FALL RIVER – At St. Anthony of the Desert Maronite Catholic Church, Terry Galib and Lynn Abdow prepared an eggplant casserole amid the aromas of sautéed onions and sweet baklava.
The two volunteers, aged 78 and 72, have been participating in the church’s annual Lebanese Mahrajan Food Festival for as long as they can remember.
“This is our community,” said Abdow. “We were born here, grew up here and never left.”
The church, located at 300 N. Eastern Ave., Fall River, is hosting this year’s food festival from August 9-11. It will be open Friday, August 9, from 5-10 p.m., Saturday, August 10, from noon-11 p.m., and Sunday, August 11, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Lebanese food on the menu, from baba ganoush to tabbouleh and baklawa sundaes
The community is busy preparing for this year’s festival, which each year draws hungry people of all ages. It’s a community effort that in turn benefits the rest of the Fall River community.
During the week leading up to the festival, volunteers worked diligently to prepare the dishes, in a spirit of camaraderie and a desire to share their gifts.
The festival will feature a wide variety of authentic Lebanese food and pastries. Alcoholic beverages will also be served.
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Festive foods include eggplant casserole, tabbouleh, falafel, hummus, baklava (Lebanese baklava, pronounced “bak-LAY-wuh”), shashlik, chicken kebab, stuffed grape leaves with meat and vegetarian options, rice pilaf, and baba ganoush. Desserts include bird’s nests, ashta (a creamy dessert), namoura (made from semolina), and baklawa sundae (ice cream and baklawa crumbs).
Monsignor James Root, who also works in the kitchen, explained that they are always careful to offer vegetarian and vegan options.
And: “For the faint of heart, we have hot dogs and French fries,” said Root.
However, guests should not be weak when it comes to sampling the abundance of delicious Lebanese dishes; your taste buds will thank you.
How volunteers make the Lebanese festival possible
There are a lot of volunteers, Galib said, and everyone is part of a group that comes and works on something.
Many weeks of work are required to make the festival happen. The volunteers have something different to do almost every day. Just before the festival, many things have to be prepared. The kitchen staff work in shifts and make sure everything is hot and ready to serve.
Abdow and Galib stressed how lucky they are to have the site to host the festival and also praised their spacious kitchen, which was renovated after a flood two years ago.
“This is our renewal,” said Galib.
“And our beloved pastor is a hands-on cook and leader,” Abdow said. “He doesn’t quit. I don’t know what we would do without him. We are blessed to have him, that’s for sure.”
“He is not afraid to put his hands in the pot,” Galib said.
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The secret of great baklava
Volunteers Michael Coury, Michael Gutter and Marilyn Greene were also busy preparing baklava.
Coury explained what makes Lebanese baklawa so special.
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“We use a different syrup,” Coury said. “Instead of honey, it’s syrup with sugar, rose and orange blossom water.”
This is the first year for Coury and Gutter to help with the festival. Both are chefs and Coury cooks a lot of Arabic food at home.
Greene, who has been making baklava her entire life, said this is her third year as a volunteer. As a former Taunton Parks and Recreation Department commissioner, she helped out during her retirement and enjoys doing it.
They showed how to pour the syrup over the baklawa. The baklawa should be hot and the syrup cold so that the baklawa stays crispy while it absorbs the syrup. If the baklawa is cold, it will become too mushy.
What else awaits you at the Lebanese festival: music, fun for children, competitions
The festival offers live music on all three days:
- Mitchell Kaltsunas and Ensemble perform on Friday and Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
- DJ George Ayoub will be there on Friday from 5 to 6 p.m., on Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m. and from 10 to 11 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 4 to 5 p.m.
- Throwback will perform on Saturday from 1pm to 3pm
There is also dancing and a mix of Arabic and American music is played.
There will also be a shisha area.
This year’s raffles include one with a grand prize of $3,000 and another raffle for tickets donated to a New England Patriots game against the Buffalo Bills.
There is a bouncy castle, face tattoos and other fun activities for families and children.
“We try to please everyone,” said Root.
The festival takes place in two tents whatever the weather. Entry and parking are free.
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Other events in the parish: Holy Relics
Next month, as part of the Eucharistic Revival, the parish will display a relic of Carlo Acutis, who will be the first member of the Millennial community to be canonized sometime in 2025. Acutis died in 2006 at the age of 15 and was known for his work cataloging Eucharistic miracles from around the world.
At St. Anthony’s, the relic of Acutis will be on display on Sept. 6, 7 and 8. Root said Bishop Edgar da Cunha will lead a Roman Catholic liturgy, Bishop Beyrouti of the Melkite Church will hold a Byzantine-Melkite Mass and St. Anthony’s Sunday liturgy will be held in both Arabic and English. Children from area Catholic schools will be in attendance.
Root said the church does a lot of community outreach with the Veterans Association of Bristol County on Pine Street, where it runs a soup kitchen and food bank.
“It’s a committed community,” he said.
To stay up to date with the latest updates and events, follow them on Facebook, visit their website at https://saotd-fr.org or call 508-672-7653.
Kristina Fontes writes food and lifestyle articles for The Herald News and the Taunton Daily Gazette.
