Savor authentic Lebanese flavors at 27th annual cultural festival

OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN A LITTLE ABOUT LEBANESE FOOD AND CULTURE THROUGH THE 27TH ANNUAL LEBANESE FESTIVAL. THAT’S WHERE WE FIND WVTM 13 S JARVIS ROBERTSON AT THE FESTIVAL IN BIRMINGHAM THIS EVENING. YOU HAVING SOME FUN? JEFFRO. OH, GUYS, I’M HAVING A LOT OF FUN RIGHT NOW. THE FOOD IN HERE SMELLS AMAZING. A LITTLE RAIN OUT THERE IN BIRMINGHAM. BUT LISTEN, THAT’S NOT STOPPING PEOPLE FROM COMING BY. AND TO TALK ABOUT ALL OF THE FUN, THE EXCITEMENT AND THE FOOD. I WISH THEY HAD SMELL-O-VISION BECAUSE PEOPLE DIDN’T KNOW HOW GOOD IT SMELLS. THIS IS ANTHONY BOAZ. TELL US YOUR TITLE WITH THIS. SO I’M THE CHAIR OF THE FESTIVAL. SO HOW FIRST OF ALL, HOW EXCITING IS THIS? OH, IT’S A WONDERFUL EVENT OF THE YEAR. IT’S A IT’S AN ANNUAL EVENT AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO IT. EVERY SINGLE YEAR. WE START PREPARING FOR IT MONTHS IN ADVANCE. IT’S THE WHOLE PARISH THAT COMES TOGETHER AND REALLY THE WHOLE COMMUNITY THAT YOU SEE HERE THAT COMES IN AND SUPPORTS. AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, WE LIKE TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AS WELL. SO IT’S A FUN COMMUNITY BIRMINGHAM EVENT THAT WE LOVE TO SHOWCASE. TALK TO US ABOUT HOW THIS EVEN STARTED. SO THIS EVENT STARTED BACK IN 1999. THIS IS OUR 27TH YEAR. AND MY UNCLES, PAUL AND NORMAN BOLIGEE, THEY ACTUALLY STARTED THAT. AND IT’S JUST BEEN CARRYING ON THE TRADITIONS THROUGHOUT THE PARISH. IT’S JUST BEEN ONE GREAT YEAR AFTER ANOTHER. EVERYBODY COMING TOGETHER YOUNG AND THE OLD, THEY COME IN AND REALLY PUT ON THIS TYPE OF EVENT. YOU’RE SO RIGHT ABOUT PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER. I HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK WITH A COUPLE EARLIER. THEY SAID IT FEELS LIKE A BIG FAMILY FOR THEM. SO IF SOMEONE WANTED TO COME OUT, WHAT SHOULD THEY DO? YEAH. IF YOU’RE COMING OUT OVER HERE, YOU KNOW, WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND, OF COURSE, ALL THE FOOD THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE. IT’S ALL GREAT AUTHENTIC LEBANESE STYLE FOOD RECIPES PASSED DOWN FROM GENERATIONS THAT WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO UTILIZE. WE HAVE PLATES NUMBER ONE. NUMBER TWO THERE. NUMBER ONE. NUMBER TWO, FOR A REASON. WE’VE GOT, YOU KNOW, OUR TRADITIONAL KIDNEY PLATE. WE’VE GOT A CHICKEN PLATE AND WE’VE GOT ALL THE ODDS AND ENDS FROM ALL THE ITEMS OF YOUR HUMMUS AND TABOULI. WE HAVE GREAT. PLEASE. MEAT PIES, SPINACH PIES, WILLOUGHBY, WHICH IS LEBANESE STYLE DONUT WITH SOME BUTTER AND SUGAR. ON TOP OF THAT, RIVALS OF CAFE DU MONDE. I LOVE CAFE DU MONDE. CHIU YOU PIQUED MY INTEREST WITH THE DONUT? OH, YEAH. YOU GOT TO TRY SOME. FRESH OFF THE FRYING PAN. IT’S DELICIOUS. SO WHAT’S EXCITING ABOUT THIS? IF YOU DON’T WANT TO COME IN? THEY DO HAVE A DRIVE THROUGH LINE. SO WE DID NOTICE THAT. SO IF IT IS RAINING YOU DON’T WANT TO GET OUT OF THE CAR. YOU DON’T WANT TO GET WET. YOU GOT THAT OPTION. WELL SO WE HAVE HAD IT IN THE PAST. THIS YEAR IT’S A TAKEOUT LINE. TAKEOUT LINE I’M SORRY. WE DO HAVE A TAKEOUT. WE DO HAVE SOME SPOTS FOR PEOPLE TO DO TAKEOUT AND COME IN AND GET IT, BUT WE ARE RAIN AND SHINE EVENT. JUST COME ON BY AND WE’RE HAPPY TO TAKE CARE OF YOU. AND YOU GUYS ARE HERE. UNTIL WHAT TIME TONIGHT? SO WE’RE HERE TILL 9 P.M. BOTH DAYS HERE, 10 A.M. TO 9 P.M. WE’LL BE SERVING ALL THE FOOD THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE. THE ONE THING I DIDN’T MENTION TO FORGET HERE WE HAVE A SARGE BEHIND US HERE, THE BREAD STATION. IT’S A VERY TRADITIONAL WAY THAT WE MAKE THE BREAD HOT OFF THE PRESS. YOU REALLY. IT’S A VERY UNIQUE THING THAT YOU REALLY CAN’T GET AROUND ANYWHERE HERE. SO IT’S REALLY GREAT TO HAVE THAT AVAILABLE. I LOVE THAT. ALL RIGHT, GUYS, MY PRODUCER TELLING ME TO WRAP STICK AROUND BECAUSE WE’RE GOING TO TALK TO HIM A LITTLE BIT LATER. WE ARE AT THE SAINT ELIAS CHURCH. THIS IS ON EIGHTH STREET SOUTH IN BIRMINGHAM. STICK AROUND. WE’RE GOING TO TA