All Saints is preparing for Greek Grab ‘n Go Mini-Fest May 19-20

WEIRTON -- It's "Opa" time again, and All Saints is serving up two days of Greek treats and sweets later this month.

All Saints Greek Orthodox Church of Weirton will hold its 34th-annual Greek Festival on May 19-20 as a "Greek Grab 'N Go Mini-Fest" takeout event, according to Nick Ttranto, parish council president and festival co-chair.

The mini-fest will be a pre-order/pre-pay event with pick-up only outside in the newly constructed food booth. No indoor or outdoor dining will be an option this year due to the uncertainty of COVID restrictions as planning took place in January with COVID still raging, according to Tranto.

Traditional Greek foods will include super gyros; stuffed grape leaves; spanakopita (spinach and feta layered between buttered filo dough sheets; pastichio with bechamel (Greek lasagna; and three choices of dinners, which include roast leg of lamb, Greek style lemon oregano chicken and baked fish plaki (8-oz. cod loins in a mild veggie tomato sauce). All dinners come with rice pilaf and Greek-style green beans in a light veggie sauce made with mint and dill.

Greek treats and sweets include freshly baked baklava (ground toasted walnuts, cinnamon and sugar layered in buttered filo dough dipped in honey syrup) and Greek Twist cookies (koulourakia).

Despite steep rises in food costs, All Saints has kept prices the same as last year as a "thank you" to all its patrons, guests and faithful customers in the city and surrounding communities, according to Tranto, who noted that last September's Grab 'N Go Fest resulted in the sale of more han 2,700 items from freshly prepared food, super gyro and pastry items in just a single day.

For this year's two-day event, the church has doubled its preparation and has an ample supply of home-made-from-scratch Greek foods for patrons, he added.

All Saints will continue its tradition of donating to local charitable organizations from their profits as part of their ongoing ministry to help organizations that feed, clothe and shelter residents.

"We are humbled by the support we receive yearly from the entire community and have a natural obligation to give back to those organizations that help others in so many ways," Tranto said.

Online ordering begins on May 8 at www.allstswwv.org and phone ordering begins May 10 by calling the church office at (304) 797-9884. The church encourages online ordering but has a call-in phone number for those who don't have access to the Internet.

For information visit the church website or Facebook page.

All Saints Greek Orthodox Church, located at 3528 West St. in downtown Weirton, celebrated its 104th anniversary this month.

"We are immensely proud to carry on the traditions, cultural, customs and faith of our grandparents as part of a huge melting pot of ethnic diversity that has made Weirton a great place to live for generations," Tranto said. "We feel blessed to be a part of the city and an integral part of the downtown faith-based infrastructure."