A lot has changed since COVID-19 kept us home in 2020. Before the pandemic shut the doors of many North Fork restaurants, chef René Böhme led the kitchen as chef de cuisine at Anker (47 Front St., Greenport, 631-477-1300) with owner Robin Mueller.
After a stint as a private kitchen consultant and menu developer, Böhme has returned to Anker as culinary director of Green Hill Group, also overseeing Alpina (45 Front St., Greenport, 631-477-2600), Green Hill Kitchen (48 Front St., Greenport, 631-477-4900), Alpina Bakery (670 Montauk Hwy. Unit B2, Water Mill, 631-726-0900) and Hampton Kitchen Delicatessen (670 Montauk Highway, Water Mill, 631-500-9500).
And it’s a return full of pleasant surprises in how the Greenport food scene had evolved.
“It has just changed with how Greenport has changed,” says Böhme. “Many more people have bought houses there. You see a much different crowd approaching Greenport, you see a much different vibe there.”
At Anker, the higher-end seafood restaurant of the trio in Green Hill Group, Böhme has enjoyed the variety of the local fare, which enables him to feature weekend specials full of fresh catches.
“It’s just a perfect fit there with the fisherman and the coast and the oysters,” says Böhme. “It’s beautiful. There are all of these great sources there to create some amazing dishes.”
At Alpina, Böhme helps to carry out the Swiss chalet experience that Mueller and his father have curated in honor of their heritage.
“It’s a small menu,” says Mueller. “We made it a lot smaller now, especially with René. It’s much more streamlined and it’s super authentic Swiss dishes there. That’s where René was really able to hit a home run.”
Adding to the viva-la-variety vibe of the restaurant group, Green Hill Kitchen will continue to tap into Tex-Mex barbecue-style fare, Böhme says.
Böhme completed culinary training in his home country, Germany, and has over two decades of experience as a chef at Michelin Star-rated restaurants across Europe.
Before bringing his talent to the North Fork, it was on display at Restaurant Daniel, chef Daniel Boulud’s three Michelin Star spot on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
While Böhme’s stint in the city prepared him for New Yorker’s standards when it comes to a meal out, it was his time oversees that sets him apart as an asset to manage the three unique locations.
“In Europe, I built a very solid foundation,” says Böhme. “In each country the atmosphere, the people, the clientele, the dynamic was different.”
All summer, Böhme and Mueller worked to establish specific, intricate vibes at all three Greenport restaurants while maintaining a low-waste operation, one of the chef’s specialties Mueller says.
“He’s a beast when it comes to managing food costs and he’s lowered our food costs like you can’t imagine,” says Mueller. “He runs it with German efficiency and it’s crazy.”
The pair’s next venture is to enhance Hampton Kitchen, the deli next door to their Alpina Bakery in Water Mill on the South Fork, where they will continue to hold fondue and raclette experiences with live music.
It’s no doubt that any of these eateries will provide a season-specific internationally influenced experience considering the brains behind the operations.
“My creative mind with his methodical analytical mind,” says Mueller. “The two of us make a really good team.”
