Naples Restaurant Week has expanded to invite restaurants in Fort Myers and Cape Coral to participate under the name "Southwest Florida Restaurant Week." Organizers say this year's event is even more important to the local community and tourism because of Hurricane Irma.
More than 60 restaurants across Southwest Florida are participating in the event, which started November 30th and ends December 13th. During this time, each restaurant will offer a three-course meal for $35.
Matthew Arnold is the Chef and Owner at Point 57 on Del Prado Blvd in Cape Coral.
"My passion has always been doing plays on classics and doing them with a little bit of a twist," Arnold said.
The restaurant has been open for nine months and decided to participate in Southwest Florida Restaurant Week to get involved in the community.
In Fort Myers, another restaurant participating in the event is LaMotta's Italian Restaurant.
"Lamotta's is Lee County's oldest Italian restaurant. We've been here for 39 years," Chef and Owner Carmelo Lamotta said. "When you come to Lamotta's, it's like family. My parents are in here. I'm in here. The staff treats you like family. You're like you're at home."
Southwest Florida Restaurant Week's co-founder says the two week event comes at the perfect time.
"It's supporting the local business,especially after a time with Irma and the natural disaster that took over our area," Rafael Feliciano said.
"It killed our business," Lamotta said.
"We had momentum going into it, and then the storm hit, and it was like starting all over again," Arnold said.
For more information on Southwest Florida Restaurant Week, click here.
