Posts tagged east end

Southampton Native John Betts To Retire from McDonald’s Canada Helm

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Every time John Betts finds himself in Southampton, he can’t help but stop by the North Sea Road McDonald’s.

And he never tells anyone who he is.

With the exception of the dining room and drive-thru window, the restaurant — with its signature yellow double arch, retro interior and familiar scent of salty French fries — remains virtually unchanged, a step back in time to 1970, when Mr. Betts first got his start there toasting burger buns, not far from his family home in North Sea.

“I remember the first day, I burned 24 buns twice in a row. I thought that was it,” he said. “But I survived, they looked past it. I think I got 24 of them out of the way before they saw it.”

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New York City Galleries Find a Home on the East End

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Despite a legacy that includes contemporary giants such as Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Roy Lichtenstein, Lee Krasner and Robert Rauschenberg — who all famously lived and worked here — high-end New York galleries have largely shunned the East End as a serious year-round art destination, until an international pandemic buoyed it to the surface.

Gone are the days of summertime pop-up galleries, many of the converted newcomers agree. Now, they’re finally here to stay.

“I’d like to say this was one big strategic decision,” said Gordon VeneKlasen, managing partner of Michael Werner Gallery, three days after opening the new East Hampton space. “But in fact, it was sort of an instinctual thing. It seems so obvious now.”

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A Spiritual Equine Connection: Shinnecock Nation Welcomes Horses Into Community

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Late on a recent Tuesday night, six strangers stepped foot on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation — at first, slowly and cautiously, taking in their new surroundings.

Bubba stuck close to Red, the wise old man of the group, while Benny broke out on his own, keeping with his independent nature. Clancey made no attempt to hide his inherent stubbornness and Roxy, whose affection is not easy to win, kept to herself.

Last, there was Rooney, typically sweet and laid back, despite being the largest of the group. But lately, he’d seemed angry and depressed, reeling from losing his longtime home and the family that loved him.

When he met Shinnecock tribal member Shane Weeks, that was all over. The Belgian draft horse knew he was home — together with Red the Appaloosa, Bubba the miniature horse, Benny the donkey, Clancey the mule, and Roxy the mare.

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Sybille Van Kempen Launches Farm-To-Table Cookbook Series

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There was a time when Anna Pump and her daughter, Sybille van Kempen, were two captains of one ship. When one said, “left,” the other said “right.” When one said, “yes,” the other, predictably, said, “no.”

But that didn’t stop the mother-daughter team from working in tandem for 35 years — first at the iconic Loaves & Fishes Foodstore in Sagaponack, which Pump started in 1980, followed by their opening of the Bridgehampton Inn & Restaurant in 1994, and finally, right next door, the Loaves and Fishes Cookshop in 2003.

As their businesses grew, their relationship deepened. While Pump, a German-born chef and author, taught her daughter everything she knew about entertaining, she also instilled in her the importance of slowing down, being patient, and practicing thoughtfulness — lessons she learned from her own father as a child.

“And also, just don’t be afraid to show how much you care about things,” Van Kempen said during a recent telephone interview. “Everything mattered to my mother, and she let everybody know that. I think that’s something that stuck with me, as well.”

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Child Cancer Survivor Pays It Forward, Aspires To Be Pediatric Nurse

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Halle Kneeland is, undeniably, an inherently positive young woman.

When the skies opened up, creating a downpour on Pierson High School’s graduation last month, the 18-year-old couldn’t help but smile as the rain soaked through her cap and gown, her long blonde curls framing her beaming face.

After all, she was simply alive. She had not only survived the COVID-19 crisis that changed the face of her senior year, but she also beat a devastating cancer diagnosis four years earlier — a chapter that defined her career path as she looks ahead toward nursing school at the University of Florida this fall.

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Jeremy Dennis Kickstarts Campaign to Save Shinnecock Family Home

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For the first eight years of his life, Jeremy Dennis knew his grandmother Loretta Silva — Princess Silva Arrow of the Shinnecock Nation — only as “Ma.”

And, even from a young age, he realized that she carried the lifeblood of the family.

Ma welcomed generation after generation into her home on the Shinnecock Territory, ensuring every child in her family grew up surrounded by love and warmth, discipline and support, including Mr. Dennis. Before he was born, she would throw mini-powwows on the front lawn, drawing crowds from all over — even from abroad — to visit the house and see native crafts and beadwork, eat traditional corn cooked in the earth layered under seaweed, and watch tribe members dance and sing, dressed in their finest regalia.

It was a place for family and tradition. And when Ma died in 1998, a part of that was lost, pushed aside, as was the upkeep of the house.

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Mind Offline Kits Spark Creativity

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When Jesse Spooner woke up and stumbled into the kitchen on a recent Sunday morning, he found his wife, Nicole Delma, fussing over six bubbling pots on the stove.

Except she wasn’t cooking the breakfast he’d expected.

Instead, her aromatic concoctions were walnut and turmeric, annatto, madder and osage, boiling in water to form all-nature dye baths that would consume the rest of her day — as well as the curiosity of her daughters, 4-year-old Georgica and 3-year-old Indigo-Marie — as she readied for the launch of her newest venture, Mind Offline Kits, just 24 hours later.

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East End Hospice Turns Bereavement Support Group Toward COVID-19

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In my 10 years of reporting, this is one of the most heartbreaking stories I have ever experienced.

I cried over and over again writing it. My editor cried reading it.

As I’ve learned, the bereavement and trauma coming out of the COVID-19 crisis is unprecedented, but the stories of loss are eerily similar, marked by a sudden illness and a rapid decline — their family and friends left behind in the chaos.

To Maribeth Edmonds, and Lauren and Eileen Weinclawski, the way in which you shared your stories, with such raw honesty and openness, was staggering. You will help others understand the weight of this pandemic, opening their eyes and hearts to a world that is impossible to understand — unless you’ve lived it.

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Comedian Des Bishop Finds Unexpected Comfort in West Hampton Dunes — And In Fostering Pit Bulls

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When Des Bishop strolls down to the ocean these days, he has company.

Trotting in the sand alongside him, tongue lolling out of her mouth, is a 60-pound ball of energy named Porsha, a pit bull-mix that the Irish-American comedian is now fostering while sheltering in place at his home-away-from-home in West Hampton Dunes.

“She’s a very energetic, amazing dog, but she needs a lot of stimulation. She needs a lot of walks, she needs a lot of toys,” Mr. Bishop said less than 24 hours after bringing her home from the Southampton Animal Shelter in Hampton Bays, as she waits for her forever home. “So far, it’s just been super fun. She’s like a full-time job, in a good way — because all I have is time.”

Like millions of others keeping themselves safe from COVID-19, Mr. Bishop said there are, admittedly, worse places to hide from an international pandemic than the East End, and the area has already taken on new meaning for him.

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