A record crowd of people filled the Rhodes on the Pawtuxet on November 9th and 10th to enjoy the largest Armenian Food Festival in New England, and perhaps the entire country, put together by the Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Church in Providence, RI. There was a sense in the air of people being happy to “come back to Rhodes”.

The Food Fest committee was chaired by Arees Khatchadourian and Garo Tashian, who were appointed to take on this enormous task. Preparation started back in March, months in advance, to take on this huge project. The Food Festival committee met often to ensure the success of this event and that all the necessary items and manpower were in order. Although every item was discussed in great detail with long hours being spent in these meetings. The results of the Food Festival speaks for itself. A heartfelt thank you also to all the coordinators and committee members!

The Ladies Guild, assisted by many ladies and men from our community, started baking back in August, stocking up on pakhlava, choreg, kata, and many more pastries. Evenings were designated for preparing the kuftah. An army of men and women both provided their time and produced thousands of items out of our small kitchen. Both day and night, the Ladies Guild ensured that everything was done to perfection and that everything was prepared to the highest quality. heartfelt thank you also to all the volunteers who came day and night to help prepare these items!
Our public relations team did an excellent job of advertising this event to the entire state of Rhode Island. They appeared on the Rhode Show, reached out to Cardi’s Furniture to place an ad in the Providence Journal, and utilized social media to its fullest extent. Social media influencers were brought it to showcase our food and pastries, which brought in waves of people that weekend. Channel 12 News also arrived Saturday morning to provide live coverage of the event. The PR committee also helped to gather and organize all the vendors who attended our festival to sell their crafts and gifts.
A team of volunteers arrived to marinate and prepare 1,500 pounds of meats two days prior to the festival. Thanks to their efficiency from countless years of experience, this task was completed in just two hours. Everyone enjoyed the delicious meals that we served that weekend.

This year, with the enormous crowd that arrived, the food line was out the door into the mezzanine of the Rhodes. The Food Fest Committee visited the facility multiple times prior to the event and put together a plan to keep the line as efficient as possible. And the lines did keep moving, even at the busiest times. We also opened a new department for the Food Festival, the “to-go” orders, which also had an constant line of orders.

The kitchen crew did not have a chance to take a break for a minute. They ensured that all the pilaf, kuftah, bulghur, vegetables, amongst other foods, were prepared in the highest quality and that the meats for all the dinners were properly stored so everyone enjoyed a hot meal.
The sandwich shop was run by the Homenetmen members, providing fan favorites such as falafel and soujoukh sandwiches. The Armenian Youth Federation was in charge of the kids’ corner, where face-painting and video games, along with cotton candy, ice cream and popcorn were sold in honor of George “Frenchy” Gregorian. It goes without saying that it was inspiring to see the youth and young adults carry on the work that those prior to them have done. The Armenian Relief Society continued to oversee and staff the Ararat Café. In addition to making the best Armenian coffee around, their members and many parishioners donated pastries for their booth.
The liquor wheel, as always, was a main attraction. People from all corners of the Rhodes gathered to try their luck at winning a bottle (or two) to take home and enjoy for the holidays. We are fortunate that the younger generation stepped up to not only take on this job, but also in collecting placemat donations and sponsorships for the Food Festival which set a new record!

The Rhodes was jam-packed thanks to both the anticipated return to Rhodes and the impact that the social media influencers had. It was truly a record-breaking year and never in history did we have this many people attend the Food Fest. Everyone there did not want to leave and enjoyed reuniting with old friends as they ate traditional Armenian foods and enjoyed the music and dance groups. The ‘Peter “Doc” Bedrosian’ Hourly Raffle and silent auction kept everyone engaged throughout the day, as the band provided traditional Armenian music for all to enjoy and dance to on both days. The Hamazkayin “Artsakh” Dance group, both older and younger groups, exhibited both modern and traditional Armenian dances that warmed the hearts of everyone. Thank you to Shushan Avakyan and her dedication to these young ladies.
Thank you to Steve Elmasian, Hagop Khatchadourian, and John Mangassarian for their mentorship as they have passed the torch on to the leadership of the younger generation. A special thank you to Der Kapriel for his opening remarks and blessing during the fest, as well as his guidance and institutional knowledge during the planning process.

It truly took a village to put this event together. A thank you goes to over 200 members of the Sts. Vartanantz community who volunteered their time that weekend. We are all excited for 2025 and are looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Regards,
The Armenian Food Festival Committee

Arees Khatchadourian Garo Tashian