'Grotto' Opens Doors

Modern-day coffeehouses are about more than just a good cup of joe.

After all, just last week, Evangelical pastor Steven Andrew, president of the USA Christian Ministries in California, called upon all Christians to boycott Starbucks Coffee Company for its support of legalized gay marriage in Washington State.

“You can see the energy behind these coffeehouses,” Pamela Wittenberg said while sipping a cup of coffee at the Blue Duck Bakery Café in Southampton on Tuesday afternoon. “They can become controversial. But I feel like we need places where people can come that are not controversial, that are tolerant and open and warm.”

That’s why Ms. Wittenberg and her friend Jeanne Wisner have organized a coffeehouse of their own.

“Well, I would expect this coffeehouse to stay out of the controversial column, thank you very much,” Ms. Wisner, who chose hot chocolate that day, added with a laugh.

On the third Saturday of every month, beginning February 18, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Fork in Bridgehampton—to which Ms. Wittenberg and Ms. Wisner belong—will host “The Grotto,” its first-ever coffeehouse for locals of all ages, free of any religious bent, and welcome to all, at the congregation’s meetinghouse.

Entrance to “The Grotto” costs absolutely nothing. And the coffee, hot chocolate, tea and baked goods will be free.

“Since the Revolutionary War, even before then, that’s where people met: the meetinghouse,” Ms. Wittenberg said. “It was a point of contact for people. And look what happened. We became America!”

“You know, they never separated the meetinghouse from the faith, back in the 17th century,” she continued. “They just so happened to be meeting at church because that was the only building. So that’s how we’re keeping it.”

Today, the idea of a coffeehouse usually brings to mind a cozy setting with gourmet coffee and espresso drinks for sale, but that wasn’t always the case. The first record of a public place serving coffee was in the Turkish city of Constantinople in 1475. It was such an important beverage in Turkey that it was legal for women to divorce their husbands if he could not supply her with enough daily coffee.

Coffeehouses spread throughout Europe and reached Britain in 1652. And when America was settled, the coffeehouse was quick to follow. The role of the coffeehouse here was the same as it was in England: a hub for the business community, which eventually evolved into a social gathering place.

“I love to get lost in coffeehouses with the people I’m with, and just hearing the atmosphere,” Ms. Wittenberg said.

“It’s relaxing,” Ms. Wisner said. “It’s warm. It’s inviting.”

“You feel like you’re in with everybody,” Ms. Wittenberg added. “It’s diverse.”

The women said that they did not invent the idea for hosting a coffeehouse in a Unitarian Universalist meetinghouse. Four congregations—Stony Brook, Huntington, Bay Shore and Garden City—host coffeehouses already, they said.

But the Bridgehampton-based coffeehouse will have a different vibe from all the others, they explained.

“The Grotto” will be held in a modest-sized room with a cozy, low-light atmosphere, Ms. Wisner said. Several tables will be covered in dark tablecloths for card and board games, such as Monopoly, Boggle, Scrabble and chess. A couple of sofas, which each seat three, will be set up for a more conversational area.

An open-mic session will start no earlier than 8:30 p.m. and beverages and baked treats will be served all night, free of charge.

“A ‘grotto’ means ‘cave,’” Ms. Wisner said. “And I think it has the connotation of being safe and warm, in the sense of cozy.”

“It’s a place to come out of the wild world out there,” Ms. Wittenberg said.

“To come out of the buzz of life and kind of pull into a comfortable place,” Ms. Wisner said.

Keeping with the intimate, comfortable feeling they imagine for the setting, the women are leaning toward shutting down the coffeehouse during the summer, when the East End crowds pick up. This an event for locals during the quiet season, Ms. Wittenberg said.

“It’s for these times when it gets isolated out here and you need to reach out and get out of the house,” she said. “Even though this has been a beautiful winter, you still need to meet new people and see who’s in your community.”

So come down to “The Grotto,” the ladies urge. It’s the place to be once a month, they said.

“It feels good to be out and be a part of an evening that is yours,” Ms. Wittenberg said. “You don’t know what’s going to happen exactly, except you’re with people who are also there to play games and enjoy one another’s company. It brings your blood pressure down.”

“Laughing is good for your health!” Ms. Wisner added.

“It’s a free date,” Ms. Wittenberg concluded. “You never know who you’re going to meet.”

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Fork will host a coffeehouse, “The Grotto,” on the third Saturday of every month, beginning February 18, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the meetinghouse in Bridgehampton. Admission is free. For more information, call 537-0132 or email admin@uucsf.org.