Boise, ID

“Opa!” This joyous exclamation sings through the air at Boise’s annual Greek Food Festival. It’s not really Boise’s festival. It is put on by Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church http://www.serfes.org/church.htm, but for the last 27 years, it is a Boise tradition that seems to belong to everyone who attends. If you’ve been in the area for any length of time you don’t even need to ask when it is. Just remember it is always the first full weekend in June. I don’t know when I went for the first time. I ended up there out of curiosity, loved it, and kept going back. This is a great way to get your Greek food fix.

The Festival is a cozy event at the corner of 27th and Bannock. I say cozy because the entire production—entry booth, food lines, tents, tables, marketplace, and dance area—is squeezed onto the pavement between the church’s two buildings. Every year more and more people come, so it gets really cozy sometimes.

My family typically starts perking up for this event and getting cravings for Gyros, Pastitsio, and Spanakopita weeks ahead. Since my little sister-in-law married into the church about four years ago, we have even been lucky enough to help roll Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves with ground beef and Greek herbs) months in advance and help serve up the delicacies to hungry festival goers.

This year my cousin Celeste and my daughter and I headed out to the Festival in order to get there at 4:45 p.m. Early, but we beat the Friday night lines. The Greek Mediterranean Dancers were already performing with the tinkly, rhythmic sounds of the Mediterranean music and shouts of “Opa!” (an expression of joy, approval or encouragement) from the audience. The aromas of Souvlaki (marinated pork on a stick), Gyros (Oh, come ON! You must know what those are.) and Greek Pilafi (Cretan style rice) wafted through the air to entice us.

I’ve never really understood the payment system. You go to the front booth and pay for your food Ala Carte by purchasing little wooden tokens with their monetary equivalent marked on them. When you get to the end of the food line, you pay with the tokens. You can use them to buy your drinks and desserts too. If you don’t use all your tokens, you just sell them back. Incidentally, I’ve never had to do that.

The marketplace sells Greek novelties, jewelry, and clothing. This year my daughter bought a very cool Festival t-shirt with a design that looks like an antique postage stamp. After watching the dancers, enjoying our meal, and perusing the goodies at the marketplace, we ended the evening by going inside the church. The building is 60-ish years old and fascinating because of its decoration and iconography. The congregation has always been fairly small, and so it takes just a few minutes to browse through the little chapel. Finally, we made our way to the church basement for dessert! Baklava is the only treat I can identify. Some of the others are Karithopita, Koulourakia, and Galatobouriko. I can’t pronounce them, but they taste divine. We usually take an assorted tray home to enjoy over the weekend. This trip was no exception.

Mark your calendar now for the Festival next year. Maybe I’ll see you there!