This was a great year for the Greeks in the North Hills. The annual Greek Food Festival at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church broke records once again by raising over $550,000. The church also accepted donations for Hurricane Harvey and was able to raise over $8,000. Thanks to the great community of the North Hills, this may have been the most exciting food festival yet. There were more Greek dances, food, and visitors than ever.

As the festival grows and grows, it becomes more important to know how to make the best of your festival experience. Minor things such as waiting in line may ruin your time, so here are a few tips that each new guest of the Holy Trinity Church should take into consideration before visiting.

1.Don’t wait in lines. You don’t have to.

Seriously. The line during the dinner and lunch rushes are around an hour long for the gyro tent, while the line at a time such as 3:30 or 4:00 may be only five to ten minutes long. Not only will you be served more quickly, but the volunteers will treat you with much more attention and may even give you a small, free treat such as extra Greek fries or just a bit more meat on your gyro.

2.Eat some pastries.

I cannot stress how important it is to eat the pastries at the festival. Each pastry is handmade from a few elite pastry chefs in a section of the church aptly called pastry heaven. Everyone has had baklava before, but I do not know a lot of people who have had the blessing of tasting handmade baklava from the recipe of a yayia (“grandmother” in Greek) back in the motherland. If you’re craving American deserts, however, try the baklava sunday.

3. Try some Saganaki

Saganaki is an authentic fried cheese served on two slices of pita. Not only is it an authentic dish, but it is also relatively cheap. Moreover, the saganaki chefs put on a show by throwing alcohol into a frying pan and lighting it on fire. The experience reminds me of a hibachi grill.

4.Order an authentic gyro

It is commonly misunderstood that an authentic gyro (pronounced yee-ro) is the simple gyro. Actually, authentic Greeks make their gyros with pork or chicken, which is roasted on a kabob, drizzled with tzatziki (cucumber) sauce, packed with fries, and decorated with tomatoes, onions, and lettuce. A lot of Greeks also sprinkle on a bit of paprika, which adds zest. A small caveat: There is no paprika at the festival, so bring your own. In order to enjoy an authentic gyro, I would recommend ordering a pork or chicken yinzer. Regular gyros come without fries, so it is important to order a yinzer.

5.Enjoy Greek culture and religion

Tours of the beautiful church are held twice an hour and include explanations of the beautiful iconography that surrounds the church. Also, make sure to watch the Holy Trinity Dance Troupe perform every night from 7:00 to 8:30 with a small intermission in between. At the end of each segment, each guest in attendance is invited to join the troupe in dancing the kalamatiano — the unofficial main Greek dance.

When you enter the Holy Trinity Greek Food Festival, you are no longer American. You are no longer Wexfordian. You are Greek, and you are family.

On behalf of the Holy Trinity family, Ευχαριστώ (Efcharistó) (“Thank you” in Greek).