FAQ's

  1. The Greek Food Festival began as a small parish bake sale in the early 1980s. How has it grown since then, and what has remained at the heart of the festival all these years?

In November of1966, the Holy Mother of God Greek Orthodox Church Greek Woman’s Club held the first bazar selling Greek Pastries.  In 1982, the first festival was held adding the traditional Greek foods; Pastitsio, Dolmathes, Tiropita, Spanakopita, Gyro sandwiches, plus a Greek Band with traditional Greek dancers and tours of our church.  The heart of the festival has been the Kefi, sharing hospitality, excitement, the fun and the love for life.

  1. Who are some of the people working behind the scenes to prepare for the festival, and are there families or volunteers who have helped carry these recipes and traditions across generations?

The people working behind the scenes are mostly the families who started our church and the festival, including the Joanos, Patronis, Gavalas, Michell Myers, Coumanis, Poulos, Polos Langston, Koikos, Mathes, and Allen families.

  1. What does sharing Greek food with the Tallahassee community mean to your church and parishioners beyond simply serving a great meal?

In addition to the Greek food, we are sharing our traditions, culture, and church with the Tallahassee community and surrounding areas of Monticello, Quincy, Thomasville, Bainbridge, and more.

  1. Which dishes and pastries will be featured in 2026, and which ones would you recommend to someone attending for the first time? Are there any new or limited items people should watch for?

Last year we added Loukoumades, a delicious bite-sized sweet Greek donut dipped in syrup and sprinkled with crushed nuts, cinnamon and powdered sugar.  These are found at the Greek Treats booth outside under the tents. Of course, we will have our traditional “Patmos Baklava” made with local Orchard Pond honey, Koulourakia, Paximadia, and Kourambiedes inside the Pastry Shop.  If you are looking for a savory dish, try the Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna) or Moussaka (eggplant, meat sauce and a bechamel topping) located in the Hellenic Center with the dinners.  For a quick bite, try our Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves) located in the a-la-carte booth.  Last, but not least, our Gyros are always a delicious and popular sandwich.

  1. How far in advance does food preparation begin, and can you share a dish or pastry that requires an especially impressive amount of time, teamwork or skill to make?

Once the 2026 Tallahassee Greek Food festival is over, plans will begin for the next festival!   A popular and more labor intensity dish is the Moussaka.  To prepare this dish, it starts in June with picking the eggplant from a South Georgia farm.  The eggplant is cut into slices and then fried before layering with meat sauce, topped with a bechamel sauce and baked.  It takes a few days of time-consuming steps using a lot of volunteer teamwork to prepare this delicious meal.

  1. Food may bring people through the gates, but what other parts of Greek culture will guests experience through the music, dancing, marketplace or church?

Philoxenia (being a friend to a stranger) describes the value and respect extended towards a guest in your home.  A “what’s mine is yours” friendly attitude and outgoing demeanour.

  1. What should guests know before attending this year, including the best arrival times, parking, payment options, seating and whether any popular foods tend to sell out?

The festival hours are from 10 am to 9 pm, early arrival is always helpful but any time you attend will be good.  There will be plenty of food available. This year, a shuttle will be provided to take our patrons to and from the nearby parking lot of Emmanuel Baptist Church on Mahan Drive.  Parking is also available on-site, and at nearby businesses on Saturday. This year, cash and credit cards will be accepted at nearly all booths.  Seating is available under the tents in two locations and inside the Hellenic Center.  Popular foods that tend to sell out are our frozen foods, the Baklava, Baklava Cheesecake, and the dinners located in the Hellenic Center.

  1. When guests leave the festival, what do you hope they understand or feel about Tallahassee’s Greek community?

That our community is hospitable, and we love to socialize, have a good time and feed people.  Come for the food and leave with the culture!

  1. Is there anything I didn’t ask that you would like to add, any additional info our readers would find interested and useful?

This is a huge undertaking for our volunteers involving an assortment of details and endless hours of work with no expectation of reward other than the satisfaction of knowing they were extending to you, our patrons, the warm hospitality for which Greek-Americans are renowned the world over.  We hope that you tour our church, do some shopping, stock up your freezers for the holidays, enjoy the food, the music, and do some dancing.

Kali Orexi!