Greek hospitality

Chef Maria Loi is inviting the whole neighborhood to her Easter feast

Chef Maria Loi can’t get back to her hometown of Thermo, Greece, this Easter. So she’s bringing Greek Easter to the upper West Side.

Next Sunday, she’ll block off part of W. 70th St. near her new eatery Loi to celebrate in the traditional way — lots of friends, families, and of course, a lamb roast.

“Easter is about love, community and tradition,” says Loi, who will appear in a PBS series aptly named “Cooking at Loi” this spring. “It’s about togetherness, no one celebrates alone. Families, neighbors and even strangers all gather together in celebration.” And of course — Greek Easter is about food. “Some of the key dishes are what I’m serving on my menu at Loi. Roasted lamb on a spit and tsoureki, the traditional Greek Easter bread,” the chef says. “When I [was growing up in Greece] I would stay up and help my dad prepare some of the Greek delicacies. Families would gather together for a big lamb roast on spits, we would dance, drink Greek wine and hand out food to anyone that traveled through our village on that day. Everyone was welcome.”

At noon next Sunday, Loi will be serving roasted baby lamb and koulourakia, Greek Easter cookies, to senior citizens from the neighborhood. After that, the restaurant will open its doors to those who want to sample baby lambs from Pat Lafrieda, as well as magiritsa, a traditional soup with lamb offal and lemon, marouli salad, and ayga kokkina, the traditional red-dyed eggs.

Although Loi hopes that all of New York will help her celebrate, she is especially excited about bringing a new tradition to the upper West Side.

“The [neighborhood] has welcomed me with open arms, and I’m so blessed that they love my restaurant, my food, and have been so supportive of me,” she says. “To me, that is the greatest success you can ask for.”