They start cooking for the Greek festival at St. George’s Church in February.

But the recipes and the tradition date back far longer.

Thousands of years of history were celebrated July 25 and 26 at the Taste of Greece, a semi-annual festival that showcased a diverse menu of Greek specialties.

Food offerings included souvlaki, gyros, pastitsio, spanakopita, Greek fries, baklava and loukoumades.

“The food is all homemade,’’ said  ConnieLee Bebis, an organizer of the event. Some dishes are made and frozen as early as February to ensure amply quantities of food.

Another timeless tradition played a role in this year’s festival: The whims of weather in New England.

Friday night’s festivities were delayed an hour when a windswept storm came through, toppling and in some cases destroying tents that were set to cover outdoor diners. Still, she said, “people supported us, even in the weather.’’

Then Saturday dawned bright, dry and comfortable — perfect weather, Bebis said, for people to attend.

And they do for every festival, she said. The church hosts two events annually, in July and November.

“We really appreciate the people in the area,’’ Bebis said.

Viki Vrakas has been volunteering for years, some years cooking, other years serving up the food. This year she said she was especially excited that her daughters helped out, serving traditional Greek frappes.

She loves “all the smells, all the traditions. It’s nice to see everyone come together and carry on recipes for generations.’’

“Greek food is delicious,’’ Abby Moura said as she and her friend Candace Bergeron enjoyed some of the dishes.

Bergeron came for the slouvaki, she said, but “I just love everything.’’

Harriet Snyder gave the food an “A-plus’’ rating. The New Bedford native, who is from 100% Greek heritage, praised the portion sizes and the prices.

And no meal would be complete without dessert. A popular offering is the layered pastry dessert with filo pastry, chopped nuts, sweetened with honey.

Bebis said with a smile, “we have the best baklava around.’’