By Kathryn Bockino
Alan Gabay, the Chief Marketing Officer of noah’s leaned on the elongated bar in the epicenter of the restaurant. “The customers have embraced Noah Schwartz (the Executive Chef) and Sunita Schwartz, (the Wine Director),” he said, smiling, “The restaurant is reflective of both their personalities.” And that couldn’t be more accurate.
In January of 2010, noah’s first opened its doors to reveal a calming green sea foam themed restaurant in the heart (and near the dazzling water) of Greenport, New York. Yet, there was no way either Noah or Sunita could have imagined the success they are experiencing today. Their goal was to concentrate on locally obtained ingredients and small plate seafood dishes from our very own North Fork. Looking at the rave reviews from the New York Times, to TripAdvisor.com, many have declared it a success.
The combined fortes of Noah and Sunita fused together are what make noah’s, their joint project, work. And now, with “Noah’s On The Road” (their mobile restaurant) and their catering line thriving, one might even wonder if noah’s is becoming its own empire on the North Fork.
One cannot just assume that “Noah’s On The Road” is merely a food truck. In reality, it’s an airstream, a self-contained kitchen. Both Noah, and his brother Justin, dreamed about exploring this avenue of customer gratification. “We really saw the need for food trucks in this area. With the wineries not being able to serve foods, and having hungry audiences sitting around, we kind of came up with the idea.” In the summer, one can see the airstream at wineries, private events, the Jitney stop in Southampton, rehearsal dinners, weddings, and even one’s own backyard. Noah realized that people want to have a fun cocktail party, and a high-end food truck fills the niche perfectly.
“Noah’s On The Road,” like the main hub restaurant, also strives to use local ingredients, even if it is not always our local ingredients. “In keeping with the Noah’s style of what we do, we sourced small Midwestern companies that smoke and raise their own meat.” Noah said. “We definitely did our research and found the most sustainable product that we could serve. We are proud of it even if it’s just a hot dog.” And it’s a good hot dog, too.
The catering line, on the other hand, is a service that has been around since the opening of noah’s itself. People have come to expect that if they’re choosing noah’s, they’re going to get the best local ingredients, and the best wine. “People usually ask if we can pair wines with each course for them. Sunita looks at my menus and feels what the flavors are, and picks appropriate wines to work with.” With the food, the goal is not to just expose people to the variety the North Fork offers, but to educate them on where the food comes from as well. Noah said, “In the summer when we start getting all of our corn from Lathams in Orient, we put right there on the menu Lathams, Orient – sweet corn.”
But it all comes down to three ideals: family, local fair, and the North Fork. The success of husband and wife, combined with their passion for the area around them, has made noah’s stand out.
