Foodstuffs: Sommelier Summer, Cookouts Return, East End Food Breaks Ground, Wine With Music and Molecular Spirits

Summer Sommeliers at Elaia Estiatorio

As part of Elaia Estiatorio’s Summer Sommelier Series, on Thursday, July 27, from 6 to 8 p.m. the Bridgehampton restaurant will be hosting a guided wine pairing and three-course dinner alongside DAOU Vineyards based in Paso Robles, California. Hosted by Alyssa Ducker, New York regional sales manager from DAOU, an expert will walk attendees through a hand-picked selection of wines, including the vineyard’s 2019 Soul of a Lion, paired with a custom curated menu of Greek cuisine (grilled halloumi, spreads, prawns, lamb chops and more).

Elaia Estiatorio is at 95 School Street in Bridgehampton. Seats are limited and reservations can be made at elaiaestiatorio.com or via Resy.

Wednesday Night Cookouts Are Back at the Pridwin

For years, the Pridwin on Shelter Island has hosted its legendary Wednesday Night Cookouts — a highlight of summer. As of July 19, the weekly cookouts are back and every Wednesday evening, the Pridwin is setting up the outdoor grills and serving up live entertainment and a delicious selection of classic summer fare while overlooking the bay.

Cookout starters include: peel and eat shrimp, boiling bots (steamed mussels and clams), watermelon, potato and macaroni salad, Brussels sprout slaw, along with grilled items like burgers, hotdogs and black bean burgers, smoked prime beef brisket with BBQ sauce and sweet corn muffins, pulled pork and smoked links (served with Tabasco onions and cider vinegar), dry rub heritage chicken, grilled stripe bass, baked macaroni casserole, burnt end baked beans and roasted corn with lime butter and cotija cheese. For the finish, diners can the Pridwin’s pies, brownies and cookies.

Wednesday Night Cookouts are served from 5 to 8:45 p.m. Advanced reservations are required and tickets are $65 ($35 children) at pridwin.com. The Pridwin Hotel & Cottages is at 81 Shore Road, Shelter Island.

East End Food Breaks Ground on New Food

On July 14, Southampton-based nonprofit East End Food was joined by members of the Riverhead Chamber of Commerce, local elected officials and enthusiastic staff and supporters to celebrate construction of a new East End Food Hub at 139 Main Road in Riverhead.

The facility, designed by Garnett DePasquale Projects, includes renovation of an existing 5,000 square foot building that once housed the Homeside Garden Center and more recently a year-round farmers market. The renovation features space for the farmers market alongside demonstration space for food and nutrition education, shared community kitchen, food processing area and warehouse and cold storage for aggregation and distribution of local food. It is expected to open early 2024.

“East End Food Hub is a transformative initiative that will shape the future of our community’s food ecosystem,” said East End Food Executive Director Kate Fullam. “This groundbreaking ceremony symbolizes our commitment to building a sustainable, inclusive and resilient food system that empowers local farmers, launches small businesses and connects everyone to local food.”

From produce to products, East End Food Hub will sustain hundreds of local farms using new, high-efficiency equipment like a flash freezer, roll-in oven and a large capacity steam kettle to turn surplus produce into products available year-round. From kitchen to market, the Hub will launch hundreds of local businesses, offering a space to produce their goods and sell year-round at East End Food’s indoor market in Riverhead and online. From the farm to community, East End Food Hub will feed thousands of people in need by streamlining connections between farms and schools, food pantries, senior centers and other local institutions.

“In the last five years, East End Food has outgrown the commercial kitchen on the Stony Brook Southampton campus,” Fullam said. “We are grateful for the partnership with Stony Brook, and now an opportunity to expand our programs and impact in Riverhead and to serve our community from Orient to Montauk and points west.”

The project is estimated to cost $3 million, and East End Food has already secured $1.3 million in grants and private donations to start construction, including an Empire State Development capital grant of $300,000, recommended by the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council. Capital campaign donations are welcomed at all levels via the East End Food website, campaign.eastendfood.org, and supporters can reach out directly to learn more at info@eastendfood.org.

Live Music on the North Fork

Bedell Cellars and Corey Creek Tap Room will host live music throughout the month of August. Here’s the schedule for both locations.

Bedell Cellars Music Schedule (local oysters available on Wednesdays)

Wednesday, August 2 - Next Level Band and Founders Oyster Farm, 5 to 9 p.m.

Sunday, August 6 - Gene Casey, 1 to 5 p.m.

Wednesday, August 9 - Paris Ray and Oysterponds Shellfish Co., 5 to 9 p.m.

Sunday, August 13 - Brandon Gurba, 1 to 5 p.m.

Wednesday, August 16 - Barely Acoustic and Founders Oyster Farm, 5 to 9 p.m.

Wednesday, August 23 - Haig Mathosian and Oysterponds Shellfish Co., 5 to 9 p.m.

Sunday, August 27 - Points East, 1 to 5 p.m.

Wednesday, August 30 - The Como Brothers and Founders Oyster Farm, 5 to 9 p.m.

Bedell Cellars is at 36225 Main Road in Cutchogue. Visit bedellcellars.com for information.

Corey Creek Tap Room Music Schedule (local food trucks on Thursdays)

Thursday, August 3 - Ali and local bites by Balos Foods, 5 to 9 p.m.

Sunday, August 6 - Robin Sidor, 1 to 5 p.m.

Thursday, August 10 - Jeff LeBlanc and local bites by North Sea Tavern, 5 to 9 p.m.

Sunday, August 13 - Haig Mathosian, 1 to 5 p.m.

Thursday, August 17 - Haig Mathosian and local bites by Nice Buns Food Truck, 5 to 9 p.m.

Sunday, August 20 - Haig Mathosian, 1 to 5 p.m.

Thursday, August 24 - Julia King and local bites by Balos Foods, 5 to 9 p.m.

Sunday, August 27 - Jeff LeBlanc, 1 to 5 p.m.

Thursday, August 31 - The Next Level Band and local bites by Brockenzo Pizza, 5 to 9 p.m.

Corey Creek Tap Room is at 45470 Main Road, Southold. Visit coreycreektaproom.com for information.

Molecular Spirits

Linden Leaf, the Cambridge, U.K.-based distiller that handcrafts ultra-premium organic spirits at the molecular level, has launched on the East End. The distiller’s 88 Organic Molecular Gin and Singularity Organic Molecular Vodka are now available in Montauk at The Surf Lodge, and in Sag Harbor at Sag Harbor Kitchen on Bay Street and The Green Room at Sag Harbor Cinema.

The pursuit of flavorful spirits has now reached the molecular level. Linden Leaf’s founders, two of whom have science doctorate degrees from Cambridge University, have a near-obsessive passion for food, regularly traveling the world to seek out new culinary and flavor experiences.

Immersed in many of the world’s most unique flavors, their curiosity got them wondering — what made their favorite foods and drinks taste the way they did? For example, could they determine what makes a fresh, ripe orange taste really “orangey” (hint: it’s the thinnest 2 mm of the outer layer of the peel, not the juicy pulp) and, conversely, are there components in that orange that actually make it taste less orangey? Not to mention which of the over 400 varieties of orange deliver the best taste experience? (It’s one produced by a single farm in Spain). And, how do other properties, like mouthfeel, affect flavor?

After experimenting with countless botanicals — all organic and GMO-free — and scientific techniques to extract specific molecules (and rallying hundreds of friends and family as flavor and aroma testers), Linden Leaf’s founders developed a way to identify the exact molecules in each ingredient. In the process, they also discovered which of these different botanical molecules worked in perfect harmony with each other and which clearly did not, including which worked best with juniper. They call this “Molecular Craftsmanship,” which is the key to Linden Leaf’s unique, perfectly balanced flavor experience.

“Admittedly, we opened up a scientific Pandora’s box when we started chasing exactly which molecules made our favorite food and drink taste the way it did,” explained Matthew Webster, one of Linden Leaf’s founding members, along with Mukund Unavane and Paul Bennett. “But countless experiments and testing led us to the holy grail: a Molecular Flavor Atlas, which we use to create what I believe are the most harmonious, flavorful spirits possible.”

The first practical application of Linden Leaf’s molecular craftmanship theory was the founders’ shared favorite spirit: gin, a product historically rich in taste but often lacking in subtle flavor and aroma qualities. Using what they learned through literally thousands of sample tastings, Linden Leaf created 88 Organic Molecular Gin, which features 88 separate flavor molecule notes from 28 botanicals, where the complex flavors and aromas complement each other, unfolding sip after sip. Gin 88 botanicals include: yuzu, calamansi and grains of paradise, all built around a core of subtle, organic juniper

One of the greatest challenges for Linden Leaf was how to use the molecular principals to create a supremely sippable vodka. The result is Singularity Organic Molecular Vodka with a base alcohol made from a blend of organic/non-GMO modern grains like wheat, barley and rye and ancient grains like spelt. The final blend delivers a velvety mouthfeel devoid of harsh alcohol burn — precisely what you want when drinking vodka straight or on the rocks.

Linden Leaf is distributed in New York and Florida by Park Street, Colorado by Culture Beverage and is exploring expansion nationwide. In the meantime check out their new releases at The Surf Lodge, Sag Harbor Kitchen and The Green Room.