Third Annual Armenian Food Fair & Fest A Moving Day, A Day Filled With Pride
asbarez
Thursday, May 27th, 2010
BY VALERIE SIMONIAN
MONTEBELLO – More than 3,500 people gathered on Saturday, May 22nd at
the 3rd Annual Armenian Food Fair and Fest on the Holy Cross Cathedral
grounds to enjoy Armenian cuisine, culture, and wonderful
entertainment. The Armenian Food Fair and Fest, now in its third year,
attracted crowds of people from areas throughout Los Angeles, Orange
County, and the San Fernando Valley.
Guests enjoyed delicious Armenian food including festival staples,
beef, lamb, and chicken kebab, along with the newest addition to the
2010 AFF Fest, the `Mezze Mobile,’ provided by All Service Catering,
featuring `Hye Nachos,’ rotisserie chicken sandwiches, and plenty of
mouthwatering mezze.
The Official Grand Sponsor of AFF Fest 2010, Mr. & Mrs. Joe and Nevair
Samuelian and Family of Nationwide Environmental Services, provided
generous support to AFF Fest 2010. With theirs and countless others’
generous contributions and support, we were able to provide continuous
entertainment, authentic Armenian food and pastry, shaded table
seating under an enormous tent, beautiful grounds, history and
culture, plus fun and excitement for the entire family. The Hosharian
Bros. Band performed live music throughout the day with a special
performance by world famous oud player, John Bilezikjian. Among the
highlights were a `dumbeg’ drum circle performed by community members,
children’s entertainer, `Maggie,’ and dance performances by local
dance ensembles of Alex Dance Studio.
The lavash prepared on tonirs seemed to be the talk of Fest 2010 and
was headed by Maro Tarpinian and Suzanne Babouchian, who worked
tirelessly preparing lavash the entire day, along with Vartkes Marjik
of Zankou Chicken-Montebello and community member, Zabel Iknadossian.
Festival goers had the choice of topping their lavash with cheese,
zahtar, spinach, nutella, or red pepper paste. This year’s piroshki
preparation crew, headed by Manik Ajemian, made sure to not run out of
this high demand delicacy, and guests had the chance to sink their
teeth into the homemade delight. The beer and wine garden offered
guests imported Armenian Kotayk beer, domestic beer, and Armenian
wine.
It was a competitive day for backgammon enthusiasts who enjoyed an
intense game at the backgammon tournament. The champion of the
tournament was Stan Sarkisian.
This year’s raffle winner, a festival guest, was happy to take home
$2,500. The Kids Zone included a Velcro wall and dunk tank, sponsored
by Club Mesrobian Alumni, a spectacular pirate ship bounce, a castle
bounce, and plenty of games and prizes. A number of cooking
demonstrations were available for festival goers to learn how to make
Armenian Rice pilaf, Persian-Armenian pilaf, jajekh, khadayif, and
Napoleon pastry. Cathedral tours guided by the Holy Cross clergy were
available throughout the day. Guests had the opportunity to learn
about the history and traditions of the Armenian Church and
Christianity.
More than forty shopping vendors and promotional booths were available
for attendees to visit.
Among the exhibitors was the Armenian Gampr Club of America,
showcasing the Armenian gampr dog, the national dog breed of Armenia.
Festival goers had the opportunity to visit with authentic gampr dogs
and their endearing puppies, a big hit with children and adults alike.
Food Fair guests who visited the cultural booth had the chance to
trace the timeline of Montebello Armenian-Americans from the days of
ancient kings to 2010. Ancient history was reflected through the help
of curator Maggie Mangassarian-Goschin, from the Ararat Eskijian
Museum at the Ararat Home, who had Armenian antiquities on display.
Highlights included a tapestry which once belonged to Armenian kings,
an antique belt made by people of Van, old Armenian coins, iron
artifacts, and much, much more.
Also at the cultural booth was distinguished Professor Emeritus
Carroll Kearley, of Loyola Marymount University, who autographed
copies of his most recent book of poems, The Armenian Watchmaker, and
shared his knowledge and wisdom with guests. In addition, this booth
told this community’s history through a display of photographs from
the Funkerkaserne camp for displaced WWII Armenians in Stuttgart,
Germany. Along with the photographs, the cultural booth exhibited
timeworn video footage of this group of refugees who founded the
Montebello Armenian-American community.
Finally, the cultural booth represented this community’s future
through Armenian-themed art created by its children. Work shown
included beautiful, decorative aprons adorned with Armenian motifs,
collages of Armenian churches, and three-dimensional sculptures
representing Armenian history and mythology.
A festival guest, Natalia Oganesian, admitted to holding back tears of
joy after watching a traditional Armenian dance performance by a dance
ensemble from Alex Dance Studio. `Understandably, during the course of
our lives, we often let go of our culture/traditions; seeing such
young children perform traditional, Armenian dances put tears in my
eyes, not the sad kind, but the kind where you just stop and think to
yourself, `WOW, this is awesome, and we’re so fortunate as a community
to have these kids, parents, and their instructors to make sure our
culture is maintained and stays strong.’ Simply put, it was really
beautiful,’ said Oganesian.
The thought of our traditional dances continuing on from generation to
generation combined with the traditional costumes and time-honored,
beautiful melodies caused many to become proud, yet emotionally moved.
Guests were able to take a look back through the cultural booth
exhibit, see how far we’ve come, and see yet just how much we have
held on to, all in one day. The 3rd Annual Armenian Food Fair & Fest
was a significant and proud day for the Montebello community. The day
was undeniably filled with cultural pride, great warmth, and
hospitality.
Individuals who wish to participate in AFF Fest 2011, which is
scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 24, 2011, please
contact Holy Cross Cathedral at (323) 727-1113 or visit us at
PHOTO CREDIT: Jake Hagopian
From: A. Papazian