Dan's Taste of Summer Countdown: Chef Matthew Chappelle, The Service Station

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. The Service Station Food & Drink, based in East Hampton, is sending chef Matthew Chappelle. He says he’s looking forward to every part of the event, including “meeting new people and showcasing our restaurant’s food. I’m just really excited to join this event. It’s my first time joining a professional social event out here, so it should be really fun!”

What fuels your creativity as a chef?
I always had an interest to create. And I always loved the art of competition. It was just a perfect fit! It’s also really exciting to work with a lot of fresh products. One thing you can really appreciate while living out here is our rich soil that produces rich product, and seeing it from start to finish throughout the seasons is really interesting to me.

What is your cocktail of choice this season?
What I used to drink when I lived on Martha’s Vineyard is called a Cape Codder—vodka and cranberry juice.

Which of your dishes would you most like to serve to another chef?
I wanted most of our menu items to be mainstream, or dishes that the majority of people are familiar with. Usually the specials showcase finesse and personal skill, so to other chefs—those are the ones I would like present.

How has the gluten-free eating trend affected your menu?
New trends in guests’ health awareness are always accommodated—we have several dishes that are gluten-free.

Please complete this sentence: I could survive on a desert island if I just had: coconut water and some sort of milk.

Dan’s Taste of Summer kicks off with Dan’s GrillHampton hosted by Adam Richman on Friday, July 22 and continues on Saturday, July 23, with Dan’s Taste of Two Forks presented by Farrell Building Company hosted by Alex Guarnaschelli, both on the waterfront at Fairview Farm at Mecox in Bridgehampton. VIP tickets for GrillHampton are $185 and offer early access to the event beginning at 7 p.m. General Admission, from 8 p.m.–10:30 p.m., is $135. VIP tickets for Taste of Two Forks are $295 and offer early access beginning at 6:30 p.m. General Admission, from 7:30 p.m.–10 p.m., is $185.

The oceanfront food and drink fest ClambakeMTK at Gurney’s Montauk hosted by Marc Murphy and Eden Grinshpan premieres on Saturday, July 30. General Admission for ClambakeMTK, from 7:30 p.m.–10 p.m., is $150. VIP tickets are $250, and include access to the after-party from 10 p.m.–12 a.m.

Dan’s Harvest East End, the can’t-miss food and wine classic, hosted by Geoffrey Zakarian, is Saturday, August 20, at McCall Vineyard and Ranch in Cutchogue. VIP tickets for Harvest East End are $285 and offer early access beginning at 6:30 p.m. General Admission, from 7:30 p.m.–10 p.m., is $135.

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. A portion of proceeds from Harvest East End benefits Long Island Farm Bureau and HRHCare.

To purchase tickets and get more info on all Dan’s Taste of Summer events, visit DansTaste.com!