Canceled in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Taste of Greece Festival at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Columbus, Ohio returned for a weekend treat May 15-16 to the delight of those who missed baklava, spanakopita, and gyros.

“We've been doing our annual Greek Festival for over 43 years now, and it's very much a central Ohio tradition,” John Bizios, one of the festival organizers told The Columbus Dispatch.

“The fact that we had to cancel last September, we took it pretty hard. We have a lot of great cooks who look forward to being able to use their God-given talents every year, and spend the entire summer cooking and preparing. So we thought, why not do a smaller event, in May, and invite people into our parish home,” he told the paper.

Among the volunteers were cousins Kathy Pappas and Tonia Soulas. Pappas, 62, and the co-owner with her husband of Tommy's Diner. She was in charge of the pastries and the volunteers who bake them.

“I've been doing this since I was 35. It's just such a fun environment, very festive,” she said.