NYC's San Gennaro festival brings out many for Italian food

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- The feast of San Gennaro is well underway in Little Italy. 

Thousands of people were in Little Italy for the Feast of San Gennaro.

Bobby here at Riri’s has been frying Zeppolis up for 18 years. 

“It’s basically like a hot donut, Zeppolis we just add salt and sugar water.” 

Next door, the gnocchis are equally mouthwatering. Sicily-born Ivan Crami has opened Gnocchi on the Go here for the first time. 

“We make everything homemade,” said Crami. “From the basil from the backyard to the homemade sauce to the gnocchi.”

Riri’s and Gnocchi on the Go are two of nearly 2000 vendors participating in the festival.

The festival kicked off on Thursday. 

Saturday- Chef Anne Burell was the Grand Marshall in the procession.

Burrell said, “The San Gennaro Festival is a part of September in NY like every year. Oh, yay, it’s that time of the year!”

The feast is in its 98th year. Eugene Donofrio’s great-grandfather was one of the original founding members who brought it over from Naples. He’s on the Feast’s committee.

Donofrio said, “You have an Italian festival honoring a patron saint of Naples. This is history ok, and you have some of the best food in the world of all cultures!”

For many businesses on Mulberry, it’s an honor to take part.

“It’s a community pride thing. A lot often the businesses that have been here have been here 100 years so to keep the traditions going,” Olga Checo at La Bella Ferrera said.

If you haven’t been yet, don’t worry. The feast runs until September 22 and runs 10 blocks on Mulberry Street.