Deno and Mary Kambouris could easily qualify for the Guinness Book of World Records if it had a category for most unusual wedding anniversary celebrations. The two have spent more than half their anniversaries overseeing squid cleaning and cooking parties.
"That's how we get people to help us; we advertise a squid cleaning party," explained Mary. "How else would we ever get more than 1,800 pounds of squid ready for the festival?"The celebration, of course, is the 17th annual Greek Festival, Friday, Sept. 6, through Sunday, Sept. 8. Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday on the grounds of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 279 S. 300 West. The celebration kicks off with the business lunch on Friday, where a $2 admission refund is offered with a lunch purchase of $6 or more. Regular adult admission is $2, entry for seniors and children 6-16 is $1, and children under 6 are admitted at no charge.
Long known for distinctive ethnic food specialties like baklava, dolmades, loukoumades, tyropites or gyros, the festival has gathered a loyal following for its fried squid.
Volunteer Mary Diamant admitted, "We have people calling all summer to make sure we'll have squid again. TV news anchor Phil Reisen always calls to make sure we save some for him. You know, we always run out by Sunday, even with 1,800 pounds."
Mary Kambouris described the intricate process involved in squid preparation: "Every one has to be cleaned individually - one at a time. There's a real art to the task. We look at the job in the morning and think there's no way we'll ever get it done, but we have people come and more people come. By 5 we've cleaned the whole batch."
When the cleaning party completes the chore, squid are frozen until the festival. Then Mary and Deno fresh fry the calamari as they are served.
"It's almost like a miracle to get these out on the line," Deno explained. "Then people look at them and make all kinds of faces. If they only try a bite, they're surprised to find they really like the squid."
Squid is only one of a multitude of exciting ethnic foods that demonstrate countless hours of volunteer time in preparation for the annual event.
Volunteer effort sustains the unwieldy preparations for the festival. Each year more than 700 people donate uncounted hours of baking, building and organizing the three-day affair.
William Kanda, chairman, adds, "More men have become involved in preparing these foods, and the senior citizens of our community have always devoted many hours in preparing the foods for the festival. It would be hard to do the festival without them."
And even more difficult to do the festival without the Kambouris squid crew.
Luckily, for Deno and Mary, their anniversary falls on Monday - the Monday after the festival closes.
In a classic understatement, Mary admitted, "We'll probably wait until the next weekend to celebrate our anniversary."
At a dinner without calamari.
*****
(Additional information)
Squid Stuffed with Rice
1 pound squid (calamari)
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can (4 oz.) tomato sauce
1/2 cup rice
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dill
1/2 cup water Prepare calamari by discarding celluloid backbone, ink sacs and head. Wash calamari thoroughly, chop tentacles and set aside; put rest of calamari in strainer to drain. Saute onion and garlic in oil; add salt, pepper, tomato sauce, dill and simmer for a few minutes. Add rice and chopped tentacles; boil until rice is partially cooked. Stuff calamari with rice mixture; place in casserole and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve.
Deep-Fried Calamari
1 pound calamari
Salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
Vegetable oil Prepare calamari by discarding celluloid backbone, ink sacs and mouth. Wash thoroughly; drain. Heat oil in deep fry to 350 degrees; cook 4-5 minutes. Remove from fryer, drain and season to taste. Sprinkle generously with lemon juice, garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.