Greeks bring food, music, life to festival
By Rachel Uranga, Staff Writer

Los Angeles Daily News, CA
May 30 2004

With the smell of roasting meat wafting through the air and notes of
Greek music echoing through the crowd, thousands gathered Saturday
for the opening of the Valley Greek Festival.

The free event at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church is scheduled to
continue from 1 to 9 p.m. today and Monday. It is expected to draw
50,000 revelers by its close, many who come year after year to enjoy
food, music and dance, as well as to see old friends.

“We look forward to this festival every year,” said Sonia Siekertzian,
a Granada Hills resident who, with her Greek-Armenian husband, has
not missed the event in its 31 years.

Put together by more than 300 church parishioners, the all-volunteer
effort yields tons of souvlaki — a Greek shish kebab — and oodles
of other Greek delicacies.

Parishioners began baking some of the 14 varieties of desserts —
including baklava and kourambiethes (a shortbread) — in January to
ensure the festival had the 48,000 pastries needed for the spread.

And rivaling Krispy Kremes are loukoumathes, a kind of Greek doughnut
hole, served warm. But there’s plenty of other food for those without
a sweet tooth, including tiropita (cheese pie), moussaka (a casserole
with eggplant, meat and potatoes), spanakopita (spinach and cheese pie)
and dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with rice).

“This is the way that we give back to the community,” said Peter
McCarty, a 47-year-old Northridge volunteer who could be found under
a white tent Saturday cooking up loucanico, a sausage flavored with
orange peels. Married to a Greek and himself Irish, McCarty said only
the music rivals the food.

Holding his 5-year-old daughter piggyback style, Toma Popescui stood
beneath a tree, watching traditional Greek folk dance.

“Seeing somebody’s culture is something amazing,” said the
28-year-old. “And the food is unbelievable.”

Rachel Uranga, (818) 713-3741 rachel.uranga@dailynews.com

IF YOU GO: The 31st Valley Greek Festival, from 1 to 9 p.m. today
through Monday at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at 9501
Balboa Blvd., Northridge. For more information, (818) 886-4040 or