Food Festivals

Posted by Debbie Kwiatoski Jul 29, 2007

Summer is a great time to check out the many ethnic food festivals that have been springing up over the years - often as fund raisers for a local church or community group. Whether you're vacationing in a new community or looking for a fun way to spend an afternoon or evening closer to home, sampling the food and soaking up some of the culture of whatever group is putting on the festival can - for a few hours - spirit you way into a whole new world.

How do you get there? For fun, I googled "Middle Eastern Food Festivals, 2007." The diversity of what popped up in the first couple of pages was incredible. Some examples: www.themilpitaspost.com will get you to a site with an article covering a Middle Eastern Food Festival in Milpitas, CA this past weekend. It was billed as a three-day fest that was "Better than a Magic Carpet Ride" into the world of Middle Eastern food, music and culture. Sponsored by the St. James Orthodox Church, the paper reported that this year's festival raised about $20,000 for the church's activities. But most people's eyes were on the booths of foods from around the Mediterranean

Or, if you're going to be in the Birmingham, Alabama area during October 11-13th of this year (2007), check out the Saint George Middle Eastern Food Festival. This one is sponsored by St. George Melkite Church and promises to bring a "taste of the Middle East to Birmingham." Spinach pies, baked kibbe, dolma, Paklava and many other delicacies are promised to come out of the kitchens of this church for the event. Along with the food, there will also be music and folk dancing demonstrations.

Moving west to St. Louis, MO, from August 26 - 26, 2007, the city holds its annual "Festival of Nations," a two day celebration of the community's immigrant populations. Last year, newspapers from the area reported that something like 60,000 people came to the party.

Community organizations representing St. Louis' ethnic populations take booths at this festival to sell their cuisines. There are also many demonstrations of ethnic music and food, as well as great crafts to buy. Check out the event information at: www.iistl.org

That was just a quick tour around the country of what's happening this - and every summer - on the food festival scene. To locate a festival close to home, just google or use Yahoo or any search engine you want to see what's being offered nearby!