Church of the Annunciation's Greek Food Fair draws big crowds

By Pete Fontaine

Posted 5/18/16

The popularity of Greek food showed in a big way last weekend in Cranston. In short, the Church of the Annunciation's annual Greek Food Fair - which has been held without interruption since 2009 - was a sellout. If you think these lines"

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Church of the Annunciation's Greek Food Fair draws big crowds

YOUNG HELPERS: Children of Church of the Annunciation parishioners washed trays and dishes to keep up with the huge demand for the event’s food. Three of those boys were Lucas Leroux, 7, George Grammas, 10, and Peter Grammas, 5.

Herald photos by Pete Fontaine

REASON TO SMILE: Harry Bablenis, center, the Church of the Annunciation’s chef, enjoys a lighter moment with volunteer cooks Basilios Tsmikas and Meagan Sarkis.

VOLUNTEER COOKS: Ari Tsonis, Lakis Andriotis, and Jimmy Harritos worked non-stop to produce the ingredients for the famous gyro and souvlaki sandwiches.

Posted Wednesday, May 18, 2016 2:42 pm

By Pete Fontaine

The popularity of Greek food showed in a big way last weekend in Cranston.

In short, the Church of the Annunciation’s annual Greek Food Fair – which has been held without interruption since 2009 – was a sellout.

“If you think these lines are long, you should have been here yesterday. The line was out the door and into the parking lot,” Evelyn Crabtree, one many volunteers who worked the two-day event, said Sunday.

While that may have been a surprise to some first-time attendees, it was a typical day for men like head chef Harry Bablenis, Jimmy Harritos, Lakis Andriotis, and Ari Tsonis.

“People from all over Rhode Island come here for our food,” said Theofanis Markos, who owns and operates Markos Automotive & Sales in Providence. “It’s safe to say that Ocean State residents just love our food.”

That goes for pastry, too. By 1 p.m. Sunday, the Greek Food Fair’s Pastry Shoppe was empty.

“I couldn’t find anything,” said Georgia Pappas, president of the parish’s Philoptochos Ladies Society. “Oh sure, I was disappointed ... But that was just great for our church.”

Although the Church of the Annunciation’s signature event is the annual Cranston Greek Festival held every September, the springtime Greek Food Fair is catching on so much that last weekend’s production enlisted the services of dozens upon dozens of parishioners to meet the ongoing demand for dinners like roasted chicken, souvlaki, and gyros.