There’s something new and exciting now open at Orient Beach State Park.
The Sun Shine Shack, a welcoming new snack bar from the folks at Little Creek Oysters, has opened at Orient Beach State Park.
Little Creek owner Ian Wile and business partner Travis Zurawski said the plans for the snack bar came together in mere weeks following discussions with officials at the park.
While the snack bar building had been used in various forms for many years, there hadn’t been a consistent operation there, Zurawski said. The new team’s goal is not to make a pricey, high-end, inaccessible shop, but rather something everyone who visits the park can enjoy.
So while the Sun Shine Shack, so far, is an ever-evolving project for Wile and Zurawski — the large kitchen isn’t yet operable — it’s already filled with goodies and has a ton of character. You’ll find pre-packaged items like meats and cheeses, potato chips and hot dogs to cook on the park’s grills. There’s also bait and tackle and light sporting equipment for sale.
Of course, there are locally crafted items any North Forker will enjoy, like Dos Ositos paletas — which Zurawski says are the most-popular item so far — and soon there will be expanded food options from The Market in Greenport and baked goods from Honeybody Bakery. Greenie Supply & Tackle is also working on a special treasure map you can only find at the Sun Shine Shack.
“We’ve been fortunate to build up really wonderful relationships with small purveyors,” Wile said. “[We have been] able to call individual makers and producers that we already have relationships with [from Little Creek] that we believe in.”
“Working with our friends has been important,” added Zurawski.
While the shack certainly has Little Creek vibes, the snack bar is very much its own thing. Still, it’s got the Little Creek spirit, with its own spin. Pennants and nautical decor adorn the walls, with a blue and yellow motif.
“We didn’t slap any paint on this,” Zurawski said. “We didn’t adjust anything other than filling the shelves and thinking about how this place should feel on a hot day. You want to keep that nostalgic feel. I see this place as [part of] this fun family beach day. We joke all the time that everyone paints everything white and we’ve added color.”
Like the beloved Little Creek, Wile expects the Sun Shine Shack to evolve and change.
“When we started Little Creek, we didn’t know what it was. We just started building,” he said.
The Sun Shine Shack at Orient Beach State Park is open seven days from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission to the beach is $8 per car and you don’t have to be a local to visit. Check out the shack on Instagram for more.
