You know what the turn of spring to summer always represents to me? Change. All the kinds. Expected change, unexpected change, desired change, scary change, happy change. I mean, the weather alone! One minute we’re getting whipped by freezing rain and plodding under moody gray skies (and boy, has this spring been full of all that); the next, we’re digging around for shorts and tees to feel the warmth of the sun on our previously thermal-covered limbs.
It’s an exciting time of year, with so many things bursting from the soil, more faces on the streets, weekend happenings crowding the calendar. It just kind of feels like anything can happen.
Some things have been happening around here at Northforker. As you probably saw in our last issue, my buddy Lee Meyer has left the building (for another one!), and while we miss him, I’m very excited that Mattituck’s own Stephanie Villani has come on board as our new senior editor.
Stephanie has a great ear and eye for our neighborhoods and all the interesting stories to tell here on the North Fork. She’s deeply involved in her local community and—because I know she’s probably too humble to toot her own horn—just recently won first place statewide (!) for the New York Press Association’s award for Best Profile with her piece “Spirit of the Sound: Fishing with Mattituck’s Sea Queen” from our October 2024 issue.
Stephanie and I met more than a decade ago when I was actually writing about her and her husband, Alex, and their commercial fishing business, Blue Moon Fish, back when I worked for Edible Manhattan. Since then, Stephanie pivoted into writing and editing, authoring her excellent fish-centric cookbook, “The Fisherman’s Wife.” She popped up back into my life about a year ago and started writing for us, bringing all her good thoughts and ideas to our digital and print pages. I’m really, really excited she’s joined me and can’t wait to see what her curiosity, kind heart and good instincts bring to the table.
Speaking of, I’ve got a second big welcome to make: Parker Schug just joined our staff as our new dedicated Northforker lifestyle reporter. Parker’s work has appeared everywhere from Long Island to Australia, and I could see her love of the craft during our very first meeting. When I asked her, “When did you know you wanted to be a writer?” her answer was, “As long as I can remember.” She kind of had me at hello.
We’ve got a lot of fun for you on these pages this month, kicking things off with a full-on look at the exciting re-opening of the Old Mill Inn and everything that went into making that phenomenal project happen, as well as our annual Summer Plan to ease you into June and beyond, an inspiring story on learning to sail as an adult (speaking of change: You can do it!), plus some local champions of oysters and rescued animals. And that’s just the tip of the ice cream cone.
Change can be bumpy, but it can also be exciting and lead you to discover and connect to things, people, ideas and places you wouldn’t have if you hadn’t taken a chance. And isn’t that what life’s all about?
Amy Zavatto
Editor-in-Chief
