Meg Hibbert, Contributing writer
Volunteers talk and joke as they make stuffed grape leaves, cabbage rolls, meat pies, spinach pies and more in the kitchen of St. Elias Maronite Catholic Church. They’re getting ready for the 25th annual Lebanese Festival on May 29-31.
This Saturday the women and men will be preparing cabbage rolls.
“The festival is a feast of beloved Lebanese favorites,” said Marcelle Melki, who has been up to her elbows in preparations since the first year.
“Father Rudolph Wakim approached the older ladies in 1998 about starting a festival, and they asked me to do the cooking,” explained Melki, as she took a break from a recent Saturday morning when dozens of volunteers were cutting and filling spinach meat pies. She still has the original list of the volunteers from that first year.
Among them and this year are a number of Salem residents, including Dawn and Sam Silek, and Salem Mayor Renee Turk and husband David.
People going to the festival will be able to buy meat pies and spinach pies, grape leaves, spinach-feta rolls, falafel wraps, beef kafta wraps, chicken shawarma wraps, grilled lamb and beef kabobs, Lebanese green beans known as lubee, tabbouleh, baked kibbie, hummus and pita bread.
And then there are the desserts: Lebanese cheesecake, baklava and an array of traditional Lebanese pastries.
There will also be music and dancing by the church’s young people.
St. Elias Maronite Catholic Church is located at 4730 Cove Road, N.W., in Roanoke. Festival hours are 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, the final day.
For more details, visit (lebanesefestival.steliaschurch.org in Bing) or call St. Elias Church at 540-562-0012.
