Taste of Greece Festival Keeps Flavor, Moves to the North Hills

Tantalizing aromas, heavenly tastes, and the colorful harmonic mesh of exotic dance and music are just a teaser of what will happen at the Taste of Greece Festival this week, starting Friday at the former Northway Elementary School, 495 Browns Lane, in Ross Township. 

Hosted by the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church from October 7 through October 9, the event will offer a variety of authentic Greek foods all prepared by parish families.

Food costs vary by vendor, but entry into this celebration of Greek culture and cuisine is free, and includes a traditional Greek dance troupe performing native dances in costume.

“It’s a big fundraiser for our church,” said Chris T. Balouris, the President of the Church Council, of McCandless. “It helps us pay our bills.”

Traditionally held for the past few decades on the North Side, , where it is building a new church at the corner of Cumberland Road and Babcock Boulevard.

Groundbreaking on the Byzantine-style building is planned for October, with construction expected to take 14 to 15 months, said the Rev. John Touloumes.

In the meantime, it is leasing the former elementary school from the . The temporary location means some adjustments to the festival. 

“It’s going to be a sampling of the best of the best of our items, just because the school isn’t properly equipped to run a full-blown festival,” Balouris said. “Needless to say, we’re going to have everything under the sun.”

Among the food to be offered will be a wide selection of Greek delicacies, including souvlaki and chicken dinners, gyros and salads, and finger foods like calamari, smelts, and Greek fries.

For dessert, the parish is offering an even larger selection of Greek pastries, including loukoumathes, which are puffs of dough that are deep-fried and then covered with savory syrup and cinnamon, and a baklava blizzard, which is vanilla ice cream with baklava, chocolate, whipped cream, and a cherry.

The event in past years has drawn about 10,000 people, Balouris estimates. 

“We’re in a little bit of a transition period but we think we can pull it off temporarily,” Balouris said. “Once we get to the new facility we can really blow it out at that point.”

The event will run from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday at the former Northway Elementary School. 

Parking will be available at Christ Episcopal Church at the corner of Babcock Boulevard and Browns Lane. Shuttle service will run from the lot to the festival.