If waiting isn’t your strong suit, Curated Fine Meats—Wainscott’s brand new grab-and-go meat market opening Wednesday, May 3—is marinating a whole new way to shop for your favorite sizzling sustenance.
“It’s a different concept that I came up with, to pre-package upscale products,” says Justin Aronoff, Curated’s founder and owner. “Our meat will be all USDA prime, wagyu beef, Berkshire pork and premium poultry, all pre-packaged, vacuum sealed and ready for you.”
The new 1,000-square-foot space will also have local duck, an entire line of chicken, lamb and pork sausages, and gourmet grocery items like D’Artagnan products, truffle cheeses, prepared sauces and dressings, bespoke butters, seafood escabeche products from Spain and even no-one-will-know-you-didn’t-make-them hors d’oeuvres for impromptu gatherings.
“It’s in the Hamptons. People are always on the run here, having company and entertaining, so they’re trying to get in and out of a store as quickly as they can so they can get back and try to enjoy the homes they’re renting or own for the summer. They don’t want to have to be in here for a half hour getting what they need.”
Justin Aronoff was just 19 years old when he opened his first butcher shop, Center Cuts, in Roslyn, Long Island. “I was working in a local butcher shop, but the owner decided to close. Two weeks later, another butcher shop closed nearby,” he says. Aronoff saw the opportunity to continue providing the town with a business that they’d otherwise be left wanting, and he jumped. Seven years later, he opened a second Center Cuts in Mattituck.
Now, before he even hits 30, he’s on his third shop, taking on the Hamptons.
“I’ve been working in restaurants, butcher shops and delis since I was 14. I worked in a butcher shop right out of high school,” he says. With nearly a decade under his butcher’s apron ties, he began to observe that while customers love the quality and attention of an old-school butcher shop, sometimes they simply don’t have time to stand and wait—the only other option then, is choice or, more likely, select-quality meat from a supermarket.
“We’re carrying a variety of very upscale items that haven’t been seen in Hamptons stores, like wagyu from Japan, Australia and Snake River Farms.” But if you need a special order, they’ll do that, too. Just give a call two or three days in advance, and Aronoff and his team will have your roast, rack or bone-in rib-eye ready to go in the size and cut you want.
While Curated’s doors quietly open this Wednesday, May 3, be sure to mark the date May 13 on your calendar for the grand opening celebration, with lots of samples of gourmet goodies on hand to try, as well as wine from Wainscott Main Wines & Spirits to complement them.
Curated Fine Meats, located at 338 Montauk Highway, Wainscott, is open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.. Special orders are taken via email or by calling the shop at 631-527-5911. Delivery options will be available in early summer.