Taste of Greece: Autumn Food Fair at Holy Cross begins Wednesday
Courtesy of Thea Manos
Elaine Sofis, left, and Dominica Merante, co-chairs of the Holy Cross Ladies Philoptochos Society, cheers with traditional Greek pastries after a long day of cooking ahead of the Autumn Food Fair this week. The fair takes place Oct. 5 and 6, and all proceeds benefit the church’s philanthropic society.
Courtesy of Thea Manos
Members of the Holy Cross Ladies Philoptochos Society sample their work after a long day of baking ahead of the annual Autumn Food Fair, which begins at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. The ladies, who have been hard at work in the kitchen for months, baked 2,600 koulourakia in one day last week.
Enjoy the sweet and savory tastes of Greece in fall at the annual Autumn Food Fair, which runs from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5 and 6 inside Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church community center in Mt. Lebanon.
“We will have a ton of fall Greek food,” said Thea Manos, a member of the Holy Cross Ladies Philoptochos Society, which hosts the fair. “The ladies have been cooking for months now. We’ll have a ton of pastries, Greek cookies and desserts.”
And fan favorite lunch and dinner menu items, including lamb shanks, moussaka, spanakopita and soups.
“Our chicken oregano is very, very popular. The most popular item that we have in the fall is our chicken rolls,” Manos said.
When the summer food festival ended in June, the Philoptochos Society started prepping for the annual autumn fair. All food is handmade by members of the society, who have cooked and baked for the event for years.
The Autumn Food Fair began decades ago, when the Philoptochos society sold food at church to raise money for philanthropic causes. Word spread, and folks from throughout the area began showing up at Holy Cross after Sunday services to purchase food and desserts homemade by the society.
Pam Lehios and her best friend, Joan Lamprinakos, both members of the Holy Cross Philoptochos Society, spearheaded the first Autumn Food Fair 25 years ago for the community. The festival would, they thought, be a wonderful way to share their culture while raising money for worthy causes.
That first year, Lehios and Lamprinakos, who passed in 2011, also hosted Yia Yia’s Attic, which is today affectionately called Joan’s Yia Yia’s Attic, so guests could walk off good eats at the secondhand shop.
Manos describes Joan’s Yia Yia’s Attic as a Greek version of Antique Roadshow. Hundreds of well-kept books, accessories and handbags will be for sale during the Autumn Food Fair, and along with money raised through the boutique sale, food festival proceeds directly benefit the Philoptochos Society.
”On the last day, we give out coupons to charities in the South Hills. They could come and take things that they might need for their homes,” Manos said, noting organizations like SHIM benefit from Joan’s Yia Yia’s Attic.
Last year, the Holy Cross Philoptochos Society donated funds to various organizations, including Walk for Missions, Lending Hearts, the Neighborhood Resilience Project and International Orthodox Christian Charities.
“‘Philopohos’ means ‘friends of the poor.’ All we do is give our money away,” said Manos. “We help homeless shelters. We sent a large donation … to help the people of Ukraine. It’s so cool being a part of it.”
The public can play a role in the society’s efforts by joining the ladies and church community at the Autumn Food Fair this week. You’ll want to arrive early and be prepared to wait for the delicious, homemade soups and breads: Last year, Manos said, they sold out.
“We didn’t know what to expect after COVID and not having it for a year or two,” she said. “We have hundreds of people. It’s just nonstop. They wait for the food because it’s so good and they know all of the effort that we put into it.”
It’s not uncommon, Manos said, for three generations of women to cook together, serve the community during the fair, or man the attic.
“Our culture is very much about tradition,” she said. “For some of us, the success comes right after the food fair, when we write our first check to charity. But for many others, success is the opportunity for yia yias (grandmothers) to show their granddaughters how to fold the dough of a koulourakia just right.”
In addition to the food and shopping, there will be traditional Greek dance performances.
To learn more about the Holy Cross Philoptochos branch, or for more on the upcoming food fair, visit https://www.holycrosspgh.org/.