There will be Greek goodies galore this weekend at the Church of the Annunciation, located at 175 Oaklawn Ave. in Cranston.

“People will be able to enjoy a taste of Greece, to go,” said the Rev. Andrew George, pastor of the Greek Orthodox parish. “Our Greek Fest Express will begin Friday and continue through Sunday. It will be an online ordering event only, but people will be able to select their desired pickup times.”

For the past 10 or so years, the church has hosted an event every spring as a seasonal complement to the Cranston Greek Festival, which is held every September. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, forced the event to move to a remote ordering and pickup model, resulting in the new Greek Fest Express name.

“By ordering only online, people will get their spring Greek food and pastries desired by so many, though there is still the lingering virus,” George said.

Nickie Fotopoulos Amaral, the event’s public relations chair, reports that the process for the event is “simple and easy to follow.”

“Simply visit greekfestexpress.com for the actual menu and place your order,” she said. “Our menu is pretty much as it has always been in September with a couple of new items.”

Amaral also wanted it known: “Many of us on the planning committee are young and familiar with the internet and structured this process respecting everyone’s safety and limiting how many people come to the church grounds at one given time period. The reality is that even older folks have become familiar with this type of ordering due to the pandemic. We hope you will put in your orders and thank you, in advance, for doing so.”

So, for those people who have a craving for the popular Greek sandwich known as the Gyro, it’ll be on this weekend’s menu.

For those people who love the legendary Greek dessert Baklava, volunteer bakers who have worked tirelessly preparing for the three-day event will be able to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Moreover, four of Annunciation’s most famous and poplar Greek dinners – Roast Lamb, Pastitsio, Chicken Souvlaki and Pork Souvlaki – are also on this weekend’s menu. The dinners include a selection of sides such as Greek salad, dinner roll and a choice of Greek potatoes or rice pilaf.

In addition to the famous Greek Gyro – which is made from lamb and beef cooked on a vertical rotisserie and then placed on grilled pita bread and topped with tomatoes, onions and tzatziki yogurt sauce – spinach pie (Spanikopita) and stuffed grape leaves (Dolmades) are also on this weekend’s menu.

Meanwhile, as Frank Markos – who chairs the widely attended Cranston Greek Festival in September and has worked hard to help present this weekends’ Greek Fest Express – adds: “No ‘Taste of Greece’ would be complete without our famous and homemade pastries.”

Markos said there will be everything from the Baklava to Macaroons to Greek butter cookies known as Koulourakia plus Kourabides (round treats covered with white powdered sugar) and of course the Greek Pastry Platter featuring an assortment of favorite recipes that Markos said “come directly from our homeland.”

He concluded: “Please remember, ordering is only available online where people will also be able to select their designated pickup time. We thank everyone, in advance, for their fantastic support through the years, and we look forward to filling your orders this weekend.”