Naples recently unveiled a sweet piece of its history on Friday, honoring its iconic grape pie with a brand-new historic marker during National Historic Marker Day.
The Naples Historical Society revealed the marker celebrating one of the region’s most beloved traditions, tracing the roots of grape pies and how Naples earned the title “the grape pie capital of the world.”
“100 years ago, Naples was best known for its vineyards and wine, today Naples is known as ‘the grape pie capital of the world,’” the Society shared from its archives. The story began in 1959, when Al and Frieda Hodges, owners of the Redwood Restaurant, brainstormed a way to draw visitors from Rochester. Al tasked his chef and a waitress named Olge with creating a unique dessert, leading to eight experimental recipes before the now-famous Concord grape pie was perfected.
In October 1959, Olge baked a dozen pies, which Al added to the menu after removing all other pie options. Demand soared quickly, with slices from two dozen pies selling each weekend and customers taking whole pies home. Sensing opportunity, Al enlisted Irene Bouchard, who began baking grape pies across the street. In 1964, Bouchard baked 700 pies at $1.25 each, and by 1980, she was producing 300 pies a day during October, earning the nickname “the grape pie lady.”
Ruby Fried also became a staple of Naples’ grape pie tradition, baking for 65 years and creating recipes such as grape ketchup, grape ice, and grape conserve. Although no official count exists today, thousands of grape pies are believed to be made each year by local bakers and businesses.
The unveiling of the marker highlights not only the area’s baking prowess but also its community spirit, celebrated annually during the Naples Grape Festival, scheduled this year for September 27 and 28. Leading up to the festivities, the Naples Historical Society will host a Grape Pie Making Workshop on September 13 for those eager to enter “the world’s greatest grape pie contest.”
Trish Lambiase, President of the Naples Historical Society, expressed gratitude for the grant from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, which made the marker possible. The foundation, which launched National Historic Marker Day in 2021, encourages communities to preserve and celebrate history by maintaining historic markers nationwide.
In 2024, the Naples Historical Society applied for and received a grant from the Foundation after Board Members conducted extensive archival research to support the project. The marker arrived in Naples last fall and was carefully saved for its grand debut on National Historic Marker Day.
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