There’s still time for even the most hopeless last-minute shopper to pick up something unique and crowd-pleasing for a Christmas gathering.
Since opening his first cheese shop in Sag Harbor Village in 2004, Michael Cavaniola has expanded his small gourmet empire to include a wine cellar, a shop for prepared foods and catering, and a second location in Amagansett Square. His most recent addition, opened a few days before Christmas last year, has extended his reach again, this time to serve customers at all hours of day and night.
Self Provisions, a separate storefront attached to Cavaniola’s Gourmet Cheese on Division Street, is “always open,” as is proclaimed by an illuminated sign on the wall at the entrance. Two large, brightly lit vending machines dominate the space, with offerings ranging from sea salt crackers and slabs of French butter to jars of caviar and curated gift boxes — and, of course, cheese. Each machine has a touchscreen, allowing customers to browse through detailed item descriptions.
“I had been thinking about it for about five years before I pulled the trigger, and then I just decided to do it one day, and it’s been really great ever since,” Mr. Cavaniola said. “It took me a while to find the exact machines I wanted to use, so you get the same cheese education and wine pairings you would get if you were talking to one of our cheese mongers in the shop. A little bit of the history of the cheese, where it’s made, the type of milk it’s made from, and what we suggest goes with it.”
Bethmale, for example, “a tangy, semi-firm goat milk cheese from the Pyrenees region,” pairs well with Syrah and dried fruit, it suggests, while Fromage d’Affinois, “a buttery and decadent double-creme, brie-style cheese from France,” would be better accompanied by sauvignon blanc and candied nuts.
“If we’re not there,” Mr. Cavaniola said, “it’s the second best option.”
The machines were well received by locals right away, and have followed the trends of the village, drawing larger crowds around the Fourth of July and on holiday weekends. “One thing I didn’t expect is that it’s probably the most busy between, say, 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. on the weekend. And then caviar has been super popular. I would say we sell an equal amount of caviar out of the machine as we do in the store.”
They have also gained quite a bit of traction on social media. A photo of one of the machines posted to Ina Garten’s Instagram page in October (“Only in the Hamptons!” she wrote in the caption) has since garnered more than 380,000 likes, and was shared more than 120,000 times. “We definitely got a little bit of a bump,” he said. “Ina’s always been very good to us.”
Considering the success of this first foray into automation, Mr. Cavaniola has been thinking about rolling out similar machines at different venues in the future — local vineyards, perhaps — but would first need to figure out a system for keeping them stocked and assuring quality control. “We’ll see how it goes,” he said. “That’s the beauty of having it next door, as if we were maintaining it for the shops — it’s very closely monitored.”
“My name’s still on it, so I want it to be top quality.”