It’s one of Little Rock’s biggest and longest-running food festivals around—the International Greek Food Festival, now gearing up for its 31st year this weekend, May 15-17. The festival will be held on the grounds of the lovely Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church at 1100 Napa Valley Drive, and there will be trolley service for those folks who have to park away from the grounds.
This year, in addition to all the wonderful offering like calamari, baklava, gyros and spanakopita that we’re used to, the festival will be debuting some new offerings: loukomathes (a fried doughnut-like pastry covered in powdered sugar), za’atar pizza and Mediterranean chicken wraps. In addition, they’ll be offering gyro party packs—take home kits with supplies to make 10 gyro sandwiches. Or if you eat gyros like me, 3 gyro sandwiches.
In addition to the food, there will be traditional dance and music, live cooking demonstrations and a market full of items from around the world—plus frozen dinners-to-go. And don’t miss the church tours, because the Annunciation sanctuary is a beautiful place.
In the past 30 years, the festival has raised $1.3 million for charity. Charities for 2015 are Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Community Connections, Easter Seals, Harmony Health Clinic, Union Rescue Mission, Wolfe Street Foundation and Youth Home. Support a good cause this weekend, and do it with something delicious!