For anyone who lives in New York, the excitement of the city’s famed crush of humanity occasionally feels simply crushing. No matter how much you love it, every so often you’ve just got to leave. Here, to keep the old damp, drizzly November from permanently chilling the soul, we present four plans for a weekend escape, each within a few hours’ drive from the city.

Jedediah Hawkins Inn
Jamesport, New York — With its country roads dotted with farm stands, its burgeoning vineyards and casually sophisticated food scene, the North Fork is a quieter, gentler side of Long Island — closer than the Hamptons to the rural idyll that has drawn urbanites to the East End for generations. And the Jedediah Hawkins, a six-room Victorian inn whose every last nook is as cozy as can be, sets just the right mood for a low-key escape from the city. While summer and fall bring the most visitors, the colder months have an unexpected charm of their own. A blustery day is all the more excuse to pile into that billowing white duvet and keep the fireplace blazing in the room — at least until the scent of fresh-baked bread wafting in from the dining room becomes too much to resist. Beyond the hotel’s own excellent farm-to-table restaurant and intimate little speakeasy, the North Fork’s many outstanding places to eat take on somewhat more of a small-town, locals-oriented feel in the off-season. The wineries, meanwhile, shift their focus from the vineyards to the cellars and tasting rooms, often hosting free tastings, holiday open houses, seasonal dinners and live music.
Getting there: Jedediah Hawkins is located 85 miles (about a 2-hour drive) from New York City.

Read more
http://magazine.tablethotels.com/en/2013/11/escape-from-new-york/

JEDEDIAH HAWKINS INN ANNOUNCES

‘SESSIONS IN THE SPEAKEASY’

All-Star Speaker Lineup Includes

Joshua Wesson, Allen Katz and Tom Acitelli

Jedediah Hawkins Inn is proud to present “Sessions in the Speakeasy,” a series of winter workshops led by some of the best, most approachable experts in their fields. In a nod to the wealth of high-quality wine, beer and spirits made on Long Island’s East End, these sessions will feature locally made products, served with a locally sourced signature tasting menu prepared by the Inn’s Executive Chef Richard Kanowsky.

This three-session exploration features different—and delicious—aspects of Long Island-made wine, spirits and craft beer.

Friday, December 13, 2013

Daring Pairings: Scary-good wine and food match-ups for the super-SIP-cious

Joshua Wesson, award-winning sommelier, author and founder of Best Cellars

While we all know that white wine goes with fish, and red wine with meat, such traditional food-and-wine pairing rules often rise to the level of superstitions (e.g., break them and bad things will happen). But on this Friday the 13th, Josh will lead a brave band of fearless foodies in a gustatory journey through five plated pairings that dare to be different. A frightfully tasty time will be had by all!
Guests will receive a signed copy of Josh’s book, Williams-Sonoma Wine & Food—A New Look at Flavor. (One per couple, please.)

Friday, January 10, 2014

Cocktails of the Gold Coast

Allen Katz, cocktail historian and co-founder of New York Distilling Company

From New York City to Long Island’s East End, there is a deep—and expanding—spirit world all around us. Let spirits expert Allen Katz be your guide to the rich history and delicious proliferation of local distilled spirits from Prohibition to today. Savor tastes from the Inn’s kitchen, sample handmade gins, vodkas, whiskies and more, and learn to make delightful cocktails with them in an evening of Gatsby-esque degustation.

Guests will receive one bottle of one of the New York Distilling Company’s gins to take home. (One per couple, please.)

Friday, February 28, 2014

Craft Beer: A Love Story

Tom Acitelli, beer historian

Long Island illustrates the real-life unfolding of the craft beer revolution, as described in Tom Acitelli’s new book, The Audacity of Hops. Join Tom for a tasting of local brews, and learn the distinct styles of craft beers and the passions and palates behind them. A sampling of hearty pub-type fare will round out an evening of gastro-goodness.

Guests will receive a signed copy of Tom’s book, The Audacity of Hops: The History of America’s Craft Beer Revolution. (One per couple, please.)

All sessions begin at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are $95 per person, plus tax and tip.

The speakeasy space beneath the Jedediah Hawkins is a cozy rock-walled hideaway, complete with trapdoors and a special “secret” entrance. It’s the perfect, cozy space for these intimate sessions.

ABOUT JEDEDIAH HAWKINS INN

Surrounded by 22 acres of fragrant gardens and farmland, Jedediah Hawkins Inn is a relaxing North Fork wine country destination, celebrated for its history, genuine hospitality, good food and good wine. Captain Jedediah Hawkins built his home in 1863 in the popular Italianate style, complete with ornate architectural features and a belvedere. It was one of the finest residences on the North Fork. After having fallen into disrepair and becoming “haunted,” the house was saved from the wrecker’s ball and meticulously restored. The Inn, a cozy blend of traditional and contemporary design, reopened with a Decorator Show House. The New York State Historic Preservation Award confirms JHI’s investment in the community’s heritage and rejuvenation. Today, 150 years since Jedediah built his house, we look forward to welcoming you to this landmark, luxury property and to creating an authentic North Fork experience.

PRESS CONTACT:

Donnell Brown

>donnellbee@yahoo.com

631-477-6207

Make Chef Kelly’s apple crisp at home:

CRUMB TOPPING:

1 lb butter melted

1/2 lb sugar

1/2 lb brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 lbs flour

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, add melted butter and mix thoroughly.

Break up large pieces of crumbs, set aside.

APPLES:

10 golden delicious or Granny Smith apples, peeled, halved, and cored.

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Butter for sautéeing

Cut each apple half into 4 slices and put in a large bowl

Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the apples, toss to combine

In a large sautée pan heat 2 tablespoons of butter. When the butter is melted add enough apples to cover the bottom of the pan.

Toss the apples in the pan, and cook them until tender but not mushy

.

Repeat until all apples are cooked.

You may add nuts or raisins to the cooked filling.

Place apples into a baking dish, or individual oven proof cups, cover with crumbs, bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the crumbs are golden brown.

Watch A Taste of New York’s video profile of Jedediah Hawkins Inn, to be aired on Time Warner in NY in October. We were named one of the most romantic spots.

“C’est La Vie”

Paintings by Hong Jung Park

Opening Reception Friday September 13, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Hong Jung is a gifted and technically skilled artist who’s work is at
once gratifying and thought provoking. Her paintings explore the duplicity
of life’s light and dark, the physical and the metaphysical and the
interrelationship between the internal self and the external world.

hongjungart.com

Watch Literary Traveler’s latest video on Jedediah Hawkins Inn

Check out the rest of Literary Traveler’s Videos

4 cups watermelon, juiced (1/2 a watermelon)

4 ripe tomatoes

1/2 red onion

2 red bell peppers

2 cloves garlic

1. Juice watermelon

2. Roast and peel red bell peppers

3. Dice garlic and red onion

4. Puree all ingredients together

5. Season to taste

6. Garnish: Crumbled feta cheese, summer corn succotash

By Amanda Festa

A Photorealistic Look at the North Fork – Literary Traveler Talks to Artist Charles Wildbank

I am hesitant to write too enthusiastically about the North Fork of Long Island. Not because I didn’t enjoy my time there, but because I loved the area’s laid-back, natural charm so much that I don’t know if I should share it with too many people. Part of what makes the vicinity so special is its undiscovered appeal, as though when you travel there you are stumbling upon an untouched hideaway of farm-to-table restaurants, lush local vineyards and an emerging art scene to rival any of the more populated areas like the neighboring South Fork, perhaps better known as the Hamptons.
A quaint, multi-faceted destination full of fresh, flavorful food, an impressive selection of local wine and a budding cultural hub to boot? It sounds too good to be true. But Literary Traveler saw it with our own eyes, and we brought cameras to document it. But if you don’t want to take our word for it, your best bet is to see it for yourself.

The Long Way Home – Literary Traveler Talk Ghosts, Family and Career with Jedediah’s New Chef

FOOD, WINE, & DINING, ARTS & CULTURE, TRAVEL & LOCAL ATTRACTIONS

By Literary Traveler Published: August 13 2013

Taking a break from the glitter of the gold coast, the girls of Literary Traveler – a travel website dedicated to literature – were intrigued ..

The Long Way Home – Literary Traveler Talk Ghosts, Family and Career with Jedediah’s New Chef

This is the first installment from the Literary Traveler’s Guest Posts on LongIsland.com, exploring the local attractions, and history here on Long Island. With the recent pique in interest in the Great Gatsby following this year’s movie release, The Literary Travelers have decided to head to Long Island, and see how our culture is still inspired by Gatsby today.
Not many people are aware that The Great Gatsby is not just the great American novel, but a road safety handbook in disguise. Taking F. Scott Fitzgerald’s lead from how NOT to conduct a road-trip, Literary Traveler headed away from the city, and aimed for the relaxed countryside of the North Fork in search of what Long Island has to offer tourists today. The readers of our website want to stay somewhere that’s more than just a jumping off point, so the Jedediah Hawkins Inn, with its gables, herb garden and speakeasy seemed ideal.

Meeting the restaurant’s new chef Richard Kanowski, we didn’t expect to hear a personal story of a Long Islander who had returned with a young family to nurture a career in a kitchen that has been frequented by a lineage of celebrity chefs. And that it would all come wrapped in an upbeat ghost story.
“This place has been riddled with big name celebrity chefs…but it stands on its own” says Kanowski.
Up until recently, Kanowski was a stay-at-home Dad working on his own private catering business, which he ran with his wife.
His policy in the kitchen seems to reflect that: “I make it very clear that it’s like a family. It’s a good coaching lesson…it’s a good opportunity to show how it’s done”, he says.
The road to Jedediah began with a childhood in Winter Place on Long Island, a stint in Boston at the Ritz Carlton and in Carnegie Hall as executive sous chef, and extensive travel around the country (Kanowski is a snowboarder who has travelled in 47 states), before he ended up back on Long Island to raise a family and develop his career in the locavore heartland of the region.
To give a sense of the opportunity that Jedediah represents to him, he tells us that after only 4 hours on the new job, his wife called him to say that Newsday was on the phone wanting to confirm that he was the new chef at Jedediah’s.
But despite demanding longer hours, this career leap has landed Kanowski in a place where the pace of life is slower and gentler than the city’s bustle. In Manhattan he says, it was “another life.” There, he catered large parties for people with butler kitchens. Here, he says, “the asparagus is still warm from the sun.”
“When I drive to work I pass the farms and see what they have…” “Harps’ farms just got corn”, he says. The menu at Jedediah is changed roughly every 2-3 weeks to keep pace with the veg that is coming into season.
Kanowski explains that for him, the more difficult philosophy, but ultimately the most rewarding one is to remain calm in the kitchen. That way, staff are not afraid to speak up when they see a detail that isn’t quite right. But it’s not easy.
“It’s a conscious choice”, he admits; “you’re dealing with knives, you’re dealing with fire, you’re dealing with people yelling at you…”
It does help, however, when dealing with knives, pressure and extreme heat actually brings out the zen Buddhist in you.
“An order comes in and I’m not thinking about anything… it’s just reaction… I love it” he says of his job.
“Sometimes you feel like you’re going underwater but there’s always a way out of it”, he adds.
And though he hints that he hasn’t always been this way in pressured situations – “I worked at La Plage…I was 24”, it seems that overall, his unique work experience has honed the diplomat in him rather than the stereotypical tyrannical chef.
“I was the executive sous chef at Carnegie Hall”, he explains. “I had to deal with a HR department and learn what’s appropriate and not appropriate.”
And, in a twist worthy of our quirky accommodation, Kanowski is as adept at dealing with ghosts as he is at dealing with HR departments.
We’re talking in the rustic lamplit speakeasy when he warns us, “be careful when you’re taking pictures down here” To illustrate, he shows us his own photos with beautiful white rings on the shot that seem to have come from nowhere.
“We think it’s a girl… “ he says; “she likes good people who work hard at their jobs.”
Kanowski modestly suggests that the ghost was receptive to his diplomatic nature.
“We had a conversation one night”, he says, “We came to an agreement.”
That is one ghost story that I could well believe.

Max Moran Press Release July 2013