Summertime and the living is supposed to be easy. DIY soirees sound fun but they’re anything but easy to pull off. You’ll have to take care of food, wine, cocktail, mocktails, music, ambiance, come up with a Plan B for weather. It’s the exact opposite of a day at the beach.
Around the South Fork, local services allow you to have your cake, cocktail and enjoy the party, too. They bring the tents, food, drinks and even handle clean up so you can mix, mingle and take all the credit. If you’ve got hopeful plans to host the soiree of the season, invite these 11 South Fork businesses to the party.
Another event industry mainstay, Bridgehampton-based Art of Eating, arrives at any event with Hamptons’ flavor and flare in tow. The full-service, off-premise catering brand sources from local farms, such as herbs from Balsam and fava beans from Green Farm Organic, and produces dishes that look almost too good to eat, like Chinese chicken salad cones. The company has experience throwing everything from eight-person beach bashes to elegant vineyard nuptials.
Owner Becky Early is the OG of supplying parties with all the accoutrements needed to make it an affair to remember. Founded by her partner, Alice McDonald, in 1978, Early came on board in the mid-’80s and knows the Hamptons aesthetic. From charming chargers and gorgeous dishes, to fine flatware, silver service, linens and even the tables and chairs to sit down and enjoy it all from, Early can do it all — from charmingly rustic to spiffed-up elegant.
Andrea Correale founded Elegant Affairs in the mid-’90s, and the off-premise catering business has stood the test of time in a market known for its high standards. The soup-to-nuts operation (literally) brings more than food. The staff helps with planning, rentals and venue coordination should you skip the backyard thing. As for the food, expect Insta-worthy presentations, like pea shoots garnished by flowers and chicken tenders in tiny silver pairs that exude rustic appeal.
Wood-fired is developing a cult following in the pizza space. And new North Fork-based Fyr and Salt is bringing their A-game out of the gate with wood-fired dishes like Long Island duck, porchetta and coal-grilled asparagus. Family-style meals on a long table with hefty plates of lamb with charred greens and sea bass crudo made for sharing and chef’s tasting menus with seasonal favorites like summer squash and duck fat potatoes are also possibilities, depending on your vision (and hunger!).
Velina Gerova moved to the U.S. and chased her American dream. She met East Hampton-born David Gaviola, now her business partner, who’s also a chef with Silver Spoon Specialties. He uses his sense of taste to craft cocktails (and mocktails for the zero-proof crowd), and Velina’s effervescent personality is known to shine through during the planning process and rival the mobile bar’s bubbly concoctions.
Party Rental, LLD was founded five decades ago in a small liquor store in Englewood, N.J. And, like many Jersey natives, they love partying in the Hamptons, especially during the summer. The inventory once included 100 wooden chairs, one chinaware style and 50 tables. Now, party planners can choose from seven different kinds of pitchers alone — from crystal to vibrant red and blue tin.
Based in Greenport, Rolling in the Dough’s 1943 K-6 International truck is ready to roll to either of the Twin Forks. The thin-crust pizzas bursting with flavor that lingers long after the party ends steal the show. The menu includes classics like pepperoni and cheese and conversation starter toppings like fig, clam and goat cheese. The truck doesn’t simply let guests dine and dash. They’ll bring paper supplies and handle clean-up, which, with pizza, can get mighty messy.
Mother-son duo Jeanine Burdge and David Gaviola have blended blue-collar attention to detail and white-glove service since starting Silver Spoon Specialties in 2010. The company specializes in an array of headcounts and vibes. Think an elegant 15-person backyard dinner or a more casual lobster bake or a 250-person wedding. Silver Spoon can coordinate décor, tablescapes, restroom trailers and tents, wowing guests and keeping hosts stress-free.
Something Different Party Rental
Something Different Party Rental’s location — on Southampton Village’s Main Street — and two decades in the event business gives it an insider’s view of what works for a South Fork soiree. From wooden chairs ideal for a rustic brunch down to tiny-but-noticeable touches like floral napkin rings, SDPR understands the delicious devil is in the details.
Craft beer is no longer a buzzy trend — it’s an expectation. Brew seekers are looking to try something new or lean into local favorites these days, and Top Hops Half Pint beer truck is hoppy to help. Husband and wife duo Ted Kenny and Christina Cahill took their NYC-started beer biz and brought it out east via a three-wheeled Italian Piaggo Ape Classic delivery truck. The lineup includes New York Metro area brews like Transmitter and KCBC, along with local faves like Sag Harbor’s Kidd Squid. The truck staff can also team up with other local businesses like Rolling in the Dough, Peeko oysters and King Andrew cheese to provide food and beer pairing experiences that’ll have guests toasting to you between bites and sips.
Rosé is the drink of summer — and vintage Rosé Tap Truck thinks pink year-round. Guests can customize a package or choose from one, two or three-hour deals with choices of flower garlands or biodegradable balloon arches. It’s not all wine — rosé cocktails and rosé-like mocktails are also for the sipping, ideal for non-drinkers and moms-to-be. The super cute, pink, retro-looking truck adds style to any sprawling field of green.
