33rd Annual IOCC SF Bay Area Food and Wine Tour

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In 2025, we celebrated the 33rd Annual Fall Fundraiser with our signature IOCC Food and Wine Tour, hosted for the first time by St. George Orthodox Cathedral in Daly City. It was a beautiful event in every way!  The evening brought together wonderful food, heartfelt fellowship, and a spirit of generosity, creating an experience that was both joyful and inspiring. Highlights of the evening included:

• His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos  led us in an opening prayer and SF Bay Area Committee Co-Chair, Karim Azar, shared a reflection and served as the MC for the evening
• Heartfelt reflections from His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos and special guests from IOCC Headquarters in Baltimore, Luke O'Dell (IOCC Gifts Officer) and Nick Kasemeotes (IOCC Development), sharing updates on the transformative work of IOCC worldwide.
• His Eminence was presented a special icon with as a gift of appreciation for his many years of dedication, advocacy and support of IOCC and its mission  by Nick Kasemeotes on behalf of IOCC
• The wonderful Cal Jazz Choir, UC Berkeley’s premier vocal jazz ensemble, shared their talents with a spirited performance .  (visit https://caljazzchoir.weebly.com for more information)
• A wide array of international cuisine and wines, celebrating the richness of cultures and flavors from around the world.
• Beautiful olive tree centerpieces adorned each table, creating a warm, festive, and welcoming atmosphere. These deeply meaningful symbols of peace and hope were especially touching this year, reminding us of the olive branch as a timeless sign of unity and peace in uncertain times around the world.
• We were blessed with an excellent turnout, as friends from across the Bay Area gathered in support of IOCC’s mission—making it a truly lovely and memorable event filled with faith, community, and shared purpose.

St. Christina of Tyre Orthodox Church, Fremont (American food)

St. George Orthodox Cathedral, Daly City (Middle Eastern food)

Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, San Francisco (Slavic food)

Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross (Greek desserts)

St. John the Evangelist Orthodox Church, Orinda  (Greek food)