Rural Palates
BOBBY FLAY
PHOTO BY MICHAEL CROOK
BOBBY FLAY ON TURNING 50 THANKSGIVING IN THE HAMPTONS AND CULINARY AWARDS by Christy Smith-Sloman
C hef, restaurateur, author, actor and TV personality Bobby Flay has his sauté spoon in many pans. The Iron Chef presides over a culinary em- pire that includes six high-end restaurants and 15 burger bars. His latest restaurant, Gato, in New York City’s trendy NoLita neighborhood, opened in March. On most nights you’ll find Flay manning the stove, creating Spanish-inspired dishes with Mediterranean flair with a sprinkling of tapas. In between shuffling to one of his many Food Network commitments and keeping a watchful eye on Gato, Flay frequently es- capes with his wife, actress Stephanie March, (you may have seen her as the uptight as- sistant district attorney Alexandra Cabot on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) to their Amagansett getaway. It’s at this Gold-LEED certified, custom- built, shingled style home in the woods that
wouldn’t believe the ingredients there,” he says. “There are all sorts of ingredients you wouldn’t find in your everyday supermarket.” When he’s not Grillin’ and Chillin’, Flay grabs a bite at Bosticks, Nick & Toni’s, Tutto il Giorno and Harlow. The fall is Flay’s favorite time in the Hamp- tons. Possibly because he’s not a fan of tanning and prefers early morning walks on the beach. “I love cooking out here in the fall. You see a lot of pumpkin fields, I love the colors,” says Flay. “We’re going to have about 50 people out here for Thanksgiving dinner. We used to host Thanksgiving dinner in our Manhattan apart- ment but when we started having it out here everyone just followed us.” Last year Flay prepared two thirty-pound turkeys and cooked side dishes for several days, and this year it will be more of the same. Come December, Flay is looking forward to celebrating a milestone birthday. “Me and
the celebrity chef is able to relax more than anyplace else in the world. “I’m a native New Yorker, so as soon as I enter my house in Amagansett my entire body decompresses and it basically goes on chill mode and I relax,” says Flay, “I sleep better here than in the city. Maybe it’s the air. I’m not exactly a hermit but I do spend a lot of time at home. It’s sort of like a dream come true and I love cooking in my kitchen out here.” That kitchen encompasses a commercial, 10-burner stove, two ovens, a fryer, a griddle and a Salamander broiler. Throw in two café tables and a farmer’s table and it pretty much resembles a restaurant. “I like food shopping in the Hamptons,” explains Flay. “I love the farmers markets in the Hamptons. They are some of the best I’ve ever seen.” He insists that the IGA supermarket is the most underrated store in the Hamptons. “You
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