St. Matthew’s Multi-Cultural Festival: A Foodie’s Delight

Slavic, Romanian, Lebanese, Greek, and even Mexican and American foods were on display at this annual suburban festival. Under large tents on a gorgeous fall afternoon, the family and I sampled pierogi, spanakopita, huluptsi (meat-filled cabbage), and various tasty desserts like Slavic nut rolls. These are not foods I eat often so I’m not a great judge, but they were definitely homemade and most were quite tasty. Most Orthodox congregations are comprised of a single predominant ethnic group (such as Russian or Greek), but according to Father Ray, St. Matthew’s is a very diverse ethnic mix, which explains the wide range of offerings.

Inside, Father Ray gave us a tour of the beautiful, ornate sanctuary and took delight in explaining the significance of various Orthodox icons and traditions. He also demonstrated the wonderful acoustics of this roughly three year old building. Outside, Balti Mare, a traditional Eastern European folk band, belted out tune after tune in keys and tempos reminiscent of music we’d heard at a recent Bat Mitzvah. [Side note: I would love to chat with a musicologist about the commonality between Eastern European Christian and Jewish folk music.] Diverse food, folk music, great weather and a touch of theo-cultural education made for a memorable event.

We’ll be back next year.

http://stmatthewfestival.org/
Date visited: October 3, 2009