from the community.
“It’s a lot of work, but always fun and unforgettable,” said Bookas, “There’s a lot of love in this community, that’s what’s most important to me. That’s why we do it.”
Laura Bailey can be reached at lbailey@bristoledition.org
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