For generations, Shelly Schaffer and her family have kept the community fed via their popular Round Swamp Farm on Three Mile Harbor Road in East Hampton. Now, Schaffer’s new sports training facility, Hub 44, is serving the public her and her family’s highly sought after, practically infamous food to-go while the market is closed.
Hub 44 is Schaffer’s newly erected 6,000-square foot state-of-the-art sports facility, located behind Round Swamp’s market and 16-acres of farmland. Situated on Tan Bark Trail, The Hub features six batting cage lanes, an indoor turf field, pitching machines and virtual simulation systems. There’s also plenty of training clinics on hand for local youth playing baseball and softball.
“I have kids,” Schaffer says, “and trust me, not everyone gets to have this. It’s really special.”
Open since December of last year, Schaffer felt the need for a local sports clinic that both parents and kids alike could benefit from. Less than a month later, Schaffer started offering Round Swamp-style food in January out of her sports facility, aptly called “Hub Grub,” thanks to her new commercial kitchen built about 20 feet from the main building of The Hub.
The idea, according to Schaffer, is to kill two birds with one stone: the kids are able to develop skills and locally train for America’s favorite pastime and the parents can grab something for dinner all in a convenient, one-stop-shop situation.
At Round Swamp, the slogan is “farmers of land and sea.” At Hub 44, that same practice reigns, as locally sourced ingredients are used as much as possible in Schaffer’s dishes, offered to-go out of The Hub.
“Baseball is not my forté” the East Hampton resident says. “But cooking is.”
Anyone can order from Hub 44, she says, allowing the public to get their Round Swamp fix before they re-open for the season, and with Schaffer assuring at The Hub, “we try to keep it as fresh as possible. That’s what makes Round Swamp what it is.”
Along with her small kitchen team, Schaffer offers grab-and-go style fare at least three days a week, with dozens of familiar Round Swamp specialties along with new, freshly concocted creations available. Everything from small appetizers, larger entrees and whole cakes and pies for desserts are available. To check out their frequently changing menu, click here. Food for pick-up is available Thursdays from 3 to 8 p.m., Fridays noon to 8 p.m., and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.. Discounted food items are also available on Sunday, Schaffer says.
Although Round Swamp is slated to re-open its Three Mile Harbor location in April, Schaffer’s goal is to offer food at The Hub all year-round. In addition, Round Swamp also has locations on School Street in Bridgehampton and South Elmwood Avenue in Montauk.
“We’re still growing here,” she says. “It’s an extension of what we do.”
Hub 44 is located at 44 Tan Bark Trail. For more information, call Hub 44 at 631-658-9038 or email [email protected].
