Sweet labor prepares Greek Food Fest
St. Demetrios women bake sell-out treats early
WAUKEGAN -- Diples. Kourambethes. Melos. Baklava. All Greek sweets and all delicious, according to the church ladies baking for charity.
About a dozen women gathered at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church on Friday to start baking for Greek Food Fest, a two-day event that begins Nov. 19.
(Thomas Delany Jr./News-Sun)
"Preparations are going well. It seems like everyone has their job and knows what they're doing," said Thalia Anest, a church member from Green Oaks.
The St. Demetrios Philoptochos Society puts Greek Food Fest together every year to raise money for the poor. The event typically raises $15,000 to $20,000 for the dozen or so charities the society supports, including PADS, UNICEF and Cancer Federation, Anest said.
The society has about 30 members, many of whom gather to cook and bake for the festival, which is the group's main annual fund-raiser. The event draws hundreds of people every year, so the ladies prepare large batches of sweets in advance of the event.
About ten women gathered to bake diples Friday, which are a Greek dessert made of fried dough dipped in honey syrup. Everything is made from scratch and so takes hours to prepare.
The ladies went through about 100 pounds of flour and 15 dozen eggs to create one batch of about 500 diples.
"They're really good. I love making these and frying them," said Nikki Katris, a parishioner from Antioch.
The sweets usually sell out and are a major draw to the event, Anest said.
"Hundreds come. They eat and leave -- it's ongoing all day long," Anest said.
