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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 26, 2008

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Beena White

Thumbprint Creative

901.313.4600 (office)

901.463.0357 (cell)

beena@thumbprintcreative.net

Memphis Greek Festival Commemorates 50th Anniversary on May 9 & 10

Festival Keeps Traditional Flavors Going, Reveals New Look

MEMPHIS Volunteers are steadily at work preparing for the 50th anniversary of the Memphis Greek Festival. The event,

held every year at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of Memphis at 573 North Highland Ave., is the primary

fundraiser for the church and attracts crowds of 10‐15,000. This year's festival is scheduled for May 9 and 10 from 11 a.m. 8

p.m. To thank the community for supporting the festival for the past 50 years, the planning team is excited about offering all

who attend a perfectly seasoned blend of old favorites and new treats including a new logo featuring "Nicos."

IT'S THE FOOD

Festival Chairperson Nick Kourvelas is aware of what draws the community to the Memphis Greek Festival. "It's the

food." Kourvelas has volunteered at the Memphis Greek Festival since he was a teenager, leading various parts of the festival

preparations. "Our festival offers the best tasting plate of Greek food and with such a variety of options at a great price for

everyone who attends." Kourvelas said.

Foods like Greek salad, souvlakia (Greek style shish‐kebabs), spanakopeta and Greek bread are prepared at the church

and offered to hungry patrons. "These foods, plus some of the desserts like baklava, kourambiedes (Greek wedding cookies)

and the galatoboureko (custard pastry) are some of the festival favorites," Kourvelas said. Plus, attendees have the option of

eating inside the church or dining outdoors under a tented taverna. "Our community likes our food," Kourvelas said. "After

50 years of making and serving Greek food successfully, we wouldn't want to mess with a good thing."

To ensure that there is enough food and that the recipes retain their true flavors members of the church schedule

workshops starting in March to prepare the breads and spanakopeta (spinach pie). Both can be made in advance and stored

so that they are ready to serve during the festival. Weeks before the festival, Ann Touliatos and Anna Denton lead the annual

sweet bread workshop by gathering fellow church members at 7:00 a.m. on several Saturday mornings. Touliatos, whose

family brought the gyro to Memphis in the 1950s, is dedicated to the bread workshop. "We make about 1,200 loaves of sweet

bread that are all gone by the time the festival is over," Touliatos said. Denton and Touliatos have been baking bread together

for almost 40 years. "It is the best bite of bread that you will ever put in your mouth," said Denton.

More volunteers like John P. Kay, John Tashie and Zoe Anoston prepare spanakopeta Greek spinach pie by layering

Filo dough filled with spinach, eggs and other special seasonings that are part of a recipe that has been passed down from

Tasia Vergos.

For the past 30 years, members of the Vergos family have offered their culinary expertise during the festival days. Tasia

Vergos' son Nick has worked with Dimitri Taras to prepare one of the festival's favorite dishes the souvlakia, or Greek shish

kebabs. "We use our special, simple seasonings on the meat," said Taras. "It's the main course at the festival." Taras owns

Jim's Place Grille with sons Sam and James. Fellow restauranteur Vergos is the owner of the famous Memphis bar‐b‐que

restaurant, The Rendezvous. Taras and Vergos have served as "grill masters" at the Greek festival for more than 30 years and

serve up more than 8,000 skewers of souvlakia during the two days of the festival. "Our job