Breathe
Inside southforker’s Taste of WHB & More
by southforker
The skies cleared on cue for southforker magazine’s sizzling summer kick-off event, the Taste of WHB & More. Last Saturday night, June 17, on the Great Lawn in Westhampton Beach, hundreds from all over the East End came out to celebrate the sultry season on the beautiful temperate June evening just days shy of the summer solstice, ushering in the official launch of the Time Review Media Group’s newest lifestyle publication aimed at the South Fork.
“Our first southforker event in Westhampton Beach was an overwhelming success and was sold out. It was a spectacular way to introduce our new southforker brand,” said Times Review Media Group publisher Andrew Olsen. “The mix of energy, people and all of our restaurants, wineries, breweries, spirits and sponsors led to an amazing night. What a great way to kick off the summer!”
The crowd of over 600+ revelers danced to the funky live sounds of In the Groove, lined up for selfies at the 360 Photo Booth brought to all by our Presenting Sponsor California Closets and sipped and supped on the delicious offerings of dozens of area restaurants, chefs, winemakers and brewers, along with specialty cocktails and brews from sponsors Campari America, Simply Spiked Lemonade, Blue Moon and Modelo beer and water sponsor AquaPanna/San Pelligrino to keep everyone hydrated and happy, as well as security staffed by TAK to keep party-goers safe.
“Having called this area home for the past 23 years, the recent Main Street improvements provided the perfect opportunity to highlight the charm and appeal of Westhampton Beach. We extend our gratitude to Mayor Moore and the Board of Trustees for granting us the privilege to showcase their tireless efforts,” said Steve McKenna, Times Review Media Group’s vice president of sales and live events.
It was nearly impossible to choose from the multitude of food stations from local purveyors who brought their A-game, including 103 Bambinos Pizzeria, Art of Eating, Corner Café & Restaurant, Cuisine by Colleen, Fauna, Flora, Grace & Grit, Hampton Coffee, Insatiable Eats, Justin’s Chop Shop, La Volpe Restaurant, Oysterponds Shellfish Company, Shock Ice Cream, Sydney’s Taylor Made Cuisine and Taylor’s Sushi Suite.
Regional wineries and brewers showed up to pour with aplomb, too, with sips from Westhampton Beach Brewery, Twin Forks, Kidd Squid and übergeek, along with grape crusadors Macari Wine, Pellegrini Vineyards, Sannino, Castello di Borghese, and Single Married Divorced Sparkling Wine.
Ava Grace Sannino, Anthony Sannino of Sannino Vineyard 
Jeanne Smith of ubergeek Brewing. (Photo credit: Barbara Lassen) 
Jesse Nash and Irena Patar of Single, Married, Divorced Sparkling Wine. (Photo credit: Amy Zavatto) 
Giovanni Borghese of Borghese Vineyards. (Photo credit: Barbara Lassen) 
Jessica Markovic of Pellegrini Vineyards. (Photo credit: Barbara Lassen) 
Rory McEvoy of Kidd Squid Brewing Co. (Photo credit: Barbara Lassen) 
The Campari America cocktail bar. (Photo credit: Nicholas Grasso)
Additional sponsors for the evening provided comfy private lounges for VIP ticket holders, where they kicked up their heels and caught up on the events of the evening. Special sponsors included California Closets, Intelli-Tec Security, Point 32 Investment Partners, Peconic Bay Medical Center, Ocean Electric and Riverhead GMC and Lincoln. And the Murray Team from Corcoran ensured that phones stayed fully charged throughout the event with their convenient charging stations.
“And we have more events planned, including our northforker Wine & Food Classic in Cutchogue on Thursday, August 31,” said Olsen. Grab your tickets for that event — which was a sold-out success last year — by clicking here. See you on the dance floor!
