Dan's Taste of Summer Countdown: Steven Judelson, Amagansett Sea Salt

Dan’s Taste of Two Forks presented by Farrell Building Company returns Saturday, July 23, but to a new Bridgehampton location—the waterfront at Fairview Farm at Mecox. Amagansett Sea Salt Founder Steven Judelson will be there spicing things up. As he says, “Professional chefs can coax great taste from almost everything. For the rest of us, fresh ingredients simply prepared is an easy route to great tasting, healthy eating. Our sea salt just makes it a bit better.”

What are you most looking forward to at Dan’s Taste of Two Forks?
We love seeing the surprise people have after tasting fresh vegetables dressed with just a few grains of our salt. People start to realize that great taste can come from fresh ingredients simply prepared. Seeing this reaction and meeting up with many of the restaurant chefs we supply is what we look forward to at Dan’s Taste of Two Forks.

What local ingredients are you using right now?
We’ve been partnering with local producers for a while to make salt blends and for food makers to make their products. Right now, we’re working with a couple of vineyards, a couple of chocolatiers, a few bakers and a coffee roaster. Be prepared for a couple of wonderful new releases.

What do you think of the Montauk Fishburger?
Great idea! A few grains of our finishing salt would make it even better.

What is your local cocktail, of choice this season?
We’ve had a few rounds of micheladas as we have been working on this season’s expansion of our saltworks. We are anxiously waiting to find out what the tastemakers will be suggesting we drink this season.

What fuels your creativity?
We constantly experiment with new flavor blends for our finishing salt to stay fresh and just because we are curious. Many of our ideas come from dishes we have eaten and places we have been. We love when we find something that works and wows our clients.

Please complete this sentence: My mother would not approve of my…
unusual midlife change of profession [from lawyer to salt farmer]

But she would approve of…
the flavor I get from anything dressed with Amagansett Sea Salt! I could survive on a desert island if I just had: fresh seafood, dark leafy greens and cold beer and cocktails—all of which we have in abundance on the East End.

Dan’s Taste of Summer kicks off with Dan’s GrillHampton on Friday, July 22, and continues on Saturday, July 23, with Dan’s Taste of Two Forks presented by Farrell Building Company, both on the waterfront at Fairview Farm at Mecox in Bridgehampton. The oceanfront food and drink fest ClambakeMTK at Gurney’s Montauk premieres on Saturday, July 30. Dan’s Harvest East End, the can’t-miss food and wine classic, is Saturday, August 20, at McCall Vineyard and Ranch in Cutchogue. For tickets and more information on all Dan’s Taste of Summer events, visit DansTaste.com! A portion of this year’s ticket proceeds from GrillHampton and Taste of Two Forks will benefit All For The East End (AFTEE), a 501(c)(3) that showcases and provides support to the more than 1,000 charity organizations in the five East End towns.