Goldberg Family Member Opens Hamptons Beach Bowls

When you think Goldberg’s Famous Bagels, you may not jump straight to “healthy living.” And that’s OK. No one expects a bagel joint—in this case, an acclaimed bagel joint that spans hamlets and states, and that has been open through four generations—to be the bellwether of healthy living.Well, no one did, anyway.

Enter Amanda Goldberg, the 30-year-old member of the bagel royalty who has recently branched out to establish her own successful business. An athlete in her own right (she played professional tennis for a time), Ms. Goldberg was always looking to expand her family’s repertoire. “I’m a healthy eater, and I’m trying to bring healthy food into our stores, but who wants to go to Goldberg’s and order something healthy?” she said. The working owner of Goldberg’s Famous Bagels started her mission by bringing acai bowls into the bagel stores, where, she said, they were a hit.

Which is how she developed her next idea, a one-stop shop featuring healthy foods and made-to-order specialties. Her new store, Hamptons Beach Bowls, which opened in Bridgehampton in June, features, among other items, acai bowls that customers can design to fit their own personal needs.

“We have a menu of a few different fun [bowls], but we give people the option to make their own. We have the original: strawberries, blueberries, bananas, gluten-free granola, and coconut flakes. People get really funky with it and add Nutella, nut butters … The bowls are refreshing. They’re filling,” Ms. Goldberg said.

The make-your-own component includes numerous healthful ingredients, including fresh fruits, chia seeds, hemp seeds, cacao nibs, protein powder, spinach, goji berries, bee pollen, and more. The store uses Laurel’s Butters, a line of handcrafted tree nut and peanut butters made by Sayville-based Laurel Bickford.

Hamptons Beach Bowls, which occupies a central location in Bridgehampton (the former Tony Meatball space) also serves a host of other items, from smoothies to fresh juices to salads, sandwiches and wraps. Food is designed to appeal to the health-conscious, of course, with special consideration paid to dietary restrictions.

“I’ve been playing tennis all my life and I always wanted to play professionally,” Ms. Goldberg said. “You have to be more conscious of your food groups. There [are] so many people with food allergies, so I take that into consideration. At Bowls, a lot of the stuff is gluten-free. I like people to walk into someplace and say, ‘Hey, I don’t eat this. Do you have something you can feed me with?’ Basically, I just wanted a place for everyone.”

Savory items are expansive, including some nonvegetarian protein options (chicken and mayonnaise-free tuna fish, for instance), salads, zoodles (noodles made from spiralized zucchini), and a house classic “eggplant meatball” (eggplant, garlic, onion and gluten-free breadcrumbs), among other items. In addition to her business interests in Hamptons Beach Bowls—a company she co-owns with Southampton Goldberg’s Famous Bagels manager Samantha Haufsk—Amanda Goldberg continues to maintain her position as a working owner at her family’s bagel operation.

“You walk into any store, you’re definitely going to find a member of the family working there,” she said. In the mornings, she traverses the East End, visiting the bagel stores, before landing back in Bridgehampton. “I like to show face. I like to see people who come in every day,” she said.

In anticipation of the changing season, Ms. Goldberg, who will keep her business open all year, will be expanding her cold-weather menu, adding soups, overnight oats, and what she describes as “healthy comfort food.” The response, so far, has been positive. “People are really excited that they can get a well-priced salad and not go somewhere and spend $50 on lunch,” she said. Bowls cost $11.95 and are chock-full of fruit and other filling delights.

As the Hamptons moves into the off-season, Ms. Goldberg and her partner intend to stay open according to demand. Currently, the store is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, though those hours are subject to change. The owners have agreed to base their winter hours on feedback from the community. Concerning her food ethos, Ms. Goldberg deferred to simplicity as a guiding principle. “When you look at the ingredient list,” she said, “it should be two little lines. And you should be able to understand everything that’s in it.”

Follow Hamptons Beach Bowls on Instagram, @hamptonsbeachbowls.