Pete Wells Unmasked
Up next in the Stirring the Pot culinary series at Guild Hall on Sunday morning at 11 is Pete Wells, who was the chief restaurant critic for The New York Times for 12 years. Mr. Wells will discuss his career with Florence Fabricant, a food and wine writer for The Times.
Before coming to that paper, he was an editor at several magazines, among them Food & Wine, where he wrote a column called “Always Hungry.” Once at The Times, he spent six years as editor of the Food section before becoming the restaurant critic in 2012.
Of his specialty as a food critic, he has said, “I write with opinion and analysis about all kinds of restaurants serving all kinds of cuisine in all kinds of neighborhoods for all kinds of prices.”
Tickets are $35, $31.50 for members. A breakfast provided by Citarella will be available at 10.
Cafe at Rogers Library
The Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton has announced that the South Fork Bakery is now operating the library’s Bookmark Cafe, which opened as part of a recently completed renovation.
The cafe will feature South Fork Bakery’s products, along with other snacks, coffee from Hampton Coffee, and various cold drinks. It will be staffed by participants from the bakery’s Launch job skills program, which provides meaningful employment opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities.
“It’s a win-win for both organizations,” said Liz Burns, the library’s director. “We’re thrilled to have South Fork Bakery on board, and we know our community will love the warm, welcoming atmosphere they bring to the space.”
New Southampton Eatery
After 28 years of operating the Plaza Cafe on Hill Street in Southampton, which closed earlier this year, Douglas Gulija has partnered with his cousin, Skip Norsic, to open Féniks a block away at 75 Job’s Lane, the former home of Le Chef. Féniks, the Croatian work for phoenix, is a nod to their heritage as well as their new enterprise and the extensive renovation of the new space, which was conceived by Dallago Associates.
The restaurant has a chef’s counter eight-course tasting menu that features dishes such as corn panna cotta and escargots with herb risotto, as well as an a la carte menu on the ground floor and smaller bites such as surf-and-turn sliders in the upstairs lounge.
Féniks is open for dinner every evening except Tuesday.