Saint George Greek Orthodox Church welcomed anyone in for a “Taste of Greece” on July 8 at their annual feast.

This year was the event's return after Covid, and the community was ready for it. All of the proceeds from the event go towards the church.

Carol Michael said her Pastichiou was “excellent” and she learns something new each time she attends.

People come for the pastries especially, said Connie Lee Bebis, who organized the event. The church's members and community members are enticed by the sweet treats, she explained.

The food is all made and served by the church's Greek Ladies Philoptochos Society, who share their culture through their cooking. They spend weeks preparing and making the food.

“We have a wonderful crew,” Bebis said. “We’ve been doing this now for several weeks [preparing].” 

The event was able to bring together and showcase Greek culture through their cuisine.

“We’re lacking connection with each other these days, something like this reestablishes connections,” said Philip Paleologos. “As long as we can be kind, it’s a start.”

This year the most popular dishes were the gyros and the spanakopita, a spinach pie.

Saint George Greek Orthodox Church, which is across the street from Potter Elementary on Cross Road. The church was established in New Bedford in the early 1900s before relocating to Dartmouth in 2009.

Previously, the church has hosted much larger three-day Greek festivals, however, due to rising costs they opted to size down this year, leaving them with just a “taste” of Greece this year. People were able to eat inside, outside or take out.