Close to a decade ago, Patty Kaczmarczyk had just opened the doors to Cheese & Spice Market, her first store and the inaugural tenant at the much-anticipated Shoppes at East Wind (5768 NY-25, Wading River, 631-929-3500).
Many storefronts at the open-air retail village, which opened in late 2016, were still unoccupied — but Kaczmarczyk knew a way to fill one. So she got in touch with longtime friend George Eldi, a local wine connoisseur, with a suggestion that would go on to enhance the course of their professional lives.
“[Patty] whispered in my ear, ‘Hey, you know what we need here? A good wine shop,’” Eldi recalls playfully.
In July 2017 — after getting permission from his wife, Nancy, Eldi laughs — Wines by Nature (Suite I, 631-886-2800) opened in a storefront adjacent to Cheese & Spice Market (Suite D, 631-886-1521). Ever since, he and Kaczmarczyk have supported each other’s shops with regular recommendations to customers. They also use social media to promote each other’s businesses, which focus on selling high-quality products from around the world at attainable prices, to a largely shared clientele.
They collaborate throughout the year with educational cheese and wine seminars, too. The events, open to the public and hosted at least two to three times a year at Wines by Nature, help “broaden people’s palates,” says Kaczmarczyk, who pivoted to opening Cheese & Spice Market after spending most of her career in the restaurant industry. Her résumé includes a managerial position at La Plage; it was there, at the French-American establishment across from Wading River Beach, that she first met Eldi, who was working as a seasoned wine rep.
With adjacent stores that sell complementary items — not to mention a long-time friendship — Kaczmarczyk and Eldi can offer customers a broader view of the wine and cheese worlds. (Photo credit: Rachel Young)
“I went, ‘Buy my wine’ and she said, ‘Put it in my glass and I’ll see,’” quips Eldi, who developed an acute interest in oenology in 1996 as manager at the old Seafood Barge in Southold, now home to A Lure.
“The more our customers know about their specific tastes — the better they’re able to communicate their likes and dislikes — the more hedonistic their dinner is going to be,” Eldi says of the pairings, which include five cheeses accompanied by five wines. The most recent event was held last month and plans for another are in the works.
Champagne and triple cream is Eldi’s favorite duo. Kaczmarczyk, who likes “mellow” wines, doesn’t have a preferred pairing but also enjoys triple cream — especially Brillat Savarin, a French cow’s milk cheese she describes as “buttery and delicious.” Red wines typically pair with harder cheeses. And rosé? That goes with everything, she says.
After almost 10 years in business — no tiny feat for the average boutique shop, let alone two within spitting distance of each other — Eldi says that his and Kaczmarczyk’s restaurant industry backgrounds have ensured the two are “built for adversity,” especially as tariffs raise the prices of many of their respective store’s imported products.
Their solid friendship also goes a long way toward keeping morale up when the winter doldrums set in, and activity at the Shoppes becomes more muted.
“[Patty]’s just… you know the [term] ‘good people’?” Eldi says. “She’s easy, you know? Everything is always agreeable and doable. Everything is just, ‘Whatever you need.’”
“It makes for better relationships when you like the people you work with,” Kaczmarczyk says.
Wines by Nature is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
During the winter, Cheese & Spice Market is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Closed Tuesday.
Stay up-to-date about cheese and wine seminars and other educational events at @wines_by_nature on Instagram.
