Behind the Scenes 2016

Lauretta Maignan-Gibson is happy to be back for her third year at the festival representing Haiti. Though she has lived in the US since she was 2, she feels a strong attachment to her native country. Lauretta, husband Herman and children Emmanuel, Brendon and Christina still practice many of the country’s traditions, and they go … Read more

Deb and Will Sanders, along with Nancy and Pete Esposito, lead the Greek food team. Is it their ties to family back in Greece that brought these 2 families together? Nope! There were enough volunteers in the Polish booth the first year, so they decided to help out the Greek people…and they’ve been “Greek” every … Read more

We can’t forget about the good ol USA! There’s lots of kids (and adults) happy to see the ever popular hotdog on the menu! Every festival, the Knights of Columbus step up to make and serve the “dawgs”, offering both Beef and Carolina Reds along with all the standard condiments. This year they’re happy to … Read more

Though not a country, we can’t forget to add the “sweetest” food team of all…the Ladies Guild that sponsor the International Desserts Booth! These women will once again be busy in the kitchen making lots of cookies to share with our festival attendees–a perfect way to end your culinary trip around the world! This year, … Read more

St. Ann Catholic Church is blessed to be a diverse parish with members from many different countries. We have wonderful food booths where our parishioners are proud to share their culture and heritage. Honduras is one of the most dedicated of the food teams, participating every year since the festival started. Leader Gloria Gutierrez and … Read more

Every visit to France should include a stop at the local cafe for some delightful crepes …if that’s not on your travel agenda, then our International Food Festival offers the next best thing! Janet Bacon and her team of volunteers look foward to serving you a little taste of France right here in our backyard! … Read more

Since the first International Food Festival, Maria Aleman and her team have been dedicated to representing their homeland, El Salvador. Lucky for us, this year is no exception! Maria is a native of El Salvador and lived there until she was 15 years old. Her husband Fredis was also born there. In fact, the 2 … Read more

If you love going out for Chinese food, you won’t have to go far this year…the International Food Festival is happy to welcome our new Chinese team! Xiaoxia Champon, a new parishioner, is excited to share the food of her country with us! Xiaoxia was born in China and lived there for 25 years. She … Read more

Our International Food Festival is happy to have Nataly Andrade return this year with the Ecuador booth. This is her second year leading her own food team–in the past, she helped with the Peru team. Nataly was born in New Jersey but both of her parents are from Ecuador. She has been in North Carolina … Read more

Growing up eating Golabki’s and Kapusta, Brian Kochan knows a few things about Polish cuisine! Not only did he enjoy Grandma’s meals, but he learned cooking skills from his stepmother, Claire. A “farm girl”, she observed many of the traditional Polish customs, and holiday meals were especially important events. She was an awesome cook. Brian … Read more

If you’ve been to any of the past International Food Festivals at St. Ann’s church, you are sure to have noticed the large crowds around the Mexican booth! Each year, Regina Mendez has managed the group of 20 some workers to make sure everything runs smoothly the day of the festival. A natural “organizer”, when … Read more

At the early age of 14, Ann Mullins started working in the kitchen of her family’s Italian restaurant, located north of Manhattan, NY. She and her mother made all the pies and specialty desserts. Her entire family loved to cook– she claimed her father could pull any random ingredients out of the fridge and create … Read more

Christine Adamski spent 8 years of her childhood in Puerto Rico, and her family has always been passionate when it comes to authentic Puerto Rican cooking. Not only do they prepare these dishes for their large family gatherings, but the whole family pitches in to share their love of cooking with our International Food Festival! … Read more

To members of St. Ann Parish, Patrick Ginty is known as “Director of Religious Education”. To children Mateo, Brian, Clara, James and Ana, he is known as “dad”. And, on September 24th, Patrick will step into the role of “Chef”, dishing up some wonderful Nicaraguan food for our festival! Patrick grew up in Canada and, … Read more

St. Ann Church is happy to have the Nguyen family return to the festival this year–after a “baby break”, they will be back for the 3rd time offering their Vietnamese cuisine.  Xe and Ni Nguyen came here from Vietnam 34 years ago, sponsored by the Catholic church in Wytheville, VA.  They moved to Smithfield 10 … Read more

Bennie Voyle  is a parishioner who loves to share the culture and food of her native Thailand.  She and longtime friend Brandi Appell have led the Thailand team since the first  International Food Festival.  While Bennie is enjoying a visit with her family in Thailand this summer, Brandi and daughters Cori, 12 and Hayli, 14, … Read more

If you like a little German bratwurst with kraut, you’ll be in for a treat at the festival!  Mike and Mary Jo Buzard are excited to lead the Germany booth this year.  The couple met when Mike was stationed in Stuttgart and they have many fond memories of their time spent in Germany. The Buzards have … Read more

She’s BACK…Teri Harrington will be leading her Philippine food team again this year! Many of you may remember Teri and her husband, “Big Terry”– they were very active in our parish until moving to Sommerville, South Carolina a few years back. While visiting in April, they were so excited to hear about the return of … Read more