A crowd of parents and wide-eyed children gathered around Alex Karos at the Taste of Greece festival on Saturday, watching him roast a 55-pound lamb on a spit.
He doesn't know it, but when dancers aren't around, Karos and the slab of meat he carefully tends for four hours become the star of the show.
"We take a lot of pride in the food," said Karos, a lifelong member of St. Mary's Greek Orthodox Church and longtime volunteer. "It's a good thing for the community and a good way for the church to share its culture."
The 26th annual Minneapolis Greek Festival — Taste of Greece 2014 — kicked off on Friday, with live music, dancing, and traditional Greek cuisine. The three-day festival features toga races, craft shows, church tours and Greek dancing lessons.
At least 1,500 people were in attendance Saturday.
St. Mary's, located on Lake Calhoun's Thomas Beach, has been a gathering place for Greek families in Minneapolis since the early 1900s. The current St. Mary's Church, built in 1957, has been acclaimed not only for its stained glass and traditional Byzantine design but also for its striking, golden, 40-foot aluminum dome.
The St. Mary's congregation spends nearly nine months preparing for the festival, which serves as the largest fundraiser for the church. Profits from food and drink sales and any donations go to St. Mary's, but more than two-thirds of the funds are redistributed to various community organizations, co-chair Nick Karos said.
Female volunteers spent nearly two months baking almost all of the desserts available at the festival. Vangie Karakatsanis, a lifelong St. Mary's churchgoer, said the event builds camaraderie between members and the public.
"It's a place to make friends and a place where the younger generation can learn from the older one," she said.
Attendees were engulfed by scents of simmering meats and sweet pastries as soon as they crossed the street. Newcomers were able to try the lamb burgers — a new addition to the menu.
Those who wanted to cool off could get a Baklava sundae; others chose the chicken dinner.
St. Mary's Hellenic Dancers, a group with members ranging in age from 7 to 17, provided entertainment for the bustling crowd each half hour. Nick Karos' three daughters were among the group.
"These kids are lifelong friends and will be talking to each other every Sunday until they're 80," he said, clapping along as they danced in a group. "They dance in each other's basements."
But organizers say the main attraction at the festival has always been the food. Handmade desserts and real olive oil are what keep people coming back, Nick Karos said.
"Where else can you see a lamb on a spit?"
Liz Sawyer • 952-746-3282
