Taste of Greece draws crowds, celebrates family tradition in Duluth

Hundreds of people packed Marshall School in Duluth on June 27 and 28 for Taste of Greece, where free admission and parking helped draw crowds to a weekend built around lamb, souvlaki, Athenian chicken, gyros, spanakopita, pastichio, dolmades, Greek pastries, Greek coffee and iced frappe. Twelve Holy Apostles Orthodox Church hosted the festival, and the setup included indoor and outdoor seating plus an express tent as organizers moved plates quickly enough to keep up with demand.

The festival has become one of the church’s biggest civic efforts, not just a food sale. Twelve Holy Apostles says the parish was established around the time of World War I, and the congregation has worshiped here ever since. Its official site says services are in English, with small parts repeated in Greek to honor the founders’ heritage, a detail that mirrors how the festival itself keeps tradition visible while raising money. In 2024, organizers said a portion of proceeds would go to local charitable causes in support of the Twin Ports community and its needs.

For Alex Livadaros, who helps run the Greek Kafe, the event’s strength comes from the way families keep showing up. “My mother started working in the Kafe. 42 years ago I took over now my children and the grandchildren getting involved,” he said. That kind of continuity has made Taste of Greece feel less like a weekend attraction than a living handoff of labor, hospitality and memory, with people lingering over food and drinks instead of just passing through. Livadaros has said that sitting, talking and staying connected is part of the Greek welcome that defines the event.

Father Dustin Lyon, the priest at Twelve Holy Apostles, said in 2023 that the festival had been going strong for 30 years and estimated attendance at more than 6,000 people. He also said, “We sold out.” By 2025, organizers were making 125 to 150 gyros an hour to keep up. The church said many items can sell out by Sunday afternoon, a sign of both the demand for the food and the months of volunteer work required to serve it. Attendees come for gyros, pork kebab and baklava, but they also come to see neighbors, friends and relatives they may not meet the rest of the year, which is why Taste of Greece remains a durable institution in Duluth, not just a meal.