My big fat Greek Extravaganza

22 September 2022

Ask Theo Simeonidis about his heritage and he will tell you he’s a Griwi. “I was born in New Zealand but raised in a very Greek household,” he says. “I started school, age five, speaking not a word of English – and every time my friends came round my mother would sit them down and try to stuff them with food.

“She’d say, ‘Have you eaten?’ My friends would say yes. Then she’d say, ‘Here, eat, eat, eat!’ It’s the Greek way! You never say no to Mama!” he laughs.

It’s only fitting, then, that Theo now runs an annual fundraiser for Harbour Hospice, the Greek Extravaganza, that incorporates all the things he loves about his culture – Greek food and wine, music and dancing.

Catering for 250, the evening sells out every year with Theo and his wife Cristina being part of the musical entertainment as Sounds of Greece & Friends. The catering always features crowd pleasers such as melt-in-your-mouth lamb and chicken dishes, lemon herbed potatoes and Greek village salad.

Theo started the fundraiser in 2017 after moving to Orewa and joining the Rotary Satellite Club of Ōrewa-Millwater, wanting to make a difference in the community. He chose Harbour Hospice as the beneficiary “because everybody is touched by hospice at some point in their lives, and they do an awesome job.”

Theo has a background in entertainment – he and his cousins had a band and performed at Greek dances as teenagers in Christchurch. And then after moving to Auckland, where he met his wife, Cristina (and married her on the Greek Island of Skiathos) the couple began performing as Sounds of Greece.

Theo Simeonidis and his wife Cristina

Theo also knows the importance of serving great food, having run his own Greek restaurant, Theo’s Greek Taverna, in Wellington for 10 years. The restaurant won a number of national and local awards and was known as the best Greek restaurant in New Zealand for several years.

So far Theo and the club have raised $81,860 for Harbour Hospice. Even last year, when the Extravaganza had to be cancelled due to Covid-19, they still pressed on with an online auction and, thanks to the generosity of donors and sponsors, still managed to raise $14,485.

“We’re really hopeful we’ll break $100,000 this year,” Theo says. “That would make my day. It’s very rewarding, psychologically and spiritually. You’re doing something for the community and having fun doing it.”

This year’s Greek Extravaganza is on Saturday, 29 October 2022 at the Orewa College Arts & Events Centre. The theme is “taking our guests to the beautiful island of Crete for the evening” to enjoy traditional Cretan dishes, wine, dancing and fun. This theme was also chosen to highlight the special relationship existing between New Zealand and Crete which was forged in WW2. Click here to purchase tickets.