Zaytinya to Host Annual Greek Easter Celebration with Outdoor Market Featuring Local Artists and Vendors

WHAT:           From March 31st through May 5th, José Andrés and the culinary team at Zaytinya invite Washingtonians to celebrate the rich tradition of Greek Easter. The five-week festival kicks off on Western Easter and continues until Greek Orthodox Easter. In honor of the special celebration, Zaytinya will host two days of agorá or “Greek outdoor market” featuring Greek artisanal goods from local artists and vendors as well as live music. Guests will enjoy Greek culture with live music and cuisine, while visiting the interactive stations, sampling traditional foods, wines and spirits. Featured vendors include the following:

Demeter’s Pantry, based out of Silver Spring, MD, imports a wonderful array of Greek products. They will be showcasing a selection of Greek honey and sea salts; Mastihashop NY, based out of New York City, will be presenting the wonderful uses of Mastiha through their cosmetic products, as well as chewing gum, and raw Mastiha. Mastiha is the resin obtained from pistachio trees from the island of Chios and has various applications; Kaldes Bros Trading Company, a family-run business that specializes in imported olive oil, as well as Greek tomato sauces, will be offering samples of their delicious Greek olive oil; Manoli Canoli imports olives and olive oil from his family’s home in Sparta and will be offering a selection of olives as well as olive oils; Baklava Couture, a pastry shop that specializes in serving a unique selection of baklava, will be serving samples of a few of their most popular baklava dishes; Border Springs Farm will be offering visitors samples of its delicious lamb; Dionysos Imports, an importer of Greek wine and spirits, will be serving samples of Greek wines; Metaxa Brandy, one of Greece’s most respected Brandy makers, will be offering samples of their various Brandy products, and Ktima Pavlidis Wines will be offering samples of the Thema Syrah/Agiorgitiko and Thema Assyrtiko/Sauvignon Blanc.

Joining this celebration will be José Andrés’ Pepe the food truck, which will be parked out front on G Street NW serving Lamb Shoulder Sandwiches (priced at $9). Guests will also have the opportunity to participate in a prize-drawing benefiting World Central kitchen, where an assortment of gifts, such as signed cookbooks, dinners at Zaytinya, and wines will be offered.

WHEN:           The first agorá will be held on Sunday, April 21, 2013 from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM and the second agora will be held on Monday, April 22, 2013 from 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM.

WHERE:         Zaytinya is located at 701 9th Street, NW, 20001. For additional information, please call (202) 638-0800 or visit www.zaytinya.com

WHY:              In the Greek Orthodox tradition, the church calendar is calculated on the Julian calendar; therefore Greek Easter sometimes falls on a different date from the Western holiday.  Greek Easter is a celebration beginning on Greek Orthodox Palm Sunday and culminating the Sunday after Easter, the day of Saint Thomas.  Rich in heritage, Greek Easter is a time for families to honor the rebirth of spring.  The holiday is considered one of the most sacred celebrations and is observed through religious ceremonies and festive gatherings overflowing with traditional dishes.  Easter dishes play a significant role and many are only enjoyed during this special time.

Part of José Andrés ThinkFoodGroup, Zaytinya serves an extensive array of various mezze, “little dishes,” reflecting the rich regional diversity of classical and contemporary Greek, Turkish and Lebanese cuisine.  Open seven days a week, Zaytinya is located at 701 9th Street, NW, 20001, in the heart of Penn Quarter.  For additional information call (202) 638-0800 or visit www.zaytinya.com.