Chef Olivia Tiedemann loves flipping the bird to convention. Here are the Hamptons culinary experiences that get her thumbs up, from classic lobster rolls to elite farm stands.
When chef Olivia Tiedemann first arrived in the Hamptons to start the personal chef gig that would indirectly lead to explosive Instagram stardom, her first impression was awe.
“Coming from a very different lifestyle, driving up there for the very first time, where everything was so perfect,” reminisces Tiedemann, now as famous for her punkish, bird-flipping, F-bomb dropping persona as she is for her elegantly plated dishes and the decadent pastas she whips up from scratch at midnight. “Pulling up to my client’s house; this huge, immaculate beachfront mansion. It was very magical.”
Tiedemann is hardly alone; the Hamptons – a cluster of luxurious seaside resort towns on the eastern end of New York’s Long Island – have long fascinated visitors, who flock to the area for a summertime escape to a world of white linen, cocktail parties and impossibly lavish estates.
some text
The SpeciaList
Olivia Tiedemann is a Brooklyn-based private chef and content creator. After attending culinary school and cooking in restaurants, Tiedemann became a private chef in the Hamptons where she quickly garnered a massive global audience of 4.4+ million Instagram followers through her elevated dishes, impeccable plating, carefully curated music selection and signature dry sense of humour. Tiedemann collaborates frequently with celebrity chefs like Bobby Flay, Giada de Laurentiis and The Pasta Queen.
But Tiedemann appreciates the Hamptons for more than its prestige: “There’s something interesting about the Hamptons, and I’m not sure scientifically what it is,” she says. “But the sun sets there and mirrors off both sides of the water, because it’s a very long, narrow island. So the light there is different, and the sunsets are different; the sky will be entirely pink. It’s very unique.”
And even better in the autumn, as the leaves turn technicolour and the crowds disperse. “Nobody’s there anymore,” says Tiedemann. “The autumn is kind of a secret time where places are still open – lots close in the winter. Last summer, I stayed through the autumn, and it was really cool to go to all those places without having to see five million people. There’s little wine bars and vineyards that are really scenic and pretty. And they need business during that time. I almost don’t even want to tell the secret of how much nicer it is.”
The food scene in the Hamptons is tied to the bounty of the Atlantic coast – lobster and clams reign supreme – as well as the island’s thriving farm culture. Farm-to-table experiences abound, as do glamorous restaurants with dishes (and patrons) ripped straight from the pages of a celebrity magazine. But there are down to earth delights as well – chef-approved.
Here are Tiedemann’s top culinary experiences in the Hamptons – in summertime and beyond.
Getty Images There’s nothing like having a cocktail in the Hamptons at sundown, where the sunsets are magical and pink (Credit: Getty Images)Getty Images
There’s nothing like having a cocktail in the Hamptons at sundown, where the sunsets are magical and pink (Credit: Getty Images)
- Best for splashing out: The Crow’s Nest
The Hamptons are notorious for being wildly posh. For a spendy yet still “really cool” experience, Tiedemann likes The Crow’s Nest on Montauk Lake. “This place is sick,” declares Tiedemann. “The first time I went there, me and my friend were, like, we just entered a dreamscape.”
When Martha Stewart came to lunch
Culinary stars often pop up in Tiedemann’s cooking videos, whether she’s making cinnamon rolls with Joshua Weissman and Susi Vidal or getting matching pasta-shaped tattoos with Giada de Laurentiis. This summer, followers caught a glimpse of Martha Stewart, the OG Hamptons queen herself, when she stopped by the kitchen and praised Tiedemann’s panko-crusted crab cakes. “That was a very chaotic day,” says Tiedemann. “I didn’t know for sure that she was coming until that morning. It was a Saturday; crazy in the Hamptons. It was a perfect Hamptons experience, like, oh, shoot, Martha Stewart’s coming to lunch, and I’m stuck in traffic at the farm stand. But it was so cool to meet her.”
The Crow’s Nest restaurant, an opulent wood-on-wood coastal oasis in the Crow’s Nest Hotel serves upscale New American and Mediterranean-inspired seafood dishes. “It almost has a tiki vibe, but that’s not what it is. The food is really good; really fresh seafood,” says Tiedemann. “There’s a little beach with a little beach bar on it, and it’s overlooking the water. It’s just so perfect and pretty. And because of the Hamptons light thing, you feel like you’re sitting in the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen, having a perfect cocktail surrounded by people in flowy white outfits… amazing!”
Tiedemann’s Crow’s Nest pick is the tuna tartare with black caramel, cucumber, radish, smoked mango and avocado. “It was crazy good,” she says. “They wouldn’t tell me what they did, but it was so good. I would go back anytime.”
