Foodstuffs: Paella Party, South Asian Sweet Treat, France Flavors, New Cookies and Brewery Fundraiser

It’s a Paella Party!

One of the most notable representations of Spanish cuisine is paella. The iconic dish is an integral part of Spain’s culture of family, friends, and festivities — and where there’s paella, chances are, there’s probably a party.

Monday, March 27, is National Paella Day and R.Aire Restaurant at The Hampton Maid is hosting its first Paella Party, celebrating the origins of this classic dish and paying homage to Chef Alex Bujorneau’s Spanish background.

“In Spain, dining with friends and family is an integral part of the culture, and I wanted to recreate that convivial feeling here at R.Aire,” Bujoreanu explained. “Our hope is to build community through this event, and hopefully, host regular paella parties all summer long, where friends gather, relax and enjoy fantastic food in a casual, elegant setting.”

Guests at the March 27 event will have the pleasure of sampling three of Bujoreanu’s signature paellas — DeMarisco (seafood), Rustic (meat) and Mushroom Fideua (vegetarian) — all paired perfectly with a complimentary glass of sangria. An optional wine pairing will be available for purchase, as well a cash bar for cocktails. A live flamenco performance by The Gipsy Strings will cap off the evening.

Bujoreanu takes great pride in his paellas, all guest favorites at R.Aire. He works with the finest, freshest ingredients to create an authentic, rich, and savory dish with a dense and chewy texture. He uses Bomba rice, native to Spain, which stays firm while absorbing the liquid during cooking, and he refrains from stirring the rice, which allows a perfectly crisp socarrat crust to form.

The Paella Party takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, March 27, and the cost is $45 per person, inclusive of the paella tasting, a glass of sangria and live entertainment. The optional wine pairing is $15 and includes three varieties of Spanish wine. For those wishing to stay overnight, The Hampton Maid is offering a 20 percent room discount for anyone joining the paella party.

Dining Reservations can be made through Resy. R.AIRE at The Hampton Maid Restaurant is at 259 East Montauk Hwy., Hampton Bays. Visit hamptonmaid.com/dine or call 631-728-4166 for more details.

South Asian Sweet Treat

All three Citarella locations on the East End are now selling Heritage Kulfi Premium Ice Cream, a South Asian sweet treat. Founded by Mansoor Ahmed in 2021 in Princeton, N.J., the certified minority-owned business revitalizes traditional approaches to kulfi, South Asia’s treasured style of ice cream.

Churned minimally and made with ample cream like the original dessert, Heritage Kulfi’s decadent ingredients are slow-cooked overnight, yielding a dense, creamy texture and rich dairy notes. A proprietary steeping process is responsible for the complexity and depth of Heritage Kulfi’s signature flavor profiles: Alphonso Mango, Cardamom Chai, Coconut, Earl Grey, Pistachio, Rosewater, Saffron and Vanilla Bean.

Through his extensive experience in frozen food distribution, the company’s Princeton-based founder Mansoor Ahmed designed Heritage Kulfi to fill a gap in the South Asian food market while offering something unique to the premium ice cream market as a whole — offering classic South Asian flavors and the creaminess of traditional kulfi while still connecting with a broader audience in its uniquely premium texture, ingredients and flavors. Along with using certified sustainably sourced packaging, all flavors are egg-free, non-GMO, gluten-free, halal and kosher.

Citarella has stores in East Hampton, Bridgehampton and Southampton. For more information, visit citarella.com.

A Taste of France in East Hampton

Nick & Toni’s restaurant will host a special wine pairing dinner on Thursday, March 30, beginning at 6:30 p.m. “France: Tour de Terroir — The Limestone Cowboys,” a progressive five course wine dinner pairing indigenous French grape varieties and traditional regional cuisine will feature a menu crafted by Chef Joseph Realmuto and Pastry Chef Kelsey Roden, paired with French wines chosen by Beverage Director Chimene Macnaughton.

“In creating the themes for these monthly tasting experiences, we take our core inspiration indigenous grape varieties the world over,” said Macnaughton. “We dedicate half of the series to the over 300 native grapes of Italy, and for the other three themes, I let my most recent blind tastings and the year’s newest vintage releases be my guide. When that means we receive our dinner guests with a dazzling, and bubbly, Chenin Blanc, then I’m doing something really right!

“‘Limestone Cowboys’ is a way of touring some of France’s most prime and prestigious terroir, all in one sitting,” she continued. “We’re covering terrain in Burgundy and the Loire, the Languedoc and the Northern Rhône Valley. It’s a crowd favorite topic I’ve workshopped in years past, and the menu that this ‘Tour de Terroir’ has fueled is sure to spark another truly elevated evening of dining at Nick & Toni’s.”

The cost for “France: Tour de Terroir — The Limestone Cowboys” on March 30 is $150 per person, plus tax and gratuity, for the five-course dinner including course-by-course wine pairings. Wines from the menu will be available for preorder with special event pricing directly through Jacques Franey of Domaine Franey on the night of the event.

For reservations, visit bit.ly/3JcIiX3. Nick & Toni’s is located at 136 North Main Street, East Hampton. For more information, call 631-324-3550 or visit nickandtonis.com.

East End Arts Trivia Brunch Fundraiser

East End Arts and Humanities Council, Inc. (EEA) will host its inaugural Trivia Brunch Fundraiser at Peconic County Brewing in Riverhead on Sunday, April 2, at 11:30 a.m. The event promises to be a fun and engaging way to support the arts in the community while enjoying PCB’s delicious food and beer.

“We are thrilled to host our first-ever trivia fundraiser at Peconic County Brewing,” said East End Arts Executive Director Diane Burke. “This event not only supports our mission of promoting the arts in our community but also provides an opportunity for people to come together and enjoy themselves.”

Guests will test their mastery of fun facts, useless information and random knowledge courtesy of Think Inc. Trivia’s Paul A. Johnson while Peconic County Brewing serves up its mouth-watering brunch (including their famed “beer-mosa”). The winning teams will be awarded prize packages of brewery gift certificates and apparel.

In the interest of keeping the event accessible to all, a donation of $20 per person or $100 per team of six is suggested. All proceeds, including a portion of beer and food sales, will support East End Arts’ ongoing programs and services, including arts education for children and adults, concerts and performances and public galleries.

“We are grateful for the support of our community and partner Peconic County Brewing, who is generously turning their wildly popular trivia brunch into a fundraiser for EEA,” added Burke.

Tickets for the event are limited, so interested players are encouraged to purchase them early at eastendarts.org. Peconic County Brewing is at 221 East Main Street in Riverhead. For more information, visit peconiccountybrewing.com.

A New Tate’s Flavor

Tate’s Limited Edition Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies are now available and elevate the crispy, buttery flavor that defines Tate’s by adding in a decadent salty caramel twist and sprinkled in chocolate chips. Tate’s has been consistently expanding its portfolio by introducing new products and seasonal flavors, including Cookie Bark, Vegan Chocolate Chip and Vegan Vanilla Maple cookies, and Gluten Free Lemon cookies. Tate’s Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip is the latest flavor innovation to hit the shelves and can be purchased on tatesbakeshop.com, Amazon, and stores nationwide. They are certified kosher by the Orthodox Union.