Hellenic Forums Omogenia - YASOU - Hellenism: Batista's house- A Greek Church-Daytona, Florida

Havana, Cuba, was the place to visit on a Senior Trip in the fifties. It was the Cancun or the Cozumel of its day. Fulgencio Batista was the dictator of this tropical island nation.

Though Cuban residents yearned for a change (any change) from Batista's tightfisted rule, Cuba (and Havana in particular) thrived as a tourist mecca.

Batista maintained a summer residence in Daytona Beach (on N. Halifax Avenue) just two short blocks north of Main Street.

Batista was overthrown, and fled with his cronies to the Dominican Republic.

Knowing of possible extradition of Batista from the U.S. should he return to his home in the States, and in search of a new "church home," the Greek community, under the leadership of Fr. John P. Athas of Daytona Beach, made Batista an offer on his Daytona Beach mansion, hoping to buy it under the market value. He accepted their proposal since it was to be the site for what is today the St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church of Daytona Beach, thereby saving face as a "benevolent humanitarian."

Being part of a very small Greek community, the St. Demetrios congregation was struggling to build an edifice of which they could one day be proud. Rather than go deeply in debt, the Greek Social Hall was built first, on the site of what was Batista's boathouse, with its secret underground passageway to his home. The social hall was rented for community events ito raise money for the building of a new Greek church.

Batista's mansion served as the Greek Orthodox Church's temporary sanctuary. The Greek Festival, an annual fund-raising event held early in November, was "born" shortly after the social hall was built and has evolved into one of Daytona Beach's annual fall highlights. The festival brings natives and tourists alike a real taste of Greek life, traditions and cooking at its finest, along with a genuine Greek atmosphere of fun and festivities. "It's like a trip to the Greek Islands," noted a recent visitor. For months in advance of the festival, Greek women bring out their finest cookbooks in order to whet the appetites of even the most discerning festival goers.

During the festival, visitors are treated to a tour of the "new" church enabling them to view the now-famous gold (hand-crafted by Greek artisans flown here for the purpose) chandelier that adorns the rotunda of the church, along with its exceptional iconery.

A visit to the Greek Festival promises to be a memorable experience while in Daytona Beach.

When on the grounds, imagine a pink stucco mansion originally owned by Mr. Olds (yes, of Olds-mobile fame) with secret passageways to a boathouse on the site of the now existing church and social hall. Imagine the dictator of Cuba living there. Imagine the Greek visionaries imagining their new church as its replacement.

There's a lot of history in Daytona Beach. The Greek community is very much a part of it.

Source: http://www.bestreadguide.com/daytonabeach/stories/19981030/fea_young.shtml
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A One-of-a-kind Annual Event... DAYTONA'S GREEK FESTIVAL!

Each year, on the day after Labor Day, the Greek community begins preparation of food for the Greek Festival. From then until dining time, Nov. 5-7, The Community Center of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church is the setting for mixing, cooking, testing and freezing massive quantities of specialty Greek fare.

Weekdays look like holidays at the Center as members of the church contribute their time and energy getting ready for the big event.

Kitchen management, under the direction of Gus Laskos, arrives early in the morning to get the kitchen ready and prepare the mixtures. Then at 9 a.m., people scheduled to work that day arrive and keep the Center hopping as they create some of the most delicious food ever imagined. At lunchtime, the food is put to the test.

Laskos, who personally prepares 700 pounds of rice using his secret recipe, notes with pride that all ingredients for the festival fare are fresh.

"We use the best available," he said. "Even the parsley, mint and dill are fresh, not dried."

When the day's work is over, the daily contributors are in for a treat, because it's time to taste the results of their efforts for quality. Once tested and approved, everything goes into an 8-by-8, walk-in freezer. By time Festival Days roll around -- this year Nov. 5-7 -- the freezer's packed to the door.

It may be difficult to pronounce the gourmet foods served at the festival, but festival-goers are destined to enjoy every morsel. Some of the items are:

Dolmathes - Grape leaves stuffed with a delicious meat mixture.
Souzoukakia - Greek meatballs.
Spanakopita - Fila dough rolls stuffed with spinach and Feta cheese.
Tiropites - Fila dough triangles filled with four special cheeses.
Pastitsio - Baked macaroni with a special cream sauce.
Souvlakia - Meat and veggies on a skewer (shish kabob).
Galaktoboriko - A custard dessert of layered filo dough, custard and another layer of filo dough covered with a yummy sauce.

Then there's the Greek style 1/2 chicken, rice, lamb shanks, Greek salad, Gyros and so much more. Following the festival, calls are continually received at the Community Center requesting leftovers.

The festival includes a gift boutique with specialty items from Greece, Yia ya's Kitchen deli foods and recipes of traditional Greek fare, a pastry booth (which is usually sold out by 2 p.m.), and a coffee shop with Greek demitasse coffee. The event features entertainment by Greek dancers and this year's band, Grecian Strings, from Orlando.

If you miss the opportunity to enjoy the best of Greek food at the 23rd annual festival, just remember that it happens each year on the first full weekend in November. It's worth marking on your calendar.

Source: http://www.bestreadguide.com/daytonabeach/stories/20001006/fea_greekfestival.shtml