Enjoy a cultural dinner at the annual Armenian Cuisine Festival at Visalia Elks Lodge, tickets for $20 per person
VISALIA – Experience a colorful mosaic of Armenian cuisine at this year’s Armenian Food Festival in Visalia, where visitors have the opportunity to expand their food palettes or simply satisfy their craving for a hot plate of Armenian cuisine.
On Thursday, May 16, St. Mary’s Armenian Church in Yettem prepares for its 46th Annual Armenian Food Festival. The popular occasion takes place at Visalia Elks Lodge at 3100 W. Main St. in Visalia.
Festival times are timed to accommodate crowds during lunch and dinner, with lunch served from 11:00 a. m. to 11:00 a. m. 1:30 p. m. and dinner from 4:30 p. m. to 7 p. m.
“Opportunities like this are a glorious way to celebrate cultural differences in Tulare County, and what better way to do that than through food,” said festival co-chair Myron Sheklian.
During the festival, visitors have the option to dine indoors or use the dual-line self-service service. The menu offers a choice of lulu kebab (made from minced meat, half beef and half lamb) or poultry skewers, which will be garnished with green salad, rice pilaf, pan de peda and for dessert bourma, a circular dessert made with dough spread with nuts and butter.
Food can be eaten at $20 according to your child’s schedule, and tickets can be received on-site or through drive-thru service, with payment options such as cash, check, credit card, or Zelle. For anyone with questions, those interested are encouraged to contact the church office at 559-528-6892.
This is the second year the church has hosted the festival after the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic curbed the option of dining on-site. Sheklian noted that the pandemic slowed the festival down to some extent, as it only featured a drive-thru, eliminating the networked feel that comes with sitting and dining together.
However, now that the opportunity to dine in person with shuttle service is back, he said the festival is enjoying it much more and is more popular than ever, and visitors are excited to have the option to dine again.
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