Baklava is prepared for the Belmont Greek Festival at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross on Aug. 29, 2023. Photo by Devin Roberts.
The Peninsula loves a good celebration, and in the coming weeks, the area is host to several cultural festivals including the Bay Area Lebanese Festival Aug. 23, the Belmont Greek Festival Aug. 30-31 and Festa Italiana Sept. 14 – and that’s not even including local Oktoberfest events!
Cuisine is, of course, an essential (and delicious) highlight of most cultural celebrations, so we got the scoop on a few upcoming festivals and their culinary offerings.
Bay Area Lebanese Festival
Food for the Bay Area Lebanese Festival is prepared by parishioners of Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church in Millbrae, in collaboration with some catering businesses and other local businesses owned by parishioners. Courtesy Bay Area Lebanese Festival.
“For Lebanese people, food is a link to our culture and heritage; it is a means of expressing our love and preserving our traditions,” Laura Eidson, who handles PR for the Bay Area Lebanese Festival, said in an email interview. “The food acts as a bridge to connect the past and the present, bringing together people of all backgrounds.”
This year marks the 15th annual festival, held in downtown Redwood City. Each year, food is lovingly prepared by the parishioners of Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church in Millbrae, in collaboration with catering businesses and other local businesses owned by parishioners.
Eidson said Lebanese cuisine is characterized by its healthfulness due to its use of extra virgin olive oil, fresh vegetables, lean proteins, onion and garlic. Spice blends and herbs such as sumac and za’atar give it distinctive flavors.
The Bay Area Lebanese Festival will be held Aug. 23 in downtown Redwood City. Courtesy Bay Area Lebanese Festival.
“Lebanon has historically been influenced by various civilizations, from French to Arab to Ottoman influences, which have all been incorporated into what is now the unique Lebanese cuisine,” she noted.
This year, festival food sales have gone completely digital to avoid the hassle of lines, tickets and cash transactions. Customers can order via the website or after scanning a QR code, then grab their order at the designated pickup booth.
The Bay Area Lebanese Festival offers a variety of Lebanese dishes. Courtesy Bay Area Lebanese Festival.
Festivalgoers can expect to find tabbouleh, shawarma, hummus, baba ghannouj, falafel, kibbeh, chicken sandwiches, spinach and cheese pies, chicken and beef kebabs, vegetarian grape leaves and more.
Lebanese desserts, such as baklava and namoura (semolina cake in syrup), and drinks like jallab (typically made with date syrup and rose water) are also fan favorites.
“We are a hospitable, generous people and this is what we try to reflect every year on the Lebanese festival,” she said.
Eidson’s recommendations for more places to find Lebanese food: Tannourine and Sinbad Specialty Foods in San Mateo and Georgette’s Catering (based in Brentwood but serving the entire Bay Area).
Bay Area Lebanese Festival, downtown Redwood City, Instagram: @sflebfest. Aug. 23, noon to 10 p.m.
Belmont Greek Festival
Thomy Iuppa prepares for the Belmont Greek Festival at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross on Aug. 29, 2023. Photo by Devin Roberts.
Belmont Greek Festival is a local Labor Day weekend staple (2025 is its 53rd year) hosted by the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross. Parishioner volunteers prepare the festival’s expansive food offerings onsite, often using family recipes handed down through the generations, with older folks and youngsters working together to carry on traditions.
Greek cuisine is characterized by its freshness and lightness, Thomy Iuppa, one of the festival’s head chefs, said in an email. Its flavors are based on herbs, such as oregano, rosemary, parsley, thyme, dill and mint. While meat, dairy and seafood are prevalent, fresh vegetables, she said, are the stars of the show.
Thomy Iuppa organizes food preparation for the Belmont Greek Festival at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross on Aug. 29, 2023. Photo by Devin Roberts.
At the festival, Iuppa is partial to moussaka (eggplant casserole), the dish that she’s been “chairing” for the festival for 25 years. She described it as “extremely enjoyable with a piece of fresh bread and feta cheese and of course a glass of ouzo or retsina wine.”
The festival is also renowned for its homemade pastries and desserts, including baklava and loukoumades, which Eva Canellos, who handles the festival’s publicity, described as Greek doughnut holes topped with syrup and nuts. In terms of personal favorites, Canellos is partial to youvetsi (lamb shanks and orzo pasta cooked in a tomato-based sauce) and stifado (beef stew with onions). She’s also a fan of Loux sour cherry soda.
“The social aspect is super important with Greek food,” Canellos said. “Eating together with your family and friends makes the meal special and memorable, and that’s what we hope our guests will enjoy at the Belmont Greek Festival.”
Canellos’ recommendations for more places to find Greek food: Rainbow Pizza, Jack’s and Brothers Cafe in San Mateo; Nick the Greek (various locations); and Evvia in Palo Alto.
Belmont Greek Festival, Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross, 900 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont; Instagram: @belmontgrkfest. Aug. 30-31, noon to 10 p.m.
Festa Italiana
Attendees check out the Red Sauce food truck at Festa Italiana. Courtesy Leo Pierini.
Like many local festivals, Festa Italiana is run by community volunteers. Festival chairperson Leo Pierini said that while the team does it for love, not money, they do get a tasty reward – a barbecue using ingredients from South San Francisco’s Italfoods.
“Italian food is the best, so you get fed real, real well,” he said with a laugh.
Pierini is admittedly biased – his parents immigrated from Lucca, Italy, and he grew up eating his mother’s cooking, which also proved popular with his pals.
“I would have friends and they would magically appear right around dinnertime,” he recalled.
South San Francisco is actually a sister city of Lucca, and it has had an Italian American Citizens Club since 1916 (Pierini is the current president.) Festa Italiana, a celebration of Italian history and culture, is a collaboration between the club, the city of South San Francisco and the California Law Enforcement Columbia Association, Pierini said. The event is now in its third year.
“We wanted to keep it very, very simple and very local,” Pierini said of the mission behind the event. “We didn’t want it to become corporate.”
Attendees check out some food and drink options, including Italian-style cold drinks from The Painted Lady, at Festa Italiana in South San Francisco. Courtesy Leo Pierini.
Pierini pointed out that Italian food represents many regional culinary traditions, each specializing in certain flavors, ingredients and style (Italy as a unified country, he noted, is a lot younger than the United States.)
“You can go to Milan, you can go to Rome or Florence or Sicily, they’re all a little bit different,” he said.
Pierini said festivalgoers can look forward to all kinds of tasty Italian and Italian American food rooted in the local community, including options from Dominic’s SF, meatballs from the Red Sauce Meatballs food truck and pizza from Long Bridge Pizza Co.
There will also be cappuccino and other Italian-style coffee drinks; baked goods, such as focaccia, by Cuneo Bakery; local wines, beers and Italian-style cold drinks; frozen treats by GIO Gelati; and vendors selling cooking staples such as olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pastas to take home. After all, Pierini said, “the best thing is to have a home-cooked Italian meal.”
Pierini’s recommendations for more places to find Italian food: West Coast Cafe in San Bruno, Original Joe’s in Daly City, O Sole Mio in Millbrae and Bolare Trattoria and Pizzeria in Pacifica.
Festa Italiana, Orange Memorial Park, Orange Avenue and Tennis Drive, South San Francisco. Sept. 14, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
More cultural festivals coming up:
Cultura Fest 2025, downtown South San Francisco. Aug. 23, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fiestas Patrias, downtown Redwood City. Sept. 14, 2-8 p.m.
Pachanga Daly City – Celebrando Nuestra Cultura, Gellert Park, 50 Wembley Drive, Daly City, Instagram: @dalycityrec. Sept. 20, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Millbrae Mid-Autumn Festival, 200-400 Broadway, Millbrae. Sept. 27, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sept. 28, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m..
Palestine Cultural Day, downtown Redwood City, Instagram: @pac_sf. Oct. 18, time TBD.
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