Lebanese cooking is front burner at St. Matthew's festival

Lebanon may be relatively pint-size, smaller in square miles and population than Maryland, but the West Asian republic is an ancient gateway of gastronomy, chockablock with tempting Old-World aromas and flavors.Ask Tina Lentscher, who will be a familiar face overseeing the Lebanese food booth this weekend at the ninth annual Orthodox Church of St. Matthew's Multi-Cultural Festival at the church in Kings Contrivance Village Center.Dishes from four other ethnic groups — Greek, Romanian, Ethiopian and Slavic — will again take center stage at the church's signature fundraiser.Lentscher, who grew up in Lanham, harnesses intense memories, at an early age, of Lebanese culture and food.&quot;I remember my mother making many stuffed cabbage dishes,&quot; she said.These dishes included baking pans brimming with stuffed squash, stuffed cabbage and — closest to Lentscher's heart — stuffed grape leaves.Lentscher also looks back on her Aunt Helen baking bread, &quot;what you would call today pita bread, but what we referred to as Syrian bread. There was nothing better than going over her house and walking into the smell of fresh-basked bread.&quot;The event will also feature entertainment, with Spanish flamenco dancing and folk dancing from Eastern Europe, China, Mexico and Costa Rica.This year, on Friday evening the festivities will begin with Oktoberfest Happy Hour. Along with beer and wine, the program will offer standards like bratwurst and other German delights.While all the cuisines win over the hearts and stomachs of patrons, Lebanese cuisine is always one of the biggest winners at the event, said the Right Rev. Constantine White, the rector of St. Matthew.&quot;Our culturally diverse community is able to provide authentic tastes and traditions from the Slavic north to the Middle East and Africa,&quot; White said. &quot;There is something for everyone, no matter what age.&quot;Lentscher joked that the priest traditionally makes light of the spirited competition between the Lebanese and Greek chefs.The Greek version of grape leaves, known as &quot;dolmades,&quot; are served cold, Lentscher said.&quot;They can't hold a candle to my fresh, homemade, cooked ones,&quot; she said.The planning for St. Matthew's festival begins months in advance. At the first informal get together in March, volunteers offered their evaluations of last year's program, and shared suggestions on how to improve things for this year.The cooking sessions began during the summer. In July, members assembled to make Russian torts and tea cakes, apricot horns and nut rolls. In August, Slavic halupkis, poppy seed bread and Slavic borscht came to life. September brought dishes for the Ethiopian, Romanian and Greek menus. During three days in September, volunteers packed the kitchen and fellowship hall to chop parsley, roll grape leaves and marinade lamb for hungry customers who, again, are certain to jam the Lebanese booth this weekend.Lentscher, a retired Defense Department employee and mother of four sons, said she is &quot;blessed&quot; that her 87-year-old mom has attended each cooking session for four years running &quot;to provide her guidance and expertise. I season the stuffing for the grape leaves, but it is my mother who tastes it to make sure it is right.&quot; Her mom also helps guide volunteers who turn out to help roll grape leaves.&quot;Food has always been and still is an important factor in Middle East culture,&quot; said Sharon Kalin, a longtime festival worker who has Lebanese roots. &quot;An Arabic proverb, `the food equals the affection,' captures the essence of our hospitality.&quot;Kalin's daughter, Kristi Sturm, shares her mom's enthusiasm.&quot;You smell the food,&quot; Sturm said, &quot;and it reminds you of your grandmother's kitchen. It's the most pleasant memory of your childhood.&quot;Andrea Misner, who handles marketing and promotion for the festival, said witnessing all the separate pieces of the event form a whole remains the celebration's secret sauce.Her takeaway summary: &quot;It tells me we're doing something unique here and that people are experiencing an event they're not finding anywhere else. I'm tearing up just saying it.&quot;If you goThe Orthodox Church of St. Matthew's ninth annual Multi-Cultural Festival is Saturday, Oct. 1 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 2 from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the church, 7272 Eden Brook Drive, Columbia, in the Kings Contrivance Village Center. Oktoberfest Happy Hour is Friday, Sept. 30, from 6 to 9 p.m. Admission is free. Events include food from various countries, dancing and a silent auction. For more information, go to stmatthewfestival.org

Lebanese cooking is front burner at St. Matthew's festival

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