Mid-Eastern munchies: Lebanese Food Fest coming

Chow down on chicken kabobs, kibbe and other Middle Eastern fare, and take in some sultan sounds, when Brooklyn Heights welcomes the Lebanese Food Festival May 29 - 31.

Organized by the Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Cathedral (113 Remsen St.), the festival will take over Remsen Street, between Henry and Clinton Streets, with music, food and games.

The festival used to be a staple in downtown Brooklyn for the church, which attracts congregants from all over Brooklyn, primarily Bay Ridge and the downtown Brooklyn area, as well as New York City, Long Island and New Jersey. For most of the 1980s and 1990s it went on each summer before taking a hiatus. Father James A. Root brought the street event back last summer to much success.


“Growing up in Cleveland, we always had a Lebanese food festival,” said Root. “It’s always been a big thing for us. It brought us into a better understanding, not only of our people, but to see how people respected our culture and our tradition.”

Brooklyn’s festival will feature such Middle Eastern food as chicken kabobs, kibbe, the national dish of Lebanon, tabouli, hummus, baba ganoush and stuffed grade leaves, as well as pastries, all made by the church’s parishoners.

“The women of the parish have been coming together, started preparing the grape leaves,” said Root a couple weeks before the start of the festival.

Bands and DJs will also be hand for entertainment, including the popular five-piece Amin Khoury and the Sultans, as well as a casino.

“We make it family friendly,” said Root. “You can come here and you’re not going to spend hundreds of dollars to eat. Everyone is welcome.”

Also this month, the church, which is under the patronage of Our Lady of Lebanon, will have a special adoration every Friday at 7 p.m., as well as displays celebrating Lebanese culture, including costumes for folklore dancing and other artifacts.

‘People can have a little idea of the identity of the Lebanese people,” said Root.

Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Cathedral is located at 113 Remsen St. For more information, call 718-624-7228.


--Meredith Deliso
published in the 5.21.09 issue of 24/Seven