Dan's Papers - May 23, 2008 - Kitchen Coutour - Closeup View of Great Spaces

Saturday, May 31st, might just be a good day to skip breakfast. If you're into cooking, kitchen design or just fine dining, you'll be able, from noon to four that day, to tour six high-end, residential kitchens in and around Sag Harbor. You'll enjoy a broad selection of foods and wines in professionally-decorated settings, get to talk with kitchen designers and food experts, or find an autographed classic at the cookbook sale. The homes you'll visit, both old and new, have been chosen for architectural interest and spectacular views as well as for their great kitchens. "The Neighbors Helping Neighbors Tour of Beautiful Kitchens," hosted by the Sag Harbor Community Food Pantry, benefits their "Fresh Is Better" program which provides fresh produce and other healthy meal ingredients to area individuals in need.

Three homes in North Haven, two in Sag Harbor proper and one in Bay Point feature wrap-around water views from the kitchen. Each will be decorated by Hampton Staging Company with floral designs from Annie Casale of Sag Harbor Florist and outstanding local purveyors will provide the food and drink. There'll be filet mignons from Cromer's Market, award-winning chowders from the Dock House, artisinal European cheeses from Cavaniola's Gourmet Cheese Shop and more, including a surprise dish from Mike Mozzolino of Southampton's Deli Counter and star of the PLUM TV show, "Culinary Experience." Baked goods will be provided by area caterer Kathy Burton, famous for her mini-cupcakes, and by Wendy Stovold of Wendy's Cookies. Fine wines from Long Wharf Wines, Water Street Liquors, Noyack Liquors and Wolffer Estates will also be served.

While you're enjoying all of that, and music too, don't miss an opportunity for a free consultation with one of several professional kitchen designers who'll be on hand from ET Raffel and Riverhead Building Supply, which is offering a 10 percent discount to members of the tour. The day's events will include a cookbook sale. The Pantry volunteers, many of whom are serious cooks, have collected several hundred cookbooks, including some autographed editions. Regina Humanitzki, one of the event organizers, says she got the idea for the kitchen tour during a wine-tasting trip to Napa Valley, where she attented a similar event to benefit the community pantry in Sonoma. Regina's own home, by the way, is on the tour and features an old-fashioned, culinary herb garden just outside the kitchen door. Her home, she says, is "designed in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright. All natural materials were used: Pennsylvania Blue stone for the radiant heated floors; mahogany molding and trim throughout; granite counter tops; mahogany was used on the island which divides the work area of the kitchen from the dining area. I felt that the extensive panoramic views were so compelling that no bright colors were used. You simply cannot compete with nature."

The Sag Harbor Community Food Pantry is a volunteer outreach program whose goal is to help neighbors in need. In operation since 1987, it's located at The Old Whalers' Church in Sag Harbor. The Pantry provides fresh ingredients for meals from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. every Tuesday. Lillian Woodsman, a volunteer and organizer of the kitchen tour, says "The Pantry needs your support to keep the 'Fresh is Better' program alive and well." That program serves a wide spectrum of people that include working families with children, seniors, (one 93-year-old drives herself to the Pantry each week), veterans, and others who need help getting adequate nutrition. Explaining the "Fresh is Better" mission statement, she said, "We're committed to helping people serve healthy meals which include fresh meats, eggs, milk, fruits and vegetables; foods that are tastier and more nutritious than canned or packaged ones. But it takes time and money to do this the right way and your help is what makes all the difference, so please join us on the kitchen tour or stop by the church to make a donation."

Tickets for the tour, at fifty dollars per person, are available now at In Home, 132 Main Street and Wharf Wines and Liquors, 12 Bay Street, Sag Harbor, or can be purchased by mail by sending a check to Sag Harbor Community Food Pantry (SHCFP), PO Box 124, Sag Harbor, NY 11963. Donations are accepted at The Old Whalers Church from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.