Year in Review: East End Food Scene Shined Bright in 2024

If 2023 was the first true post-pandemic year on the East End, seeing a true return to normal, 2024 picked up whatever was lost in the COVID years, seeing a booming summer of food and wine for tourists, huge events, and tons of new developments aimed at locals during the offseason.

With 2025 mere days away, here were some of the most memorable food moments of 2024 in Dan’s Papers.

Summer Events Celebrate the East End’s High Season

The Dan’s Taste event series highlights some of the best food and drinks on the East End every summer.

What the East End is perhaps best known for is wine – and the best way to mark the East End’s high season is a celebration of wine. On May 26, Wilmington Trust, in partnership with Dan’s Papers, hosted Dan’s Rosè Soirèe at the Southampton Arts Center. The event featured some 20 rosè wines from around the world, the country, and, of course, the East End. Top chefs from the East End offered their best food to accompany the wine, and there was a full bar of beer with Blue Point and Corona on tap, as well as cocktails.

After the Rosè Soirèe came the second food event in Dan’s summer lineup – Taste of the Two Forks, celebrating the rich culinary offerings of the East End on July 6. Again set at the Southampton Arts Center and sponsored by the Hampton Jitney, participating restaurants included Baron’s Cove, Barrila’s Pastaria Ristorante, The Biscotti Company, El Verano, Honest Plate, Insatiable Eats, Kira’s Cookies, Newlight Breadworks, The Pridwin, Shinnecock Lobster Factory, 75 Main, Swizzled and The Wine Room. Drink offerings came from Bedell Cellars Corey Creek Tap Room, Borghese and Peconic Bay Vineyards representing the best of the North Fork and Channing Daughters, DuckWalk and Wölffer as the best of the South Fork.

Third in the lineup was Chefs of the Hamptons, a Hamptons foodie’s dream come true, hosted on July 18 at Sí Sí at EHP Resort & Marina overlooking Three Mile Harbor.  Dan’s Papers had curated the top chefs in the Hamptons to descend on one location for one night to serve up their absolute best dishes. DJ Theo spun live music and live entertainment made for a perfect evening. Participating restaurants participating in the event include those from Barrila’s Pastaria Ristorante, Buon Giorno, Claudio’s, Enchanté Bistro, Fauna, Gurney’s Montauk, Isola, Kissaki, Newlight Breadworks, Sí Sí, Sunset Harbor at EHP, Watts Cooking Tonight and Windmill Lane Bakery.

Next up? Dan’s Grillhampton, hosted on Aug. 3 at The Clubhouse Hamptons. Barbecue dishes, pumping music, spectacular entertainment and hundreds of thrilled guests made for an unforgettable evening on the East End. Chef Manny Voumvourakis and the team from Smoke-Haus won the People’s Choice Award and Chef Matt Chappelle from The Clubhouse Hamptons was declared Dan’s Top Grillmaster by the GrillHampton celebrity judges.

Dan’s Papers closed out the summer with the Dan’s Beach White Party x Gurney’s on Aug. 17. Guests wore all white and enjoyed everything Gurney’s Montauk Resort had to offer. Participating restaurants and chefs included Atlanta traveling Chef Shawn Osbey, East Hampton Shuckers, Hamptons Catered Affairs, Insatiable Eats, Newlight Breadworks, Passmore Caviar, Scarpetta, Shinnecock Lobster Factory, The Beach Club and Tilles.

While there’s five more months of the offseason upon us, Hamptonites can look forward to another great Dan’s Taste series in 2025.

The East End Jumps in on Fall Trends

In recent years, autumn has become a more beloved season – and it seems Long Islanders collectively figured out that the East End is a great place to indulge in fall festivities. This is not lost on the locals out here, and many farms offer apple picking, pumpkin picking, hay rides, and more.

Many of these same local vendors were not going to let their larger competitors hold a monopoly on fall specials either. In 2024, as many as 10 East End cideries and breweries featured fall specials – pumpkin beer, Leaf Pile Ale, cinnamon apple cider, blood orange IPA, and more. A lot of these breweries also featured Trivia Nights, dance parties, and more to accompany their fall offerings.

Our local coffee shops felt the same way, with up eight of them featuring pumpkin spice and other fall coffees. Participating coffee shops were Aldo’s Greenport, Hampton Coffee Company, North Fork Doughnut Company, Mugs on Main, Sagtown Coffee, Grindstone Coffee & Donuts, Cafè Victoria, and North Fork Roasting Co.

Still not enough fall? Nine of your favorite apple orchards and shops had freshly baked apple cider donuts, including Harbes Family Farm, Breeze Hill Family Farm, Greenport Harbor Brewing Company, Hank’s Pumpkintown, Wickham’s Fruit Farm, The Milk Pail, Fairview Farm at Mecox, Woodside Orchards, and Shade Trees Nursery.

Local Drinkmakers Win Awards

Multiple people, serving as the brains behind the East End’s superior food and drink scene, received honors for their work in 2024.

Long Island Farm Brewery took home the Gold distinction at the New York State Brewers Association’s eighth annual New York State Craft Beer Competition in March. At that same competition, Greenport Harbor Brewing Company won the Silver distinction.

Macari Vineyards in Cutchogue won the Winery Award at the New York Wine & Grape Foundation’s 2024 Unity Awards, a distinction that celebrates Macari’s contribution to New York’s wine image and reputation.

Also at the New York Wine & Grape Foundations Unity Awards, Bedell Cellars won the Sustainability Award. This award celebrated Bedell owner Rich Olsen-Harbich’s commitment to sustainable farming, which aims to reduce environmental impact, conserve resources and minimize pollution in an area where agriculture directly affects tidal estuaries and drinking water aquifers.

Last, but certainly not least, Sparkling Pointe’s 2021 Topaz Imperial Rosè received a high honor; coinciding with Sparkling Pointe’s 20th anniversary, this particular wine label was named the best sparkling wine in the state by world-renowned wine writer Tom Stevenson.

Cameron Diaz Shows Off Her Bartending Skills

Actress Cameron Diaz and entrepreneur Katherine Power brought their Avaline wine brand to Si Si at East Hampton’s EHP Resort & Marina on July 26. Diaz joined a lineup of celebrities bartending at East End hotspots, serving Avaline’s organic wines, crafted without additives or pesticides. The event highlighted the actress and Power’s shared vision of cleaner winemaking.

Si Si, known for its Mediterranean cuisine and picturesque location, provided the backdrop for this star-studded appearance. The restaurant offers a mix of traditional and upscale dishes, such as mezze, spicy rigatoni, and akaushi wagyu strip steak. EHP Resort & Marina features private cottages, a marina, and various dining options, including Sunset Harbor and Buongiorno Bakery.

The End of the Road for Some

While 2024 was a great year for food on the East End, the sun set on some beloved food spots.

After 96 years operating in Westhampton, Casa Basso closed its doors permanently. Alongside an iconic stucco castle with two oversized statues of musketeers saluting at the entrance, the restaurant opened in 1936. The castle had originally served as a ceramic art studio. It was owned by M.L. Basso at first, for whom it is named, then by Valerie Mondini, and finally by Julie and Bejto Bracovic, who sold it in December. It served Italian food, seafood, and steaks. The grounds will be turned into a waterfront park.

O by Kissaki, a sushi and sashimi restaurant in East Hampton, also closed its doors permanently in 2024.

Ye Olde Bake Shoppe in Southampton closed this year, and was replaced by Windmill Lane Bakery. Windmill Lane is specifically aimed at offering vegan, dairy free, and gluten free treats in Ye Olde Bake Shoppe’s place.