NEW ORLEANS — The 49th annual Greek Fest kicked off Friday and all the crowd favorites are back. The pastries are baked, the lamb is roasted and the Greek beer is chilled.
"I was looking over the menu today and I was just amazed by how many items we have to offer, of course, it’s a dinner with the pastitsio, it’s like a Greek lasagna. And of course, we’re famous for our lamb," Vickie Catsulis, one of the festival's committee members said.
"The gyro is probably the number one favorite they enjoy that. Oh, I have to take that back the pastries are everyone’s favorite."
Catsulis says they start making the pastries back in February and freeze them, then they bake them right before the festival.
"The ladies and gentlemen begin in February to prepare those items and then they’ll make baklava put it in the freezer and it doesn’t get baked until the week of the festival so that everything is fresh and wonderful to present," she said.
This year's theme is "A Zest For Life" which is perfect for Mediterranean cuisine. Organizers say they have lemon as both sweet and savory food as well as drinks. But, while many people come for the food, organizers say the best part is sharing their culture with the community.
"My favorite part is the community in other words yes it’s hard I love the food...but I get to see a lot of people out here I don’t get to normally see and it brings our community together for a big celebration here and we’re proud that we make everything here," Dennis Papadopoulos, one of the festival's organizers said.
The Greek festival is open until 11 p.m. Friday. Saturday, they're open 11 am - 10 pm and Sunday 11 am - 8 pm.
Entry is $10, kids under 12 are free. The festival is also hosting a run/walk on Saturday and more.
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