Whole Foods may be a national grocery store chain with no location within 30 miles of the North Fork, but that hasn’t stopped it from honoring one local food producer.
Shoppers who visit the Whole Foods in Lake Grove may recognize the likeness of Blue Duck Bakery owner Keith Kouris in a display at the store.
The chalk display features a smiling Mr. Kouris, rolling pin in hand, and a plug for Blue Duck’s Southold location, where about a half-dozen varieties of specially crafted artisan breads are made for Whole Foods.
Mr. Kouris said the bakery has a long working relationship with the national supermarket chain. He and his wife, Nancy, began selling their bread at Whole Foods’ Lake Grove location three years ago. The community enjoyed the product so much, corporate executives asked them to design several types of European rye breads to deliver weekly to stores on Long Island and Manhattan, Mr. Kouris said. Whole Foods’ decision to highlight locally made products prompted the chalk display, he added.
In addition to their partnership with Whole Foods, Blue Duck recently began producing potato buns daily for national wine and burger bar chain Zinburger, Mr. Kouris said. They have recently started to supply about 250 dozen buns a day to five Zinburger locations in New York and New Jersey.
The Kouris’ have had much success both regionally and locally since first opening their Southampton location 16 years ago. They have since opened bakeries in Riverhead, Southold and Greenport.
“We have huge ambitions,” Mr. Kouris said.
