KDHamptons

KDHamptons: How long have you been coming to the Hamptons? Why do you love it so much?

Kathleen King:  I grew up in Southampton on my parents’ farm in North Sea. I graduated from Southampton High School in 1977 and returned home after college to open my bake shop in 1980. I love living in the Hamptons because it offers everything I enjoy in life. I can ride my bicycle out of my driveway; I can kayak on numerous waterways; I can walk my dog on the ocean beaches in the morning, visit my family at the farm, and cook dinner on the beach with friends. I also love the eclectic and diverse group of people drawn here – they always keep things interesting, even in the off -season.

KDH: Describe your Hamptons home, and decorating style?
KK: The architecture of my home is a modern adaptation of arts & crafts style. The interior design is styled as an Adirondack mountain lodge~ cozy and casual.

KDH: In terms of your personal style, do you have a Hamptons “uniform”?
KK: I’m not a fashion buff, but I do love AG jeans, comfortable shoes, soft t-shirts and cashmere sweaters.

KDH: What is your favorite restaurant in the Hamptons?
KK: I can’t choose! There are so many, it’s impossible to pick a favorite. There are so many great restaurants to choose from, but the last one I went to was the Stone Creek Inn.  Their tuna tartare and calamari salad are the best, along with every other entrée and appetizer on their menu.

KDH: Describe your perfect day on the East End in detail?
KK: My ideal day would start around 5:30 in the morning, taking it slow with a cup of ginger tea. I would whip up a vegetable juice in the Vitamix blender and have some fresh eggs from North Sea Farms for breakfast. At 7:30, I’d meet my friend David to go cycling, or I’d meet my friends Anne and Judy for a walk on the beach with my dog Yaffa. Then I would go to JT fitness and play outside like a kid, which is not easy, but it’s so much fun!
I’d go home and make plans with my husband to go to the beach and meet friends to talk about doing a barbeque in the evening, where we’d have a beautiful fire and roast homemade marshmallows served between Tate’s chocolate chip cookies, s’more-style. Dinner would probably be something made by my friend Steven in his smoker, with lobster rolls from Canal Café, and a salad from my friends Nick and Joe’s garden. That would be a pretty perfect day.

KDH: What is the greatest part about your job? If you could snap your fingers and instantly have another career~ what would be your dream job?
KK: I love being an established part of the community. The greatest part of my job is the joy my products bring to people. I love what I do, but if I had to choose another career, I think I’d be a bicycle tour guide in Italy, speaking fluent Italian.

KDH: What are your plans for the holidays? Travel or staying out East?
KK: Well, my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. My family gets together at my home, and we all work together to create the meal. After dinner, we all go on a long hike in the woods. If the weather’s nice, we’ll walk on the beach instead. It’s totally relaxing. Just food, family and fun.

KDH: Which is your favorite season in the Hamptons and why?
KK: I love all the seasons in the Hamptons. I enjoy how everything slows down in winter, I love the smell of spring and the anticipation of warm weather, I love the craziness of summer and the beauty of fall with the smell of the first fire on a cool evening.

KDH: If you could have anyone at your Hamptons dinner party (dead or alive) who would you invite?
KK: Anderson Cooper would get an invite because he is so clever and kind, and he has a great laugh. My friend Thomas Rosamilia would be there because I miss him. I’d gather together all my friends and family who I don’t have enough time to spend with these days.

KDH: What is your favorite treat that you bake at Tate’s?
KK: My all-time favorite is my chocolate chip cookie. I’ve been baking and eating them since I was eleven years old, and I never get tired of them. I also love our Cinnamon Ugh, which is a spinoff of our raisin scone, twisted and drizzled with icing. When the Ughs or the apricot ginger scones are warm (or when there’s a broken one in the kitchen), I find them irresistible. In the fall, I love anything with pumpkin and ginger.

KDH: What is your favorite cookbook? Or who is your favorite chef?
KK: I have so many cookbooks that I enjoy, but I find myself going back again and again to Thrill of the Grill by Chris Schlesinger. There are also some great recipes on www.italian-ate.com by Franco Biscardi. In terms of pastry chefs, my favorite is Claudia Fleming at the North Fork Table and Inn.

*Check out these fun facts about Tates:
*Tate’s Bake Shop bakes more than 1 million cookies each week. If you laid the cookies next to each other, they would stretch out for nearly 40 miles!!
*Approximately 1,000 guests come to Tate’s on a summer Saturday.
*Nearly 5,000 Tate’s Bake Shop pies are served at Thanksgiving tables yearly.
*Each week Tate’s uses 8,200 lbs of butter, 8,300 lbs of flour, 11,300 lbs of sugar and more than 7,500 lbs of chips (chocolate, dark chocolate and white chocolate) to create its mouthwatering cookies, cakes, pies, loafs, bars and muffins!