The Candy Kitchen (2391 Montauk Highway, Bridgehampton, 631-537-9885) turns a century old this year and its current owner, Gus Laggis, has achieved near-celebrity status in the Hamptons. On Aug. 1, the Candy Kitchen and the Laggis family were honored by the Bridgehampton Museum at the Nathaniel Rogers House as this year’s Community Stars.
Laggis, who arrived in the United States from Greece as a teenager in 1967, worked at several area restaurants before buying the classic soda shop in 1981. The Candy Kitchen is a time capsule of a bygone era, serving egg creams, club sandwiches, burgers and fries, and, of course, homemade ice cream — a cash-only oasis where old-fashioned methods are still revered.
The soda shop is a family affair, with both of Laggis’s daughters, Jamie Laggis and Maria Laggis Lima, keeping the place humming. Laggis’s son-in-law Mauricio Lima is tasked with making the ice cream with fresh ingredients (customers wait impatiently each year for the peach crop to ripen for that popular flavor). Laggis remains a ubiquitous presence in the shop, where the customers and the community are considered part of the family.
Laggis purhcased The Candy Kitchen in Bridgehampton 1981, but the joint has been serving the East End for a century, as of 2025! (Photos by Madison Fender)
We recently caught up with Laggis to hear about a few of his favorite things:
Favorite place to take visitors The Montauk Lighthouse (2000 Montauk Highway, Montauk, 631-668-2544). I like to take people to carouse in restaurants in all the different towns, and now that the lighthouse is opened in Montauk, that’s a big hit with friends who have never been here before.
Favorite things to do on your day off I am a golfer, so I play golf on my days off. I am a member at the Southampton Golf Club (1005 County Road 39, Southampton, 631-283-0623), but I play all different golf courses.
Favorite old-school business Candy Kitchen!
Favorite time of the year I like the summer. I enjoy the warm weather so I can play golf and go for a swim. I like to see the town busy as well.
Favorite beach I love going to Long Beach (Foster Memorial Beach, 1000 Long Beach Road, Sag Harbor, 631-728-8585) and Cooper’s Beach (268 Meadow Lane, Southampton, 631-287-3450).
Favorite things to do with kids I like being outside and having a barbecue. We go to Prime Meats (Peconic Prime Meats, 235 North Sea Road, Southampton, 631-488-4697), Cromer’s (Cromer’s Market, 3500 Noyack Road, Sag Harbor, 631-725-9004) and Catena’s (Catena’s Market, 143 Main St., Southampton, 631-283-3456).
Favorite place to grab a beer I like to unwind with a cocktail at Bobby Van’s (Bobby Van’s Steakhouse, 2393 Montauk Highway, Bridgehampton, 631-537-0590) after a long day of work. My go-to cocktail is a martini straight up.
