Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in McCandless hosts food festival Aug. 31-Sept. 3

Souvlaki, soutzoukakia, or spanakopita may be hard to say, but certainly are good to eat. These and other traditional Greek foods will be at the 2023 Taste of Greece Festival at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox church in McCandless, Aug. 31 to Sept. 3.

The annual Greek food festival is open daily 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the church, located at 985 Providence Blvd., across from both La Roche University and UPMC Passavant in McCandless.

This is Holy Trinity’s 50th year of hosting Greek festivals, and the Rev. John Touloumes said it emulates traditional gatherings held in the homeland.

“In Greece, one of the exciting celebrations that happens is the village festival, where all the townsfolk and friends from nearby villages get together to celebrate a feast day or a holiday. Our Greek festival captures that spirit with our many visitors and all the great Greek food and culture it offers,” Touloumes said.

The festival is free to attend. Food and other goodies can be purchased by cash or credit card.

Along with a large variety of Greek food, the festival will feature a Greek band, featuring a “top-notch” bouzouki musician, who will be playing traditional Greek music nightly, Touloumes said. Bouzouki is the classic Greek double-stringed instrument that is the mainstay of much Greek folk music, he said.

The band’s playlist includes Nissiotika, which are songs of the Aegean Islands, and Rebetika, which are Greek folk songs.

The Holy Trinity Greek Greek Dance Troupe will perform twice each evening with traditional Greek dances and outfits. The junior dancers, ranging in grades kindergarten to sixth grades, will perform at 6 p.m. and the senior dancers, from seventh to 12th grades, will perform at 7 p.m.

Along with the entertainment is obviously the food. But Touloumes said it’s more about the experience.

“There are Greek restaurants all over the country, but the Greek festival environment is filled with energy and excitement. Also, when you attend a Greek festival you get a chance to see people who love their church and their cultural heritage enough to volunteer many hours of their time to make it happen. And at Holy Trinity Church that includes lots of young people,” he said.

Just a few of the festival’s Greek menu favorites are the aforementioned souvlaki, which are cubes of marinated pork served grilled on a skewer, according to the church menu. Soutzoukakia are Greek meatballs baked and simmered in a tomato-wine sauce. And spanakopita are layers of phyllo dough filled with a mixture of spinach, green onion, egg, and a blend of feta, ricotta, Parmesan and cottage cheese. And of course, the traditional gyro of slow-roasted beef or lamb will be on the menu.

Parking is limited, but there will be a continuous shuttle service from UPMC Passavant.

This is a big year for the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox church, which is also celebrating its centennial. Founded in 1923, Holy Trinity was initially located in various places on Pittsburgh’s North Side.

The church purchased a 10-acre plot from La Roche College in 2007. Ground was broken in 2011 and the present church officially opened the Saturday of Pentecost weekend, June 22, 2013.

The church was designed by renowned Byzantine architect Christ John Kamages of San Francisco.

“From its humble beginnings on Pittsburgh’s North Side to our present beautiful location and church in McCandless, we have a lot to celebrate. Since moving to the North Hills, our community has grown by 50 percent and it continues each year as people are attracted to the beauty and timeless truth of the Orthodox Christian Faith. It is a rock of stability in a rapidly changing world,” he said.

Touloumes said the church has been hosting events throughout 2023 celebrating its founding, history and growth.

The highlight will be the Consecration and Centennial Weekend, Nov. 3-5, beginning with the Consecration Vespers Nov. 3, followed by the Consecration Liturgy on Nov. 4, both presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Savas of Pittsburgh, Touloumes said.

“The Consecration Service is a once-in-the-life-of-a-church event that specially blesses a completed church and dedicates it to the Lord.” Touloumes likened it in human terms to the dedicating of a person to the Lord at his or her baptism.

A 100th Anniversary Centennial Gala will be held on Nov. 5, from 5 to 11 p.m. at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh. Reservations and details can be made at www.holytrinitypgh.org.

Tours of the church during the festival will be conducted daily at noon and at 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m., Touloumes said.

Festival guests can see the church’s new interior iconography, which was completed this year in the traditional Byzantine style by a special team of iconographers from Greece, he said.