Culinary Types: A Taste of Long Island

Sunday, August 05, 2012

“A Taste of Long Island” Food Market and Commercial Kitchen Opens for Business

Long Island’s first specialty market devoted to local products of the region is now welcoming customers with its grand opening weekend happening right now, and culminating in a ribbon cutting ceremony on the evening of Monday, August 6, 2012.

Owners Courtney and Jim Thompson – a Daughter and Dad team – created A Taste of Long Island with a dual purpose. The Farmingdale, Long Island business is both a commercial kitchen for local entrepreneurs looking to produce batches of “made on Long Island” branded food products. The specialty food market at the front of the store offers clients who use the kitchen – as well as other Long Island food artisans – the chance to sell their products to retail customers.

The shelves are now stocked with all manner of diverse and delectable products springing from the hearts, minds, hands and soil of Long Island food artisans. Colorful labels list places of origin such as Huntington, Bellmore and Peconic.

The commercial kitchen has been up and running since early July, and clients have been lining up to schedule shifts. Bobby Tomatoes fresh spreads, “Tomato Delight” and “Parsley Delight” were produced in the Taste of Long Island kitchen and are now available in the food market.

Catapano Goat Cheese - produced on Long Island’s North Fork, and a Culinary Types favorite – is available, along with a selection of soaps and beauty products made at the Catapano Dairy.

A stunning double-layered carrot cake prepared by a pastry chef and caterer who runs the company “David’s Delights,” sells at local farmers markets, and promises “the best desserts around,” has a prominent spot in the new pastry display case.

“We’re a small business that is helping other small businesses expand, and we’re excited about that,” says Jim.

Throughout the grand opening weekend, there are tastings scheduled by various Long Island food artisans. Weekly tastings of Long Island wine are planned for the future, as well.

A Taste of Long Island is located at 211A Main Street in Farmingdale, Long Island. The phone number is 516-694-2859. A complete list of vendors can be found here. When you visit, you’re not likely to leave empty handed!

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Daughter and Dad Cook Up “A Taste of Long Island”

It is a perfect spring weekend in mid-May, the kind that inspires leisure activities like boating or biking on Long Island. Yet Courtney Thompson and her father Jim are working feverishly at a storefront location in Farmingdale. They’re focusing their energies on creating a new kind of iconic Long Island experience.

Courtney’s hair is pulled back and she is working on a cupboard that reaches from floor to ceiling. Jim is sponging freshly painted caramel colored walls with a lighter paint, creating warm dappled effect. The back room is filled with sinks, refrigerators and crates containing professional kitchen appliances. They have invested months of sweat equity, and there is still much work to be done, but shortly they expect to cut the ribbon on a uniquely Long Island enterprise.

“A Taste of Long Island,” located at 211-A Main Street in Farmingdale, will offer a retail market for established artisan foods crafted on Long Island, combined with a shared-use commercial kitchen for aspiring food entrepreneurs looking to produce and launch new local food brands. The venture is the first of its kind for Long Island, whose spirited food culture is often concealed by suburban sprawl.

“There’s so much food made on Long Island and people don’t even realize it’s made here,” says Courtney who approached her father – a successful small business entrepreneur – to partner with her on a new venture when the economy became challenging and jobs were scarce.

“I’ve always worked in his stores,” she explains. “I always knew people can own their own business. You don’t have to work for someone else.”

Originally they hoped to launch a food truck, but realized that the food would need to be prepared in a licensed kitchen, and no such facility was available for rent in Nassau or Suffolk counties.

“We realized there’s really a need,” Courtney says. They floated the idea on several message boards and found an enthusiastic response from potential kitchen clients. Since locating the store and beginning renovations, cooks, bakers and canners anxious to rent the commercial kitchen space have approached them.

The kitchen is equipped with state of the art professional appliances, including a 10-burner range, a double deck convection oven and 30-, 20- and six-quart mixers.

Courtney explains that many of her family members are teachers. She sees the chance to work with new food entrepreneurs as a teaching opportunity and a convergence of all her skills. She has an undergraduate degree in marketing and public relations, she’s worked as a new business consultant and has a teaching degree in family and consumer science.

Courtney and Jim plan to sell a range of established Long Island products in the storefront market, including goat cheese, honey, chutney, specialty pickles and locally roasted coffee. Jim calls the selection planned for the market, “an eclectic collection” of the best of Long Island food products.

“A Taste of Long Island” provides a valuable opportunity for entrepreneurs just starting a food business. Beyond access to the resources of a professional kitchen, the retail food market offers an additional advantage.

“By having the market, we have the ability to give our kitchen clients who are just starting out their first storefront,” explains Courtney. “By allowing them to sell in our store, they’re building their customer base.”

“A Taste of Long Island” will also offer training and recommends that all clients starting out prepare a business plan. The food market will be arranged boutique-style, and each business will have the opportunity to create a retail area within the store that educates the public about their specific product line.

Courtney and Jim thought the Main Street site was idea for it’s central location and hometown village feel. Future plans call for “A Taste of Long Island” farmers market on Saturday’s that will showcase home grown produce from local farmers.

So what does Long Island taste like?

“Fresh!” Jim answers without hesitation. With farmers and vendors located just miles away, Jim says the products they’ll carry are “as local as local gets.”

Contact Courtney and Jim Thompson at atasteoflongisland@gmail.com