Food + Dining Main


Greek Fest Returns for Three Days of Indulgence in Naples

Get ready for our annual February dose of everything isles-style, from flaming cheese to sinful doughnuts dusted with crushed walnuts and honey.

BY January 19, 2018

A tent the size of a football field holds diners eager for a taste of Greece. Food stalls and market tents, plus a complimentary bounce house for kids and live music and dance performances, also pepper the grounds. 

 

As the organizers of the St. Katherine Greek Festival in Naples like to say, you can be Greek for a day—or the whole weekend and beyond.

But what we like to focus on when it comes to the annual event, stretching from Feb. 9-11, is the food.

Volunteers at the North Naples Greek Orthodox church donate months of time to prepare for the three-day feast, with a menu that includes copious helpings of roasted lamb and orzo, dredged kefalograviera cheese that’s ablaze (and then doused with a shower of lemon), spinach pies, cheese pies, gyros, meat on a stick and baklava by the tray. In fact, there’s an entire bakery section with authentic confections you can purchase to stay with or bring home—and a well-oiled drive-thru featuring a slightly pared-down menu is great if you’re crunched for time. But because it really is easy to pop in and out, as the $5 entrance fee (children under 12 are free) buys unlimited access all weekend, it’s tempting to stop by and smell the (Greek) coffee.

Say, “Opa!” Pyrotechnics and kefalograviera cheese combine for a theatrical taste of Greece.

Church volunteers help make fresh batches of loukoumades, traditional honey-glazed doughnuts speckled with cinnamon and crushed walnuts. 

 

To plan a visit:

St. Katherine Greek Festival 2018

7100 Airport-Pulling Road N., Naples

(239) 591-3430

stkatherine.net

Friday, Feb. 9, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 10, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Sunday, February 11, 12 to 7 p.m.

$5 all-access weekend fee for adults; children under 12 free (food prices vary)

 

 

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