Chef Tom Colicchio's Guide to the North Fork, New York's Hidden Seafood Haven

It’s been a summer of endings and beginnings for Tom Colicchio. On the one hand, the chef —famously behind spots like the Beekman Hotel’s Temple Court in New York City and the Vegas steakhouse Crafted—shuttered his Manhattan restaurant Craft in June after a 25-year run. On the other hand, he’s just bought a fishing boat and is spending even more time out on the water. When we speak, Colicchio has come off a long day sailing Long Island Sound, where he fishes for tuna and white marlin.For more than two decades now, the Top Chef judge and producer has spent summers with his family in a restored 1850s farmhouse on the North Fork, a 30-mile-long peninsula on the eastern end of Long Island. Despite its proximity to their year-round home in Brooklyn, and nearby towns like the ritzier Hamptons, the area, he says, feels a world away with its country roads and U-pick farms, not to mention a strong sense of community. “It’s the kind of place where kids run in and out of neighbors’ homes at any time,” he says.Tom Colicchio and his grandpa Mike, from whom he got his love for heading out on the water—and fishing. Courtesy Tom ColicchioWith its fertile terroir—ideal for growing everything from wine grapes and stone fruit to field crops and seafood—it is a natural environment for the longtime chef. “My life is spent in restaurants, so while there are great farm-to-table spots in the area, I prefer to cook [when I’m] here.” What he doesn’t grow himself—which includes spring peas and garlic to tomatoes and raspberries—he sources from local producers that he considers among the best in the business. “What’s great about the North Fork is that there’s a food culture out here that exists outside of restaurants,” he says, "[There are] responsible producers like 8 Hands Farm in Cutchogue that raise chickens and pigs sustainably, and grow a lot of their own vegetables. They have a fantastic butcher shop, but they also make things like hand creams and balms.”Naturally, we wanted to hear more. Follow along as Colicchio shares three of his favorite North Fork purveyors: an oyster shack, a cheese shop, and a fishmonger. In other words, places to find all the ingredients for a perfect meal.Southold Fish Market64755 NY-25, Southold, NYMust-order: A whole fish to cook at home, or any of the prepared foods like chowderSouthold Fish Market is one of the best I’ve been to because the owner Charlie knows all the local fishermen. They bring him great stuff, and because the market is so busy, there’s a lot of turnover. The fish is as good as anything I get in my restaurant. I also love that you can pick out a whole fish and have it filleted for you. I usually buy fluke or sea bass; they have beautiful tuna right now, and around this time of year they start getting hard-shell crabs.Two nights ago, I made a kind of paella—a rice dish cooked in a paella pan with clams, mussels, scallops, and shrimp, all from the market and so delicious. They also have prepared foods like chowders and fish and chips to take home. Everything is simply prepared, but incredibly fresh. They also own Southold Social, whose kitchen is helmed by François Payard, and is very popular.The Village Cheese Shop has been a Mattituck staple for decades thanks to its huge selection of hard-to-find fromage—grab a cheese plate or sandwich and tuck in. Courtesy of The Village Cheese ShopThe Village Cheese Shop105 Love Ln, Mattituck, NYMust-order: A cheese from Catapano Diary FarmThe Village Cheese Shop is a beautifully curated cheese shop on Love Lane that has been a Mattituck staple for more than 23 years. It was started by Rosemary Batcheller, who ran it for decades before selling it to the current owner Michael Affatato. They have a huge selection of hard-to-find cheeses from across Europe but also artisan producers in the US. I didn’t expect to find a place like this when I moved. I like to have a variety of cheeses—different milks, hard and soft. Some Roquefort, a young pecorino, a washed-rind cheese. I love stinky cheeses—have you noticed they don’t taste the way they smell? Obviously, you need the goat cheese. One local cheesemaker that is always in heavy rotation here is Catapano Dairy Farm and I like picking their stuff up, too.There’s an area just beyond the cheese counter where you can sit down for meat and cheese plates with a glass of wine. And when I’m there, there are a couple of other places I love nearby. North Fork Donut Shop, which my kids love, is right across the street and brings them out fresh, and Lombardi’s, an Italian specialty store and butcher shop, has a good selection of meats as well as really good pastas and condiments.Get freshly shucked oysters and enjoy them on Peeko's back patio. Courtesy Peeko OystersPeeko Oysters900 1st St, New Suffolk, NYMust-order: Freshly shucked oysters with the house mignonetteI became friendly with the owners of Peeko during the pandemic, when they were forced to start shipping oysters across the country. It was the only way they could survive, since they [previously] supplied restaurants, and those were closed. Over the last 15 to 20 years, oyster farming has become increasingly prevalent in the area—you will see oyster shacks as you drive around—and Peeko’s is a particularly good operation. It’s thanks in part to the Peconic Estuary, which is squeezed between the North and South Forks of Long Island and has a constant flow of fresh water and strong tides, so the oysters are briny but sweet—delicious. You can sit on their back patio and eat freshly shucked oysters on the dock, served with their special mignonette.There’s also Little Creek Oyster Bar in town. It used to be right on the water, but they have since moved. Again, it’s simply prepared seafood, but really oysters are their thing.