Tucked in a shopping center in Southold, Fit Foods is not just a health food store — it’s a small grocery that carries rare products and prides itself on being responsive to customers’ needs. “We’re not just for people who go to the gym,” says owner Matthew Kaessinger. “We carry organic, allergen-free and gluten-free items that you can’t find in local stores.”
Open since 2017, Kaessinger, a Southold resident, is happy to chat about the product lines he carries and special-order items for customers, locals, second-homeowners and summer visitors alike.
Fit-Foods carries a range of products that are organic and allergen-friendly: frozen foods (including bread, bagels and English muffins); burgers (bison, veggie and more); fermented foods (yogurts, kimchi, pickles, kombucha); vitamins and supplements, personal-care products and natural household items (detergent and non-toxic cleaning supplies).
Popular items include CBD and THC products derived from hemp (Kaessinger has a hemp license), including gummies, supplements and topicals for sleep, mood enhancement and pain alleviation. A range of nut and oat milks, healthy snacks and nonalcoholic wine and cocktails are also items his customers rely on.
Kaessinger is always available to answer questions at the shop, which is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed Sunday.
1. Wise Goat Kimchi, $13.99 for 16 oz. This California company makes small-batch health foods with organic ingredients. Their line includes Vegan Kimchi made with napa cabbage, red peppers and sea lettuce; Kraut-Chi, a kimchi/sauerkraut combo; and Green Garden, made with kale, chard and collard greens.
2. O’Doughs’ Bakery Deluxe Burger Buns, $8.99 for six O’Doughs’ baked goods are made with plant-based ingredients and are vegan and gluten-free. Fit-Foods also carries this Toronto-based company’s English muffins and bagels.
3. Ice Cream For Bears, $8.99 for 14 oz. This better-for-you ice cream is sweetened only with raw honey and made with grass-fed dairy and egg yolks instead of gums — no refined sugars or ultra-processed additives here. You’ll find flavors like Queen & Bean (vanilla-bean French ice cream), Bearista (coffee cacao nib), Mint to Bee (mint chip) and ButterBear (butterscotch caramel).
4. Jeng Sparkling THC Cocktail, $5.99 for one 12-oz. can; $24 per 4-pack Created in Montauk, Jeng is a non-alcoholic, hemp-infused cocktail. Containing THC and CBD, the drink will give you “a balanced micro-high,” says Kaessinger, and you must be 21 or older to purchase it. Try the rhubarb cucumber spritz, spicy blood-orange margarita, the paloma with pink grapefruit and rosemary or the Moscow mule with ginger, juniper and lime. All are made with all natural ingredients and real fruit juice.
5. Painterland Sisters Organic Yogurt, $3.29 for 5.3 oz Founded by sisters from Pennsylvania who are fourth-generation dairy farmers, this traditional Icelandic Skyr yogurt is thick, high in protein, nutrient-dense and made without additives, fillers or preservatives. It comes in seven flavors, including plain, vanilla bean, Strawberry Fields, blueberry lemon, Meadow Berry, Savannah’s Peach and passionfruit.
