Greek food, music and dancing draws crowds to a festival set up in North Surrey until June 15.
Friday (June 6) is opening day/night for Surrey Greek Food Festival, an annual tradition and fundraiser for Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church, at 96 Avenue and 132 Street.
The festival menu features plates of pork and chicken souvlaki ($25 for two skewers and four sides), lamb, calamari, spanakopita, Greek salad, pita bread with hummus and tzatziki, oven-roasted potatoes, fries with oregano and feta, loukoumades and other desserts, coffee, beer ($5 a cup) and cold drinks.
The festival's big draw is lamb, slow-roasted on spits.
"Barbecued lamb on charcoal is not that common. We do it the old-fashioned way, like it's done in Greece," said Tony Ziskos, who co-manages festival food prep with Ron McKave.
"We (Greeks) do that at Easter, too, so it's done traditionally. We'll roast 100, up to 140 whole lambs this week. Some people have private parties and pre-order a whole one, and they pick them up."
This is the 33rd year of Surrey Greek Food Festival, originally held at a smaller site in Fleetwood and moved to its current location in 2010.
"I've been doing this for close to 20 years, and everybody here is a volunteer, nobody is paid," Ziskos added. "People do this for the community, the church. Altogether we have around 150 people who help. It's the most important fundraiser of the year to keep the church and community going."
The Greek word for it is "kefi," a feeling of community, joy and enthusiasm, according to McKave.
"This is my first year of retirement from public service, so I'm first in, last out," he said. "Every year the kids get a little older and take on more responsibility, so it's good to see that. Everybody is happy to be here."
McKave, who worked as a chef at Dino's restaurant in Langley in the 1990s, says souvlaki and salads are prepared ahead of time and stored in a refrigerated truck.
"All the cheese and spinach pies are made by the ladies of the church, people who really know how to make it," McKave noted. "They also make the baklava and bougatsa, and the loukoumades are those little doughnuts. It's a special recipe, everything is made fresh."
Order food ahead of time on surreygreekfoodfest.com or show up with cash or card.
Covered by big tents, the festival site includes tables and chairs for 600, an entertainment stage, raffle draws and Agora Marketplace for merchandise.
Entertainers this year include Yiannis Sahamis, Dromeno, Roma Gry Group, Anemos Greek Dancers, Nisiotis Dance Group, Mexica Vevo Folklore and more. Check facebook.com/SurreyGreek for the schedule.
Until Father's Day (Sunday, June 15), festival hours are weekdays from 4 to 10 p.m., weekends noon to 10. Free parking is available Friday, Saturday and Sunday at AHP Matthew Elementary, a quick walk to the church lot.
