Express Magazine: Reviving the Fertile Oyster Fields Off Robins Island

Reliance on the natural elements to yield a successful harvest is not exclusive to traditional agriculture as it is known on land. Beneath the surface of the East End’s saltwater lays another vast land with its farmers working through the weather and seasons year-round to cultivate a crop that has come to be one of the most prominent. Walker Lourie and Will Peckham are the founders of West Robins Oyster Co. located just west of Robins Island in the Great Peconic Bay. Owning a portion of the bay bottom as a private property right in existence since 1884, the pair rely on a healthy ecosystem to enable a sustainable crop that defines the flavor of their home and honors the water’s heritage.

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Hamptons Real Estate Showcase: 2018 Hamptons International Film Festival

Activism, enlightenment, political turmoil, societal unrest, the clashing of generational values, social justice; it’s the content that fuels filmmakers to bring what they see behind the lens to the big screen. A celebration of independent film and an introduction to international talents and their works, the 26th annual Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) delivers a breadth of 150 long, short, fiction, and documentary screenings to audiences from October 4 though 8 throughout the Hamptons. On the top of the watch list this year are female screenwriters and directors at a time where women in the industry have become vocal about their place on and off screen.

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Express Magazine: A Desire to Include

During a local chowder festival six years ago, Keturah Hurst met a young man representing his mother’s restaurant in the contest. He was kind and enthusiastic, full of energy and beaming with hope. He enjoyed the feeling of being part of the community, the feeling of being accepted. His name is Paul Drum and though Down syndrome is part of his identity, the 33-year-old has made it his life’s mission for everyone, regardless of status, race, or creed, to having that same feeling of inclusion.

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Sag Harbor Express: Temple Leaders Dedicate a Cemetery and Reflect on the Past

Perseverance has long been central theme in the Jewish faith. To summarize this on a historical, global or even local scale would be an impossible feat. When Long Island’s oldest synagogue, Temple Adas Israel in Sag Harbor, looked to the past, present, and future this past Sunday, August 12, during the re-dedication of the expanded Chevra Kodetia cemetery, this same theme was interwoven in a ceremony that was at once somber and hopeful. Rabbi Daniel Geffen, temple members, dignitaries, and local elected officials joined to honor what binds those of the Jewish faith together.

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Long Island Pulse: Hamptons Surf Company’s Photo Boards

In the sole curve of a wood grain lies a fluid-like movement akin to the crest of a wave. Separate elements, albeit parallel in impression, have served as both an inspiration and a medium for brothers and Hamptons natives Gregory and Matthew Barton. Inspired by Jackson Pollock and the crew of abstract expressionist painters that became the stuff of art legend, the artists—Gregory a sculptor, Matthew a photographer—created Hamptons Surf Company, a creative collective connected by art, surf and the East End.

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Express Magazine: The Women of Wine

Wine culture on the East End has taken on many forms. Though considerably new compared to traditional agriculture and farming, the Hamptons and North Fork are the two most prominent areas of Long Island wine country, and today are recognized nationwide. It’s not just the viniculture that has helped define the industry landscape, but beverage programs at restaurants and curated wine shops elevating the drinker experience. There is also the undeniable growth of a movement of women making their mark in all industries. Locally, women leading the way in the world of wine is not a new concept.

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Express Magazine: Bluefish Delish

It can be potent, meaty and oily; but while some shy away from the abundant bluefish, East End natives — those who fish and chefs alike — know prepared properly the powerful fish can be a delicious, and healthy, addition to the seafood dishes crafted for the summer table.

Feisty on and offshore, bluefish are a fight to catch and biologically designed to chase after other fish during menhaden runs, resulting in a meatier, oilier fish. These voracious feeders are one of few saltwater anglers actually want to be a small catch, with the average market size being just a few pounds.

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Long Island Pulse: Lifted Spirits

As the viticulture industry continues to spread its roots across Long Island’s fertile soil and each new craft brewery further saturates an unquenchable market, the third component of the holy alcohol triumvirate has long been overdue for its turn in the spotlight. But creating an industry is no easy task, even if you are selling the nectar of the gods. These three operations, which stretch from Brooklyn to the North Fork, have found unique ways to push spirits to the forefront.

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Long Island Pulse: Joey Wölffer Talks Fashion and Wine

Wölffer. The name conjures images of the quintessential Long Island summer experience. Between the family’s winery, restaurants and their world-famous Summer in a Bottle rosé, it’s nearly impossible to experience the season without dipping your toes into the Wölffer pool.

It is all a credit to Christian Wölffer, who was a man before his time. The late winemaker saw where the industry was going: sustainability becoming the standard, embracing an ethical approach that honors the land of a still-young wine region. It’s a mindful and necessary movement that at its roots is simply about making good wine in the best way. This type of creativity and innovation was the inspiration for Christian when he opened his namesake Sagaponack vineyard 30 years ago. Now at the helm are his daughter Joey and son Marc.

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Long Island Pulse: Hampton Sun Bottles the Essence of the East End

When Salvatore Piazzolla had an idea to combine the protective qualities of suntan lotion with the look and feel of an upscale beauty product, he naturally called the man whose name is synonymous with merging practicality with luxury: Michael Kors. Fortunately for Piazzolla, Kors picked up.

It helped that Piazzolla’s partner Grant Wilfley grew up with the famed fashion designer. “When we came up with the idea, we asked Michael if he could come over to our home to run something by him,” Piazzolla said. “Michael was the first person we released the idea to. He was excited and gave us the thumbs up.”

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Long Island Pulse: Adel Gorgy’s Way of Seeing

Art itself abstracts from its surroundings, drawing inspiration from nature, people, places and things. It begins with a concept or an idea, created and crafted to form a piece of work capable of being seen in ways unique to each viewer. But what about art as the subject itself? This is a question artist Adel Gorgy endeavors to answer, daring to touch the sacred thing that should not be touched, to create unique, abstract works from re-visualized fragments of artists like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Andy Warhol. Now on view at the Kellenberg Gallery at Molloy College, “Abstracting Art…A Way of Seeing” showcases 16 of Gorgy’s large scale, innovative photographic works that rethink art itself.

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NORTH FORK REAL ESTATE SHOWCASE: PANTONE COLOR OF THE YEAR

Come the end of the year, interior designers hold their breath in anticipation of an announcement that sets the tone for the year ahead: Pantone’s Color of the Year. For 2018, it is the celestial Ultra Violet. While 2017’s color, Greenery, was an earthy complement to much of the East End’s beauty, this year’s cosmic shade lends itself to the sophisticated and inimitable style of the Hamptons and the North Fork. Bold and thought provoking, ultra violet’s endless opportunities are reminiscent of the galaxy it imitates.

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