Dan's Papers - September 21, 2007 - HAMPTON TRADITION V

For the last 27 years, Anna Pump has been paying attention to the details in her specialty food shop Loaves and Fishes, located just off Route 27 on Sagg Main Street in Bridgehampton. When you walk into the one-story white building you immediately smell the freshly baked breads and see the display of cheese, salami and salads. Not to mention the array of baked goods. Usually, either helping a customer or ringing up a sale is Pump, who says, "You have to love what you are doing to be successful." She supervises the cooking at Loaves and Fishes to ensure that her customers receive high-quality foods day in and day out. Even though she insists that she buys only the highest quality ingredients for her foods, they are priced fairly. Her personal goal is that of any caring cook - a big smile on the consumer's face after taking a taste.

Famous for their fresh lobster salad and curried chicken salad, Pump has no intention of ever selling Loaves and Fishes. Her daughter Sybille Van Kempen is active in running the business. "When I am stuck for help I call in the troops," said Pump, meaning her grandchildren. It is this kind of family tradition that makes Loaves and Fishes successful.

Ms. Pump personally supervises the weekly menu, which can be viewed on her website www.loavesandfishescookshop.com. You can also call her at the shop to see what she has planned. The shop in the summer season is open every day of the week except Tuesday. Fall and spring hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. During the winter, the shop closes from New Year's Eve until Easter weekend. Since she bought the bakeshop 27 years ago from Susan Costner and Devon Fredericks, Pump has believed in consistent hours. She explained, "Before I owned the shop it would close down when it ran out of food, sometimes before 3 p.m. Now we never run out and stay open until closing time." In fact, the only time the usual hours were not met was during the hurricane of 1992. Ms. Pump recalled, "It was August 19, 1992, we were closed for five days." Otherwise it has run on the same schedule for the last 27 years.

Born in Germany near the Danish border, Pump has always had the desire to cook and has studied with legends such as James Beard. She has four published books including her latest Loaves and Fishes Cookbook, which is available now and Summer on a Plate, which will be available next June. She is proud of these books and of her success because she always wanted to have one of these shops. "I am not ready to retire and won't be for a long time. What else would I do? I love doing this," she said. So what is her secret for making everything taste so great? She says with the slightest of smiles, "Our food is the real thing, real butter, real cream, real eggs. We buy the best quality available of any of the products we use." She believes she owes her loyal clientele a certain consistency.

Visit the back of the shop and you will see the loyal staff hard at work. Most have been employed by Pump for fifteen years and know what she expects. There is a lot of silent nodding of approval. There are the quiet directives of a confident woman who trusts her staff and a mutual respect from the staff because of her dignified style of treating them as her team. Her office is meticulous and she seems to notice every small detail. She knows her customers and what they want. It is part of a service and courtesy of another era. Loaves and Fishes is a place where the customer is served with respect.

It is off the beaten trail, but one thing is certain - Loaves and Fishes is genuine. Ms. Pump is proud of her shop. It is her dream, her reality and it is there for the enjoyment of those wise enough to be her customers.