Together With

Good Morning, North Fork! If you’ve already mentally checked out for the weekend, congratulations, you’re right on schedule.

In today’s North Fork Buzz:

• Inside the Cookbooks

• Lifetime Achievement Award

• Herb & Apple Bread Pudding

Ready, Set, Go!

P.S. Happy Birthday to Tricia Walden! 🎂 🎉 

Sponsored By Santa’s Christmas Tree Farm

Holiday Cheer Starts Here 🎄

If you’re looking for the North Fork version of the North Pole, you’ll find it in Cutchogue at Santa’s Christmas Tree Farm.

28 acres of evergreens and twinkling lights are waiting to turn your weekend into a Hallmark movie. Established in 1979, this place has been growing Christmas memories for generations.

Right now, the Gift Shop is open seven days a week, packed with everything merry and bright, from ornaments and garlands to cozy home décor, toys, and gifts that’ll make even the Grinch crack a smile. Whether you’re decking the halls or shopping for someone who already has everything, you’ll find a little magic here.

Mark your calendars: November 28th kicks off the official Christmas tree season. That’s when the saws start buzzing, the cocoa starts flowing, and the North Fork officially turns into a winter wonderland.

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The Lowdown

Inside the Cookbooks 🧑‍🍳

It’s that time of year when every American cook suddenly turns into a part-time historian, wondering what our ancestors actually ate while we’re debating which pie deserves fridge space.

Thanks to the treasure troves at Oysterponds Historical Society, Southold Historical Museum, Southold Town, and Hallockville Museum Farm, you can get a peek into centuries of community cookbooks, handwritten “receipts,” and church fundraisers packed with favorite dishes from the people who basically built North Fork food culture.

Start with the O.G. American cookbook: American Cookery (1796). It told early settlers how to pick a turkey, what to do with corn, and even printed the word “cookie” for the first time.

Fast-forward a couple hundred years, and community books like Receipts and Reminiscences of the Hallock Family & Friends (1987) captured everything from 17th-century cornmeal mush, to scalloped potatoes, cold ham, canned peaches, and turkey.

Then came the 1930s, when North Fork families tuned into radio cooking shows teaching them how to stretch a Depression-era turkey into a feast.

Get the full story 👉 Northforker

Holiday Music But Global 🎷

If you’re ready for a break from the same holiday songs on repeat, the Jamesport Meeting House has something special lined up. On Saturday, Dec. 6, bassist and bandleader Iris Ornig is bringing Holiday Songs Around the World to the East End, a jazz concert packed with winter music from places like Lebanon, Italy, Poland, and beyond.

Ornig started this project last year after realizing Americans basically survive December on a strict diet of the same jingles. She wondered: What if we mixed things up?

Ornig grew up in Germany, trained in Switzerland and London, landed in NYC thanks to a lucky break, and now splits her time between the city and East Quogue.

Noticing how little jazz programming existed here, she launched East End Jazz in 2024 offering kids’ workshops, senior sing-alongs, community lectures, and a monthly jam session at the Southampton Cultural Center.

Get the full story 👉 North Fork Sun

Lifetime Achievement Award 🏆

When former Mattituck athletic director and coach Mike Huey walked onto the field at the NY State boys soccer championships last weekend, he didn’t expect a standing ovation, but that’s exactly what he got. Huey was awarded the Ted Woods Memorial NYSPHSAA Boys Soccer Service Award, a lifetime achievement honor celebrating 41 years of shaping Suffolk County soccer.

And here’s the goosebumps part: the award is named for Ted Woods, who just happened to be Huey’s father’s college roommate, a full-circle moment straight out of a movie. ($)

Get the full story 👉 Suffolk Times

Top Stories From The Week 📖

♻️👨‍🍳🤝 Compost, Chefs & Community Over the past few years, farmers, volunteers, chefs, and town crews have quietly built a whole new food rescue ecosystem.

🎄 Festival of Trees Instead of one tiny tree, they’re decking out more than 20 seriously over-the-top, Christmas trees, all to support Southold residents who are living at or below the poverty line.

💬 Southold YMCA Southold might be getting its very own YMCA, but first, organizers want to know if the community’s actually into it. ($)

🚰♻️🏠 Water Funds, Recycling, & ADUs Greenport is still gently poking Southold Town to use Community Preservation Fund dollars for water quality projects.

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Photo of the Week

📸 submitted by Kim Caldwell

Tag @NorthForkBuzz or email us at [email protected] to get your photos in The Buzz!

Local Spotlight

Holiday Centerpiece 💐

Get your Thanksgiving table looking like it walked out of a magazine. On Monday, Nov. 24th, True Elizabeth Flowers is hosting a Thanksgiving Centerpiece Class at First & South in Greenport.

Create your own centerpiece using a gorgeous mix of seasonal blooms, some foraged, some imported, all stunning. True Elizabeth will walk you through the step by step magic of building balance, texture, and that “wow, did I really make this?” moment.

Tickets include a complimentary drink of your choice and light snacks, because crafting is always better with a little sip and nibble.

Nothing in this section is sponsored. They’re just fun things you need to know. I’ll always let you know when something is sponsored

Foodie Friday 🍽

For this Foodie Friday, we’re sharing a dish that’s become a true Thanksgiving tradition in our home. The recipe we start talking about weeks (sometimes months) before Thanksgiving. It’s the kind of recipe that turns dinner guests into lifelong believers.

This week, we’re sharing a savory Herb & Apple Bread Pudding courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten.

Every person who tries it ends up asking for the recipe, and every year we’re reminded why we can’t imagine Thanksgiving without it.

If you’re searching for something new to impress your guests or outshine your in-laws, this is the recipe to put in the rotation.

Herb & Apple Bread Pudding 🍞🧀🍏

Ingredients

Bread & Mix-Ins:

• 8 cups country bread, cut into bougie little ¾-inch cubes (crusts removed)

• 4 tbsp (½ stick) unsalted butter

• 3 oz pancetta, diced into tiny salty treasures

• 2 cups chopped yellow onions

• 1½ cups diced celery

• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled & chopped like you mean it

• ½ cup medium or dry sherry

• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

• ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

• Kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper

Custard & Cheese:

• 7 extra-large eggs

• 2½ cups heavy cream

• 1¼ cups chicken stock

• 2 cups grated Gruyère, divided

  • 1½ cups for the mix

  • ½ cup for that dramatic top layer

How to Make This Masterpiece

1. Toast that bread

Preheat your oven to 350°F, scatter your bread cubes on a baking sheet like confetti, and toast for 20 minutes until lightly bronzed. Toss once if you’re feeling athletic.

2. Pancetta party

Melt the butter in a large sauté pan. Add the pancetta and cook until it gets crispy (about 5 minutes).

3. Veg medley, activate

Dump in the onions, celery, and apple. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is soft, fragrant, and looks like the start of something beautiful.

4. Add the sherry & herbs

Pour in the sherry (listen for the sizzle).
Add rosemary, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1½ teaspoons pepper.
Cook 5 minutes until most of the liquid has gone on to a better place.
Stir in parsley. Remove from heat. Try not to eat it straight from the pan.

5. Whisk the custard

In the largest bowl you own, whisk together:

• eggs

• heavy cream

• chicken stock

• 1½ cups Gruyère

6. Combine forces

Stir in the toasted bread and pancetta-veg mixture.
Let the whole thing sit for 30 minutes so the bread can soak up the custard like the overachiever it is.

7. Assemble & bake

Pour everything into a 9×13 baking dish.
Top with the remaining ½ cup Gruyère, the cheese crown it deserves.
Bake for 50–60 minutes, until golden, puffed, and fully irresistible.

8. Serve

Let it rest for 10 minutes, then dish it out and prepare for someone to say, “Wait, YOU made this?” Nod modestly. Bask shamelessly.

If you make this, don’t leave us hanging, send photos, reviews, and the full play-by-play of your guests’ reactions to [email protected].

Nothing in this section is sponsored. They’re just fun things you need to know. I’ll always let you know when something is sponsored

Live Music Breakdown

Friday

Corey Creek | Jay Shepard | 4-8 PM
Main & Mill | Paris Ray | 5-7 PM
Tucker’s Taproom | Rocky River Boys | 5 PM
The Shoals | 90’s Unplugged | 6-9 PM
Touch of Venice | Marty Attridge | 6-9 PM
Eastern Front Brewing | Hombre Mike | 6-9 PM
One Woman Winery | Angelina Miers Duo | 6-9 PM
Little Fish | Brian Cummings | 6-9 PM
Clovis Point Vineyard | FRIENDS Trivia Night | 6:30-8 PM
Andy’s | Sahara | 7-10 PM
Clam Bar at Alize | Ed Travers | 7-10 PM
The Watershed | Krisi Artido | 7-10 PM

Saturday

Corey Creek | The Como Brothers | 1-5 PM
Bedell Cellars | Greg McMullen | 1-5 PM
Clovis Point Vineyard | Erin Chase | 1-5:30 PM
Terra Vite Vineyard | Michael Also | 1:30-4:30 PM
Borghese Vineyard | Rachelle Rossi | 1:30-4:30 PM
Pindar Vineyards | Haig Mathosian | 1-5 PM
Jason’s Vineyard | Jason Dorsa | 1:30-5:30 PM
Jamesport Farm Brewery | Fred the Human iPod | 2-5 PM
Hotel Moraine | Paris Ray | 5-7 PM
Eastern Front Brewing | Dead Jive | 5-8 PM
Tucker’s Taproom | Jay Shepard | 5 PM
Little Fish | Frank Palmeri | 6-9 PM
The Watershed | Valerie Rose | 7-10 PM
Greenport Harbor Brewing (Pec) | Unplugged (90’s and Grunge) | 4-7 PM
Clam Bar at Alize | Grey Wolf Hunter | 7-10 PM
Front Street Station | Gene Casey & Helen Hooke | 7-10 PM

Sunday

North Cliff Vineyards | Just E | 12-5 PM
Tucker’s Taproom | Audawind | 1 PM
Bedell Cellars | Frank Palmeri | 1-5 PM
Corey Creek | Erin Chase | 1-5 PM
Pindar Vineyards | TJ Brown | 1-5 PM
Clovis Point Vineyard | Kath Galgano | 1-5:30 PM
Jason’s Vineyard | Kristina Rocco | 1:30-5:30 PM
Jamesport Farm Brewery | Danny Casey | 2-5 PM
Greenport Harbor Brewing (Pec) | Christiaan Padavan | 3-6 PM

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THANKS!

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Tom Loncar- Publisher
Nicole Loncar- Editor + Partnerships