Our Greek gift to the Tulsa Community
My husband, Demetrius Bereolos, is very Greek – and he loves to give to the Tulsa Community, as do I. So, we came up with a way to donate to charities and spread our love of our Greek culture at the same time.
We donate an authentic home-cooked Greek meal for 8 adults served in your home, and it sells at silent auctions. We donate to Cystic Fibrosis, Juvenile Diabetes, Volunteers of America and a few others – six total each year.
The dinner we served two weeks ago sold at the Cystic Fibrosis fundraiser for $1,600. I believe we’ve had some sell for as much as $2,000. The amount of money it brings continues to increase each year it is offered at a fundraiser. Demetrius and I spend about $500 on ingredients and wine for each meal – plus our time to prepare food and spend the evening in the purchaser’s home.
Our Greek gift to the Tulsa Community
Tonight we are serving a group who purchased our dinner to benefit Tulsa Street schools. Our menu courses are as follows:
Appetizer course (Mezedes):
Tiropita (cheese pies)
Spanakopita (spinach pies)
Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves) topped with tzatziki sauce
Imported feta cheese, kalamata olives
Soup course:
Avgolemono Soup (Chicken Soup with Egg & Lemon)
Salad course:
Greek Salada with kalamata olives, feta cheese, red onion
Entree:
Roasted Leg of Lamb, marinated in fresh lemon, olive oil & oregano
Greek-style roasted potatoes
Roasted zucchini, red pepper and onion
Dessert:
Baklava
Finikia (honey-dipped cookie)
Dessert Wine
Deme and I prepare most of the food at our home. We finish the avgolemono soup on site, and keep the entrée warmed while we serve the other courses. We take along Greek music to get everyone in the mood. We clean up the kitchen and even bring our own trash bags. We wash dishes and collect empty wine bottles for recycling.
The guests enjoy the treat of a hearty and authentic Greek meal and it’s a great party overall. What a treat for the hosts to give money to their favorite charity and be able to offer a wonderful meal and evening to their friends. It’s a win-win for us, the hosts AND the benefiting charity!
If you like to cook – whether ethnic food or just your favorite signature dishes – consider putting together a menu and donate it to your favorite charity! It’s a great way to meet people, support a great cause and have a little fun in the kitchen!!
So, to you and our guests, we say Yasou (To Your Health) and Kali Orexi (good appetite)!!
Kali Orexi image designed by Sophia Litchfield.
Content written and published by Lori Cain.
