A visit to the Downey Greek Food Festival

Photo by Lorine Parks

DOWNEY - Blue skies were shining and then white clouds moved in overhead to match the colors of the Greek flag.

For the first time in three years, Downey’s famous Greek Food Festival was back.

The god of good parking spaces was smiling on me. I had lucked out, pulling into a space a few steps from St George’s Greek Orthodox Church on Downey Avenue, just as someone pulled out. An auspicious beginning.

The little agora, or marketplace, in the entry was lined with vendors. Here you could buy raspberry honey, freshly pressed olive oil, and charms to ward off the evil eye.

The unmistakable aroma of broiling lamb wafted over the festival area. The meat is roasted on the spot, roast lamb with the fat sizzling under the gauzy smoke– what are the spices they rub it with?

One of the features that makes St. George’s Festival different from other Greek festivals you will find in Southern California is that we have a real authentikós Downey-centric Greek festival. Everyone is a volunteer from the St. George community, from the baklava makers to the spit masters who prepare and roast the lamb, 20 of them at a time, turning on 20 spits.

There is also the man who cleaves the lamb into serving portions. These lambs are not carved, they’re split with an ax, and this is as close as we will ever get to the classic feasting that Homer wrote about.

Specialty of the house is the lamb platter, with rice and Greek salad; a la carte classics dishes are moussaka, a dish made from eggplant, meat, potatoes and béchamel sauce; tiropita, a light and flaky Greek pie filled with feta cheese,; spanakopita, a spinach and cheese pastry; and dolmades, ground lamb with rice rolled in grape leaves. Everything has been made by the ladies of St. George Philoptochos Society of Downey.

There are gyros too, a blend of beef and lamb sliced off a big spit, served on pita bread with tzatsiki, a yogurt, cucumber and spice sauce. And souvlaki platters, marinated pork on a skewer, and Greek fries with feta cheese. Soft drinks and beer slake any thirst.

Under a big white canopy novices lined up for a lesson in Greek dancing. “One, two three, together,” said the instructor, and toddlers and teenagers, fair goers of all ages linked arms and followed her lead.

Soon all were swaying in a circle to the irresistible sounds of the bazookie and the oud. Everyone was encouraged to “Get your Greek on,” and one or two dancers wore newly purchased sequined scarves on their hips.

Lots of applause every time the music stopped and started up again. It was only mid-afternoon, and as the day wore into night, more and more would form and reform the circle, with experienced dancers performing along with learners.

Other delicious odors too: Greek coffee freshly brewing at the booths where Greek dessert pastries were sold. Loukoumades, little bite-sized fluffy sweet honey balls deep fried to golden perfection. Baklava; melomakaronos,an egg-shaped dessert made from flour, olive oil, and honey; karidopita, made with chopped walnuts and honey and scented with cinnamon and ground clove. Pasta flora filled with raspberry or apricot jam. The trays of goodies were selling out, but there were plenty more in reserve.

The occasion is billed as a food event, but this event is much more. The cultural side of Hellenic life was on display in the rooms in the mini-mall across from the church, where the sanctuary stood before the church with its mighty dome was built. There was a special room for wine tasting, from the wine-producing areas of both Greek and Crete, accompanied by Greek cheeses. The varieties are traditionally made from goats and sheep, as the rocky terrain is too steep for cows to navigate.

The cool sanctuary of St. George’s Church was a nice place to rest from the outdoors sounds and activities. There are guided tours of the sanctuary, or one could just sit and let one’s eyes follow the painted icons on the walls and the ceiling to the face of Christ Pantocrater on the inside of the dome. The Annunciation scenes are above the altar, and the Last Supper. The faces of saints and patrons fill the iconostasis, and the Four Gospel writers adorn the apse corners.

Here I could reflect on history of the Greek community in Downey, and leaders like Harold Tseklenis, patron of the arts and passionate promoter of the drive to build this church. Since 1982 worshippers had been housed in temporary storefront quarters, and Harold had constructed the wooden iconostasis for that in his workshop at home.

I was there in 2001 when the church was being constructed, on the day a monster crane swung the steel frame for the dome into place on the Greek cross-shaped walls, in the dramatic photo taken for the Downey Eagle by John Adams.

And then again in 2002 on the day of the Door Opening Ceremonies, when the congregation at last could enter. The church was consecrated by the Metropolitan Anthony, who came down from San Francisco for the occasion.

The church has no mortgage: the Metropolitan Anthony saw to that. He laughingly wouldn’t conduct the

Opening Ceremony until enough pledges came from those assembled to pay off the last remaining dollars. Now, as money is raised, decorations are added: the art work, the carpeting, the beautiful blond wood pews. The funds from this Food Festival provide things this church needs, for projects beyond the everyday running of the church, like a new roof.

It’s a quiet place to sit and contemplate, and it is light-filled. The church is the motivating spirit behind all that these parishioners do.

If you didn’t get to this year’s festival, be sure to save the first weekend in June in 2023.

The lambs will be on the spit, and the dancer’s circle just beginning.