Greer's OC

Orange County’s 40^th annual “A Taste of Greece” festival will be held on June 29^th – 30^th and July 1^st at St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church. The three-day festival will feature traditional Greek cuisine and pastries, live music, church tours, authentic Greek dancing with lessons, and boutique booths reminiscent of the Plaka, a well-known picturesque historical neighborhood of Athens.

The festival will feature authentic recipes for traditional Greek dishes, delicious pastries and a variety of beverages, highlighted with a wine “Taverna,” offering Greek wine and beer. The traditional Greek menu will include Chicken, Lamb Chops, Greek French Fries, Gyros, Pastichio (Greek lasagna), Loucanico (Greek sausage), Spanakopita (spinach and feta pie), Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves), Saganaki (Greek brandy-flamed cheese), Loukoumathes (Greek doughnut holes), Greek Salad, Calamari and more.

There will also be a Greek coffeehouse set up by Portola Coffee Lab to serve Greek and American coffee drinks in a traditional Plaka setting. St. Paul’s Philoptochos, the church’s philanthropic group, will bake around the clock during the weeks leading up to the festival to prepare traditional Greek pastries, Baklava and other exquisite pastries.

A family-friendly affair, the festival will offer free Greek dance lessons throughout the weekend, a variety of boutique shops, and feature a free Children’s Play Zone. Event attendees can also enter an opportunity drawing for the chance to win one of five premiere prizes.

4949 Alton Parkway, between Culver Drive and Jeffrey Road in Irvine.

For more information on the “A Taste of Greece” festival, please visit irvinegreekfest.com.