Roast it, and they will come — especially to the new North Fork Roasting Co. in Southold.
Young and old crowded into the new North Fork Roasting Co. shop Saturday, lining up happily on the shop’s opening day for artisanal coffee selections, tempting baked treats, and hot chocolate, complete with handmade marshmallows.
Some were so excited by the prospect of opening day that they set up a tent outside in the early morning hours, waiting for the big moment.
With live music by Jon Divello, the vibe was warm and welcoming, a respite from the bitter cold and coming blizzard conditions outside.Owners Jess Dunne and Jennilee Morris say the shop, nestled in a cozy building featuring antiques and a dramatic renovation, is a dream realized.
Morris, who once owned Bonnie Jean’s and was formerly general manager at Love Lane Kitchen in Mattituck, created Long Island Coffee Roasters with a partner.
“She’s been into coffee for eight years,” Dunne, 24, said, creating small batches in her garage with a roaster and roasting for various area businesses.
Eventully, Morris, 30, and he partner took different paths and North Fork Roasting Co. was born.
“We are small-batch artisanal coffee roasters,” she said.
The North Fork landscape, replete with vineyards, microbreweries and the farm-to-table focus, was the perfect place to launch their new business, Dunne, said; she had her own baking business , Ginger Goods, in the area.
After meeting at Bonnie Jean’s, “I fell in love with coffee,” Dunne said. She just started roasting herself, as well.
The new space was two years in the making, Dunne said. Morris, when she owned Bonnie Jean’s, had initially rented the building where the North Fork Roasting Co. is located.
“The goal was always to have coffee, and this space is perfect for it,” Dunne said, adding that extensive renovations took place.
“It was hard for people to see the potential here at first,” Dunne said. “There was so much work to be done.” Together, the two ripped up rugs and stained the floor themselves. They painted all the walls and discovered all the furniture, moving each piece in personally. “Every piece in here has a lot of value because we did it all ourselves,” Dunne said. Her father, Dan Dunne, a well-known local carpenter for decades, helped install the coffee bar.
The space brims with a sense of history; pieces were picked from tag sales and dusty basements rich with memories. A refrigerator was painted with green chalk paint, a bench was covered by hand by Dunne, and an old typewriter was found in the building.
The space itself has revealed facets of North Fork history, Dunne said. “We found a piece of wood in the basement from the 1930s that said ‘Goldsmith,’ a contractor in Southold in the 40s,” she said.
History is important, said Dunne, who has lived in Southold her whole life and went to Southold High School. “I have an old yearbook from 1945 out on a table here and I want people to look through it and say, ‘That’s my great-grandpa.'”
A signature touch is reflected in the mismatched English teacups and saucers used to serve tea and baked goods. Dunne said they came from Morris’ aunt, who had a huge collection of mismatched china. “I used to work at the Greenport Tea Company and that was my favorite thing. I was huge on that, and said if we’re serving tea, no one wold have a matching saucer and teacup.”
Morris, who grew up in Yaphank, moved to the North Fork eight years ago.
“We’re really want this to be a place people can feel at home. We want them to come in, hang out and enjoy a good product — and maybe, we can give them a little knowledge on great coffee,” Dunne said.
If opening day was an indicator, the North Fork is ready to embrace the new business with open arms.
“It was a huge awakening,” Dunne said, of the packed shop. “It was probably three times the amount of what we thought we would do. It was cool.”
Coffee specialties include Ethiopian sidamo, one of the owners’ favorites, sporting a floral flavor and blueberry essence. “Even if you normally have milk in your coffee, I would highly recommend trying this one black, it’s so great,” Dunne said.
Another choice is from a cooperative in Rwanda. Dunne and Morris go to a broker in New Jersey once a month for coffee tastings.
Also offered are house blends, decafs, and coming soon, a “commitment issue” choice, half decaf and half regular, “for those people who don’t want to fully commit to a full regular cup,” Dunne said.
Sereendipity organic teas are also served, as well as Dunne’s homemade hot chocolate.
To the many who’ve supporter her and Morris on their journey and were there Saturday to welcome them on opening day, Dunne said, “We just want to say thank you for making our dream come true. Today was amazing and we hope we’re everything you guys wanted, and more.”
The North Fork Roasting Company is located at 55795 Main Road in Southold and open daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. For additional information call 631-876-5450.
