The owner of a popular local food truck plans to turn the space formerly known as Erik’s on County Road 48 into a brick-and-mortar location for his full service catering business and food truck.
“I had been looking for a location on the Main Road to move my business to,” Steve Ammirati said in an interview Wednesday. “When I read that Erik’s was closing up I reached out. I think it worked out well for the both of us.”
Ammirati has a lot of ideas about what the new location will entail. He hopes to bring a food truck onto the premises providing weekday lunches and early dinners. Over the past few years, he found success with his first food truck at the Jamesport Farm Brewery, serving a weekly rotating menu with unique spins on classic foods like pulled pork quesadillas, lobster rolls, and spinach and artichoke grilled cheese sandwiches.
Erik’s, the former coffeehouse and breakfast joint, has plenty of outdoor and covered seating. Ammirati believes this space could be used not only as a place for people to sit while having a quick bite, but also as a reserved dining hall for bigger private events. The catering business will also run out of the newly purchased space, giving people the chance to order food platters to go.
Ammirati has been in the food service industry since the age of 7, when he worked at the Love Lane Market (now Lombardi’s Love Lane Market). His love for cooking evolved into him starting Ammirati’s Deli in Mattituck with his brother, Greg, and eventually moving on to start his own catering business.
The Catered Fork serves hors-d’oeuvres and entrees for large events like weddings and smaller family gatherings in the backyard. The catering service creates small plates of brie wrapped in puff pastry and cheeseburger sliders to be passed around during cocktail hour and full service sit down dinners of prime rib and stuffed shells.
“This is a perfect spot to host baby showers and rehearsal dinners,” said Ammirati. “I have a lot of ideas. I don’t want to have a normal breakfast and lunch kind of place.”
The owner of Erik’s, Erik Brown, announced the eatery’s closure last month. In a post signed by Brown, his wife Elizabeth and their son Dylan, they thanked the community for “sharing your days with us.” The announcement, the future of the business was left unclear.
“Honestly, we don’t know for sure,” the announcement said. “For now, it’s time for a much-needed vacation. Time for family, time for health, time for long naps.”
Ammirati and his team have already began work on converting the space to fit their needs.
“We are now the proud owners of the beloved community establishment Erik’s in Southold!” The Catered Fork announced in a social media post. “We can’t wait to share all of the plans we have for this amazing space!”
