St. Gregory’s Armenian food festival returns for a 49th year
Recipes carried to Western Massachusetts by Armenian Genocide survivors anchor the Oct. 24 gathering in Indian Orchard
INDIAN ORCHARD, Mass. — Sept. 27, 2026 — The work starts months before the first guest arrives. In the church kitchen, parishioners roll dough by hand, pickled vegetables and layer pastry tray by tray — some of them in their 80s and 90s, making the same dishes their mothers and grandmothers made.
St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church will hold its 49th annual Armenian Food Festival on Saturday, Oct. 24, from noon to 7 p.m. at 135 Goodwin St. in Indian Orchard. Admission and parking are free, food is available for dine-in and takeout, and a live Armenian band will play through the afternoon, with guests invited to join the traditional dancing. The festival runs rain or shine.
Many of the recipes on the menu reached Western Massachusetts with families who survived the Armenian Genocide and the loss of their ancestral villages. They settled in Indian Orchard and the surrounding mill towns, rebuilt their lives and held on to their faith, their language and their food.
Those recipes were rarely written down. They were learned by watching — a grandmother showing a granddaughter how the dough should feel, a parent teaching a child how much filling is enough.
“Our food is more than flavor — it’s history, memory and resilience,” said Fr. Bedros Shetilian, pastor of St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church. “Each dish connects us to our ancestors while inviting new generations to experience Armenian culture.”
Sue Lantzakis has been making paklava for the St. Gregory community for more than 50 years. She learned from her grandmother, and this fall she will again take her place at the table, layering trays alongside the other volunteers. “People ask why I’m still doing this at my age. Because my grandmother did it, and because somebody has to teach the young ones.”
Next year will mark the festival’s 50th, and organizers are already planning how to honor the volunteers who have carried it that far.
On the Menu
Grilled on site:
- Lamb shish kebab
- Losh kebab
- Chicken kebab
Kebab dinners are served with rice pilaf, salad and pita. Losh sandwiches and spinach boereg are also available. The pastry table will feature paklava, choreg, kourabia, kadayif and bourma. Jars of homemade tourshi — traditional Armenian pickled vegetables — will be sold to take home.
Event Details
- What: 49th Annual Armenian Food Festival
- When: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, noon to 7 p.m., rain or shine
- Where: St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church, 135 Goodwin St., Indian Orchard, Massachusetts
- Admission: Free and open to the public
- Parking: Free
- Dining: Dine-in and takeout
- Entertainment: Live Armenian music and traditional dancing
About St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church
Founded in 1934, St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church has served Armenian families in Western Massachusetts for more than 90 years. It remains both a spiritual home and a center of Armenian cultural life in the region, preserving Armenian heritage through worship, food, music and tradition while sharing it with the wider community.
