It’s been a tradition for many years to kick off the holidays with the St. Stepanos Bake Sale in December.

When we think of the Christmas bake sale, we think of our dearest friend, Nargis Buchakjian who always chaired this event with a lot of love, taste, and creativity.

This year we were happy to have Tanya Buchakjian follow in her mother’s footsteps and lead another beautiful event.

It inspired our dedicated ladies to come together to support the Women’s Guild and St. Stepanos Armenian Church. Delicious baked goods, bread, and pastries were donated. Many recipes were right out of our St. Stepanos cookbook “Blessings from our kitchen”.

While it is important to mention that a lot of work, dedication, time, and resources went into making this major fundraiser event a success and meet our financial goals, the most important thing to recognize is the continuity of the tradition the Guild is preserving.

Our younger members had an opportunity to learn how to make Choreg and Tel Baneer while working alongside dedicated and expert members, like Maral Karakashian.

She generously shared her knowledge and expertise during several baking and cooking sessions prior to the bake sale.

Not only did our ladies bake but they also volunteered their time to set up the church for the event. We would not be able to succeed without the continued dedication of the Women’s Guild members. We are truly Lucky to have such a wonderful group of women working together.

It goes without saying that this event would not have been the success it was without Linda Patruno. Her continued dedication to the Women’s Guild and the church is a blessing and we are truly grateful for all her hard work!

Many of our parishioners and Long Branch community members attended our 2-day Holiday Bake Sale that was held on Saturday, December 10th and Sunday, December 11th. We are thankful for their presence and support.