Opa in October! Orders begin for Greek Food Festival
Tuesday marked the official first day of fall, but the season is really marked in Bakersfield by the arrival of community events. Although the social calendar is very different this year, thankfully activities like the Bakersfield Greek Food Festival are still in the mix.
Being held on the first four Saturdays in October, the festival put on by St. George Greek Orthodox Church will be offered as a takeout event with different dinner entrees highlighted each week.
Greek chicken — a half-chicken spiced with lemon and oregano, served with Greek potatoes — will be offered this Saturday. For $15, diners receive the chicken along with salad, feta cheese and bread. A gyro can be substituted for any weekly entree in the dinner package throughout the festival. It can also be ordered separately for $7.
Other entrees will be boneless leg of lamb with Greek potatoes (Oct. 10), pork souvlaki (shish kabobs) with rice pilaf (Oct. 17) and
chicken souvlaki with Greek lemon rice (Oct. 24).
Orders can be made now on the event website bakersfieldgreekfoodfestival.org for pickup on Saturday at the church, 401 Truxtun Ave.
Items being sold a la carte range from pastitsio, a sort of Greek lasagna, ($5 or $30 for a quarter-sheet) to savory pastries such as spanakopita (spinach and cheese) and tiropita (cheese), which will be sold for $2 or $5 for three. Dolmades, stuffed grape leaves, will be offered for $2, $5 for three or $15 for a dozen.
Irene Sinapole, who helps publicize the festival, said she may stick to enjoying the treats rather than volunteering with assembly.
“I was almost thrown out of rolling dolmades,” she said of the kitchen sessions earlier this month when volunteers prepped certain dishes. “I had three lessons in rolling then they just said, ‘Here, scoop the meat.’”
Of course, what would the festival be without a selection of sweets. Luckily, the Greek pastries served annually at the event can easily be prepped and ready each week.
“Greeks never use margarine,” Sinapole said of the rich desserts. “It’s butter, butter, butter.”
Offerings include baklava ($3, $15 for six) with or without walnuts; karydopita ($3) a spice walnut cake; melomakarona, honey walnut cookies ($10 for six); kourabiedes, powdered sugar cookies ($10 for six); and koulourakia, tea cookies ($10 for 12). Guests can also mix and match baklava and karydopita with a six-for-$15 offer.
There are also variety boxes ($10$12) with different assortments of the aforementioned sweets.
Pickup is available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. on the designated Saturdays. Those coming to pick up their orders can park in the
Amtrak lot, then walk to the church’s main entrance. Anyone who wants to order on site should enter the church grounds on the west side.
Masks are required at all times and social distancing is expected.
If you would prefer to have your order delivered that option will be available through Postmates. Orders must be made through the website with the “delivery” option selected. A delivery fee will be calculated and added on by Postmates.
Each year, the church chooses a different organization to aid with funds from the event. (Past benefi
ciaries have included the Assistance League of Bakersfield and the Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault.)
This year funds will go to the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco, which is assisting families and churches affected by fires in several states.
For the latest updates, check out the festival’s website bakersfieldgreekfoodfestival.org, Facebook page (facebook.com/BakersfieldGreekFoodFestival) or Instagram (@bakersfieldgreekfest).