Leap of Faith Is Already Paying Off for Neubauer With Local Provisions in Westhampton Beach

Sometimes, a leap of faith starts with an unexpected push.

That’s what happened for Jennifer Neubauer.

In November 2022, she was part of mass layoffs in the tech industry, losing her job as the director of enterprise sales for a software company that services the health, wellness and beauty industries. Pretty quickly, she had a few job offers, but instead of entertaining those, she decided to bide her time.

“I just took a beat, because it almost felt like a sign from the universe that I needed to take a step back,” she said.

While working for the software company had been lucrative, in many ways it held Neubauer back from devoting all her time to her true passion — food. Before her decade-plus career in the tech industry, Neubauer, 39, had worked as a private chef for families both on the East End and in New York City. Moving into corporate America made sense at the time she did it, but the layoff allowed Neubauer to pursue a dream that had been percolating for some time: opening her own business.

The weekend after Memorial Day, Neubauer did just that, introducing Local Provisions to Westhampton Beach Village. The small store, located down an alley at 121A Main Street, near Funcho’s, is now open from Wednesday through Saturday, offering healthy, grab-and-go breakfast and lunch staples, from sandwiches to salads, smoothies, and cold-pressed juices, with an array of vegan and gluten-free options as well.

Creating varied, healthy, locally-sourced and in-season food has been a passion of Neubauer’s for years. The 2002 Westhampton Beach High School graduate and mom of three built up a devoted following and fan base for her gardening and food blog, Hook and Garden, which has more than 60,000 followers on TikTok and 30,000 followers on Instagram.

Running Hook and Garden in her spare time was a way for Neubauer to stay in touch with her true passion and to creatively express her love for food, gardening and plants while still working in the tech industry, but it never completely filled that void, she said.

“It was my passion project on the side while I was working,” she said. “I grew that, and it was my fun little off-put on the side to be creative. But all along, I was feeling like something was missing in my life.”

Making food and being with people was what she craved, Neubauer said, and when the opportunity to move into the small space in Westhampton Beach became available, she was interested.

At first, it seemed like it wasn’t going to pan out. Another tenant had expressed interest in the space, and the landlord told her that she was, essentially, Plan B. In early spring, Neubauer received the sad news that the space was taken. But a few weeks later, on April 20 — Neubauer’s birthday — she experienced a lucky twist of fate.

“The landlord called and said the guy ended up saying it was too small,” she said. “He told me I could take it, but that I’d need to commit right away. I was just mentally shifting back toward getting a job, but I just said, ‘yes.’”

Neubauer spent the next four weeks hustling to get the space ready, sprucing it up and redecorating, doing most of it on her own — with the help of some dedicated friends — from painting shelves to cleaning equipment. She initially wanted to open on Memorial Day weekend, but wasn’t quite ready, and moved the opening a week later.

“My head is still spinning from it all,” Neubauer said, flashing a smile as she sat in her store earlier this week on a Tuesday. A customer walked past and stopped in, and Neubauer told her that while she was not officially open that day, she would be happy to sell her two cold-pressed juices. The customer hugged Neubauer, sharing that she was just days away from her wedding day, while sharing rave reviews of the store and the juices.

Neubauer said the store is an extension of who she is as a person, and the space reflects that. Small potted houseplants line shelves around the store, giving it a cozy, quaint vibe. The plants are offered for sale, and each adorned with popsicle sticks holding tags with simple messages, like “call me pretty and water me,” or “I want you too!”

The entryway to the store is decorated with flowers, and a large planter out front overflows with edible flowers and herbs in a crush of reds, yellows and greens. There’s a neon pink sign behind the counter that says “Local Love,” and a large roll of brown butcher paper with the words “Be patient, be kind, be cool” drawn on in attractive print.

“My hope in this little space is to give people some options for healthier food,” Neubauer said. “I feel like in Westhampton we don’t have many options, if people want something vegan or gluten free, or just want something that’s a little lighter fare.”

Neubauer said Local Provisions shouldn’t be thought of strictly as a health-food store, but rather as a place that can provide some different options for customers, whether it’s avocado toast on locally made sourdough bread from 1610 Sourdough on the North Fork, topped with edible flowers, or acai bowls, protein boxes, vegan boxes and veggie boxes offered for a quick grab-and-go lunch. The cold-pressed juices have been a hit, Neubauer said, selling out almost daily, and the smoothie menu includes different varieties named after local beaches. “The Rogers Beach” is Neubauer’s personal favorite, she said, adding it has a shot of espresso in it for an extra boost.

Neubauer said she plans to offer certain menu staples, but will switch it up as well.

“I want to focus on what’s fresh and local on the East End,” she said.

The focus on locally sourced, locally grown food is no surprise to anyone who follows Neubauer online at Hook and Garden, where she shares videos offering advice and expertise on a variety of garden and food related topics, from how to harvest radishes, and planting from seeds, to smoothie recipes, creating flower arrangements, and more.

A keen interest in gardening or growing food isn’t a prerequisite for enjoying what Neubauer offers at Local Provisions. She wants the store to be “a place for everyone.”

“There can be a sense of balance in food,” she said. “I’m not 100 percent one way or another. I may want a cold-pressed juice one day and a bagel another. I just want a place that’s an extension of my soul, and to feel like I can share something delicious with people and give them options along the way.”

So far, that’s exactly what Neubauer has done at Local Provisions, and she said she’s glad she didn’t wait any longer to pursue that dream.

“Sometimes you can stay in comfort a little longer than maybe you should, for the wrong reasons,” she said. “I might not have taken this leap if I didn’t get laid off, so it really has been a blessing in disguise. Not that I wouldn’t have done it eventually, but I think I just needed a little poke.”

Local Provisions is currently open Wednesdays through Sundays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., although the hours may be extended during the summer.

For more information, visit localprovisionswhb.com, or follow localprovisionswhb and hookandgarden on Instagram.