ENCINITAS — People of all ages flocked to Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church over the Sept. 6-7 weekend for the 45th annual Cardiff Greek Festival, where attendees got a taste for traditional Greek food, dance, live music, and culture.
The sounds of music and dance filled the festival throughout the weekend, with live music by The Olympians, traditional Greek youth dancers, and dance lessons for attendees.
Cuisine is a central draw of the festival, with savory delicacies including the gyro, spanikopita (spinach and cheese pie), roasted lamb shanks, souvlaki (shish-kabobs), pastitsio (baked layers of macaroni, seasoned meat, cheese and béchamel sauce), loukaniko (sausage), dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves), feta fries and Greek salad.
Leading up to the weekend, the yiayias (grandmothers) of the church, along with other members, baked thousands of pastries, including koulourakia, baklava, kataifi, amygdalota, and more, to be sold over the two-day festival, along with traditional Greek coffee.
