BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Volunteers from St. George Greek Orthodox Church are busy preparing food for this year's Greek Food Festival, and attendees can expect some new additions to the event.
About 10 volunteers have been prepping and cooking since 8 a.m., working from a family recipe passed down through generations.
Mother and daughter Liz Rodgers and Ariel Munoz say being part of the event has turned into a family tradition — 40 years to be exact. Rodgers described one of the dishes they are preparing.
"The Rice Pilaf. This is a recipe that came from my in laws, my mother and father-in-law, who are Greek. So it came from them. So it is rice, celery, onion, seasonings, chicken base."
Rodgers also explained how the dish is prepared ahead of the festival.
"The day of we basically brigadade reconstitute it, so it's frozen in a dry form so that on the day of we reconstitute so it's fresh."
Volunteer Irene Sinopole said about 5,000 people attended last year's Greek Food Festival and expects that number to grow this year. She also highlighted what is new for attendees this year.
"First thing is you can win a trip to Greece. We have raffle tickets for that. Next thing is what is new to eat."
Among the new dishes are feta bites — pieces of feta cheese that are coated and fried and drizzled with honey.
Munoz said volunteers are glad to be able to share their culture with Kern County.
"Being able to share the culture, the dancing, the food, toward the church, all of those things, share family memories and all that. It's nice to be able to share the culture with everybody for a weekend."
All of the volunteers agree their food is made with love.
The Greek Food Festival starts October 9.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
