My Big Fat Greek Dessert Orono cinema sells baklava as fund-raiser for Greek Orthodox Church

It’s all Greek to Claudia Lowd.

She always has loved Greek cooking. Growing up, she had a dog named Bacchus. She was involved in Greek life at the University of Maine. She married a Greek man, who owns a Greek restaurant. They go to St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church together. She knows all the Greek dances.

The thing is, she isn’t Greek.

“I must’ve been Greek in another life,” Lowd said, laughing. “All this Greek stuff has overlapped my life.”

When she saw the hit movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” it was like watching scenes from her own life, minus the Greek-flag garage door. Her husband, Antonios Dimoulas, plays the word game with all the employees at his restaurant, the Market Cafe in Stillwater. Like Gus Portokalos, the father of “Wedding” heroine Toula, Dimoulas will tell you that the origin of any word – even kimono – stems from ancient Greek.

Coincidentally, “Wedding” hit the theaters about a month before St. George’s annual Greek dance. Lowd figured that by the time the dance rolled around, the movie would be at the second-run theaters and the church could make a big fat Greek weekend out of it – a trip to the movies Friday night followed by the gala dance Saturday.

“It was way back in October, and I thought, oh, this movie has been out a while, so it will probably be at Spotlight by then,” Lowd said. “The funny thing is, the movie never got there. It kept on staying and staying and staying at Hoyts.”

She had bought a batch of baklava for the event, which the manager at Spotlight agreed to sell at the concession stand to raise funds for the church. But the movie never came, and Lowd feared the baklava – a rich, layered pastry made of phyllo dough, butter, honey and nuts – would get stale, so she brought it to the Market Cafe. But the thought of a baklava fund-raiser remained fresh.

“This whole idea of eating baklava and watching ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ was kind of fun,” Lowd said.

But it would have to wait. When Nia Vardalos’ small-budget effort opened in Bangor, it was at No. 8 on the box-office charts. Usually movies go downhill from there, but “Wedding” rose as high as No. 2. Since it opened, it has grossed more than $262 million, making it the most successful independent film in history. Vardalos’ portrayal of Toula, a shy violet who blossoms when love comes knocking, sparked a spinoff television series set to air in the fall.

Like the movie, this story has a sweet ending, too. “Wedding” did come to Spotlight a little over a month ago, and according to the manager, it will stay there for a few more weeks. Lowd bought more baklava and donated it to the church. Brothers Pizza in Old Town and the Orono House of Pizza donated baklava as well, and moviegoers have been eating it up.

“I think a lot of people think it’s cool,” said Andrea Davis, a UMaine student who works the concession stand at Spotlight. “It’s good. It’s for a good cause, too.”

To date, the cinema has sold more than 70 pastries at $1.50 apiece, and the entire price goes to the church. For show times, call 827-7411.