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- [00:05]
A
Hey everyone, this is Leslie. And listening the interview with Leslie Heaney. Today, I'm thrilled to have female business leader and East Hampton aficionado Sarah Wettenhall on the podcast. Sarah is the owner and CEO of the iconic Colony Hotel in Palm beach. And she just brought her magic touch to revitalization of her latest hotel or latest project, a Hedges Hotel in East Hampton, which just reopened this summer. So in this episode, Sarah and I talk about initially sort of how she got into the hotel business and the amazing restoration that she did of the iconic Colony, bringing all of that wonderful creativity to the Hedges in East Hampton, which just opened this past summer. Sarah is a lifelong summer resident of East Hampton and now lives in Sag harbor with her family. So we really cover kind of East Hampton and all of the surrounding area. We talk about the only place to stay, which is the Hedges Hotel, her hotel in East Hampton and all the incredible amenities that it offers. And then we talk about amazing places to eat and where to shop, unique activities to do in that area, beaches to visit, other just unique spots to go to, and if you go to like for a romantic weekend or with kids. And then she also scoops on some East Hampton summer traditions and events. So whether you're dreaming of or planning a late summer or fall getaway to East Hampton, or you're just interested in learning more about this female business leader who has transformed two iconic hotel properties, this is a conversation you won't want to miss. I'm so excited about this week's sponsor, the 10 Mile Distillery. 10 Mile is an American single malt distillery based in the Hudson Valley about 90 miles north of New York. And it is the maker of the award winning Little Rest Whiskey, made through a slow distillation process with all New York State grains by master distiller Shane Fraser from Scotland. And when I say award winning, I mean it's earned a 95 out at the whiskey competition in San Francisco and a 96 at the New York International Spirits Competition. This is delicious. If you do not believe me about how delicious this is, the good news for you is that if you're in the New York area, you can go visit this incredible and beautiful distillery yourself. It's set among the most beautiful apple orchard with beautiful views of the mountains behind. Stop by for a leisurely tour or tasting or even enjoy an expertly crafted cocktail. They also have gin and vodka available. They also have this incredibly delicious Thai restaurant that is in residence there from Thursday through Sunday. To learn more about the distillery, you can Visit them at 10miledistillery.com all orders will receive 10% off if you put a promo code the Interview at checkout. So go to www.tenmile distillery.com the interview to get that discount, that 10% off. I promise you, you will not be disappointed. I'm so excited to talk to you about everything you're up to. I want to talk to you, obviously, all about East Hampton as someone who's grown up there and has such insider knowledge and such a deep perspective. But I thought it might be interesting for listeners to kind of, you know, hear all about all the wonderful things that you've done and are up to. Starting with, besides the hedges in East Hampton, you have the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach. And I'm so curious about how that started and how you and your husband kind of embarked on that project and now this exciting project in East Hampton.
- [03:45]
B
It's a funny, circuitous story, Leslie. You know, I'm not a hospitality person by background. I'm. My background is in fashion, media marketing, pr. And I spent, you know, a decade plus in that industry. Took a step back, had three kids, and the Colony had always been part of our family life. My father in law owned it from 1969 to 1989, and he kept his apartment there in the penthouse, even after it passed out of his ownership. And he loved Palm beach, and so it was part of our family. It's where we spent Christmas and Easter and spring breaks. It's actually where I met my father in law for the first time when my husband and I were still in college. So, you know, Palm beach has always been part of our story, But I never envisioned that I would be a business leader in the community or that I would own and operate a hotel. You know, I just, I enjoyed it as a tourist and I enjoyed the Colony as a guest because we stayed there. Given my father in law lived upstairs, the natural place was for us to stay in a room. So, you know, in 2016, we got a call from my father in law, my husband Andrew, and I did, and he said that the Colony, we had the opportunity to buy it back. My father in law at that point in time was well into his 80s, and he said, there's no way I'm doing this. Literally no way I'm doing this. But you guys need to figure this out. You need to make this happen. The best years of my life, he said, were the years that he ran the Colony. And so he's like, you guys need to do this. At that point in time, you know, we had a, A One year old, a three year old and seven year old, something like that. And you know, we were like, you're crazy, there's no way, blah, blah, all of the words, you know, that you would envision. We have no experience, you know, all of the things. And six months later we owned a hotel.
- [05:37]
A
Yeah, he makes the phone call. You do the usual thing that couples do, like going through, you know, the pros and cons list of doing something and then what was it? What was sort of the final factor? Was it the family connection to it? Was it just. Did you go then look at it and kind of go and sort of start imagining what you think you could do with it or what was the final thing that.
- [06:00]
B
I think there were three things. One, the family piece, as you said, you know, getting to bring it back in the family. Frankly, kind of on behalf of my father in law, he always regretted letting it go. And so there was something very romantic about being able to fulfill that dream for him. But again, that wasn't enough for us to like put our entire lives and livelihood on the line. But that was a big piece of it. I think another piece of it was I knew that I would go back to work at some point. I didn't know what I would do, honestly, because again, I had three kids and I had spent at that point seven years home and knew that I wanted to do something that would allow me to be active in my kids lives and you know, do pick up a drop off and all the parental things that parents want to do. And so I didn't, I couldn't quite formula out what that job would be when I went back to work, but I knew that I would go back. And so I, when this came up, it was like, wait, okay, I could like, I could do this on my own terms.
- [07:03]
A
Yes.
- [07:04]
B
So, so may, maybe this is it. And again, it's very much all consuming but you know, but I'm my own boss and there's something very attractive about that. So that was a, that was definitely a piece of, it was the f. The family personal kid component. And then the third one was, you know, as I mentioned, we had spent decades on this property as guests and so secretly I think we had all of these pent up hopes and dreams. You know, we, we had sat, we'd sat by the pool for years and said, gosh, you know, if only. Yes, why don't they do this? I mean, my husband and I are travelers. Travel is in our blood. We are definitely that couple that whenever we get a day off from work or their kids are off from school, you know, we're not staying home. You know, we are. Where are we booking a plane ticket? Where are we going? Where are we going to explore? And so all of our years staying at the Colony, we're kind of juxtaposed against these great small luxury hotels in Europe and in Africa and in Australia. And it's like, wow, why is Florida, Why does Palm beach not have some of these great things that these other iconic destinations have? And wow, it's such a bummer that the Colony doesn't offer X, Y and Z. And so for us, that number three of wow, we knew there was opportunity. We had spent enough years on that property that we knew we could do it different and we could do it better and we could add value to Palm Beach.
- [08:29]
A
So interesting having that perspective of not just being someone who loves travel and has experienced hotels all over the world, but you were kind of at inside market research. By being there for years and years and years. You knew that the bartender didn't move fast enough. I'm just throwing this out there or whatever. You knew.
- [08:48]
B
That's exactly, exactly it. We, you know, they didn't offer drink. There was no, there was no Shay's lounge service with the waiter by the pool. You had to get and go to the bar to get your drink. And we were like, like, how, how is this, how is this possible? We were stair steps from the ocean, but yet there was no connectivity to the beach. If you wanted to go to the beach, you had to go and buy a beach chair and a beach towel. They did not new chairs and towels. So again, a lot of this is really basic things and we're like, we just can't believe. So we knew, even though we were not in the hospitality business, we knew nothing about operating a hotel. We knew we could do better.
- [09:24]
A
Yeah. And you also had your own background, right? You could bring your own background in fashion and, and marketing to bear and kind of the look and the feel of it, which is amazing. So tell us then. So you had this incredible, you know, it's been such a huge success, the Colony and then how, like, let's talk about the hedges. Like that was Right. It's sort of similar story, right? But maybe your family having been having familiarity with this hotel and then tell us what happens. You hear it's for sale or how did that all come about?
- [09:57]
B
So, you know, we've long since we stabilized in Florida. Of course, the big question is, what's next? What's next? And for us The Hamptons were very natural. You know, Andrew and I, for about 10 years owned a home in East Hampton, right down the street from the hedges, ironically enough. And my husband actually grew up also going to East Hampton. His father had a home there. So it's a community that we were very much integrated in and a community we knew well. And also it's a community to run that parallel to Palm Beach. It's a community where there's hospitality need and food and beverage need. There's really not a wealth of luxury or anything luxury hospitality options in East Hampton or the Hamptons in general. And so we knew that if.
- [10:42]
A
Which is surprising, by the way.
- [10:43]
B
So surprising both of these places.
- [10:45]
A
Yeah. Anyway, just.
- [10:46]
B
It really, it really is. There's not, there's not a lot. And so we knew if we could find the right property that we could add value and we could, you know, we could benefit, that, you know, be beneficial to the community. And it's interesting, I got to know the previous owner of the hedges through mutual friends and just kind of through running around East Hampton. You know, they're also along a long standing East Hampton local family. And I got to know them and we kind of just started these very casual conversations. And interestingly, in retrospect, at one point, like years ago, someone asked me, oh, well, what about buying the hedges? And I kind of dismissed it and was like, oh, no, no, no, it's not for sale, it's not for sale, it's not for sale. And lo and behold, as I got to know the coming family, they opened up the conversation very naturally. And I almost think in again, in retrospect, they wanted to get to know me better and understand how we operate. You know, they visited us in Florida. They have very deep ties, like I said, in this community, and also are very emotionally attached to the hedges. And so I think that they really wanted to make sure that they were comfortable with the type of owner and operator we would be before they considered selling to us. And so it came about very organically, in all honesty. And it, you know, as far as deals go, it was a really, you know, a really natural and seamless deal, which is nice. It's nice to start out, you know, a foot of new owners ownership with really positive feelings.
- [12:07]
A
Well, what's so nice for them too is to know that they're passing off their legacy right, to, as you mentioned, an owner operator that they, that they know that they have sort of long standing ties within the community, but also they can see what you've done with the colony in Palm beach, that value that you've added to the community. And they can sort of see how you could breathe new life into the hedges, which you have. So this summer was the opening summer, right?
- [12:31]
B
It was, yes. We've been open since mid May. It was very quick. You know, we closed. We closed in the first quarter of 2025 and we got open by mid May, which was a crazy blur. I mean, at some point someone said, how are you? And I was like, well, I don't remember the month of April. Yes, but I'm fine. Other than I've literally lost time.
- [12:50]
A
It's like ABC Extreme Home Makeover. Hats off to you. I mean, you. You got it done and beautifully.
- [12:56]
B
Thank you. I mean, we have an extraordinary team of passionate and caring hospitality professionals. They love what they do and they love the brand that we've built. And they were very excited to just like us kind of road test it and take it to a new market. And so, you know, we were able to get it done, which is, which is pretty great.
- [13:15]
A
All right, so I'm so excited to dive. I mean, I want to talk all about the hedges, Right, because that, of course, is the place that everyone should be staying. When I ask you these questions behind the music on East Hampton, I also want you to talk about the hedges a little bit about all the other. All the amenities. Right. You have Swifty's restaurant, which for listeners who are not familiar with New York, which is an old, long standing classic restaurant in New York City, which you brought to the Colony. Right, exactly. In Palm Beach. And you've. Are you bringing it to the hedges? Have you already done that?
- [13:46]
B
We brought it to the hedges. Indeed, indeed. So the menu is just like the sot cheese menu in Florida is inspired by the original New York menu of the Swifties that everyone knew and loved on the Upper east side that's been closed for almost a decade now. The menu is inspired by New York, but not firm to New York. And very similarly, the East Hampton menu is inspired by what we've done in Palm beach, but not, you know, not firmly adhered to it. So you'll see a lot of the classics that you know and love from both New York and from. From Palm beach, but with the Hamptons twist. You know, our chef really has enjoyed Long island and the Hamptons farm stands and the local farmers and the, you know, just the, the food out here on the East End is extraordinary. And although in Florida, you know, we do source local when possible, we don't have in Palm beach county, the wealth of, you know, farm stands and local purveyors that we do here on Long Island. And it really, honestly, it shows in the food and the menu really shines.
- [14:47]
A
That is interesting. And so how's it going? Like, it's, it's operating. Everything is, you know, you've got the restaurant going, you've got all the amenities. You talked about the Colony, right, with connecting the hotel to the beach. You have that going on too at the hedges, right?
- [15:01]
B
Without a doubt. I mean, I think really what, what's exciting about our offering in East Hampton is that we are a tiny microcosm. I mean, we were only 14 rooms, but we are a luxury hotel. So it's the slice of all the best things that you get in Palm beach boiled down on this really tiny little suite campus. So, you know, you get a 24 hour front desk, which seems crazy, but you actually don't get that in the Hamptons a lot at these local inns. You kind of get the like, oh, if you come in after 11 o' clock at night, the key's under the mat. But we have, you know, a full time front desk, full time, you know, text, text with your, with your butler sort of service. So if you need anything, you can always text like, like you had said service to and from the beach. Beach setups with umbrellas, fully tricked out coolers with food and beverages. Around town. Drives. We have a partnership with Volvo and their new electric vehicles, so they've given us a fleet of Volvos. And so we'll drive you around, which, as you know, traffic is a huge thing in the Hamptons. And so if you stay at the hedges, you don't really need a car. We'll, we'll drive you around. We have a full concierge service. So, you know, before you come and stay with us, you get a call that where we investigate what you're trying to accomplish in town, what you want your itinerary to look like. We'll set you up with dinner reservations, which again is another.
- [16:20]
A
That's huge. That's huge.
- [16:21]
B
Big deal. In the Hamptons, you know, getting into restaurants is almost as challenging as navigating the traffic around these places. And so, you know, we're, we're, it's like, you know, we say it's like staying in the home of a well connected friend or aunt and you're, you're plugged in. And so you'll get dinner reservations and we'll book them in advance. So it's really, like I said, it's a full Service, luxury experience. You know, room service, twice daily. Turndown service, three meals a day at Swifty's. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, and s' mores and bonfires. Yes. Garden afterwards.
- [16:52]
A
So we're staying at the Hedges. We're going to have a meal at Swifties. Let's talk about other favorite spots that you have, maybe other places to eat that you love going in East Hampton or places that you would recommend to people that are staying at the Hedges. Like, where would you say for. For reservations for your concierge?
- [17:11]
B
There is so much to do. And we have Sant Ambrose in town, which is a favorite. It is a tiny little jewel box version of Sant Ambrose. And so that I think is a can't miss. It's right in East Hampton Village. It is delicious. Tudor Il Giorno has a cafe, like a coffee bar and pastry bar here in East Hampton Village, which I am a huge, huge fan of. That would be a can't miss if you want to go further afield. La Belle Bouquet in Sag harbor, it's right on the water. There's not a lot of waterside dining in the Hamptons, which is kind of a surprise. And it's funny because Palm beach is similar. There's not a lot of waterside dining. But going up to Sag harbor and eating at Billboquet or at one of my favorite restaurants, Beacon, it gets you right on the water. The sunsets are beautiful because of the direction that they're facing. So I would say those are. Those are kind of my. My haunts, my local haunts. I do live in Sag harbor now. We sold our house in East Hampton a couple of years ago. So I bounced back and forth equally between Sag harbor and East Hampton. So I get to cherry pick the best of both communities.
- [18:16]
A
Oh, I love it, Sarah. So for people, though, that are not as familiar with the area, the distance between Sag harbor and East Hampton, it's.
- [18:24]
B
About a 15 minute drive. It's a straight shot. It's not that far. And the good news is is it's not on 27, which is the big, you know, kind of the big thoroughfare through the Hamptons, where a lot of the traffic is. So you can get from East Hampton up to Satin harbor and you won't experience a lot of the traffic that you hear so many people kind of complain about in the Hamptons.
- [18:45]
A
What about breakfast spots? So you wake up, you know, if you're staying at the hedges, you probably have a, like, luxurious breakfast at the hedges. But if you want to walk into Town and you want to grab a cup of coffee or you know, any spots that you think are sort of good. Early morning breakfast stops.
- [19:00]
B
Exactly. So it's funny, that's one of the reasons why we offer breakfast because there's not a lot of options in East Hampton Village. Tudo Aljorno, which I mentioned before, is a great place to get an extraordinary cappuccino and the pastries are unparalleled. Carissa's Bakery, also in the village, is a great place to get some pastry or to get a loaf of bread or something delicious. If you happen to be cooking or going to a friend's house later for a barbecue, those would be two campness places. If you have kids and you want a more family friendly or kind of casual breakfast. I love John Papa's. It's a traditional Greek diner. You know, you don't have to, you know, look all Hamptonsy and be fancy. You can go in and. And their pancakes, the chocolate chip pancakes are my kids favorite. And it's just, you know, it's very low key and delicious.
- [19:50]
A
I love that. I love John Papas. That would be my go to if I was not doing the luxurious breakfast to go and you know, be in whatever I was wearing to get French.
- [19:58]
B
Toast and bacon and call it a day.
- [20:00]
A
Yes, totally. Okay, so you're out, you're doing your thing, you're going. Now you. Let's say we want to go to the beach, right? Obviously if you're staying at the hedges, you're going to get, you know, you're going to get all your great set up on the beach. What beaches would you recommend people go to? Maybe not even just East Hampton, but any beaches that you like to go to in the Hamptons.
- [20:21]
B
So Main beach is where we take our guests and it's my personal favorite because it has lots of parking and it has bathrooms and it has food service. There's a cafe there. So that has long been one of my favorite beaches because it's easy and it's the closest beach ironically enough to the hedges. So that works well. So I think Main beach, it's been voted one of the best beautiful beaches in America previously. So I would say that's a can't miss and particularly for families because of the facilities there. You know, we also love Georgica beach, which is just kind of one beach down from Main Beach. It doesn't have all of those facilities but it tends to be quieter and a little more residential. Again because it doesn't have all the facilities. It has, you know, Less parking and it doesn't have the food and beverage. It's equally as stunning. And if you're feeling up for it, you could actually walk from main beach down to Georgica Beach. So I would say as far as ocean beaches, those are my two favorites. I also really, I enjoy the bay beaches as well. You know, our family does a lot of paddleboarding and kayaking and you know that's, that's tough to do on the ocean beaches. And so I would say our favorite bay beach is Alewife Brook beach, which again, you need to have a car or get driven by one of our Volvos up to it. And, and if you have paddle boards and water toys and it's just, it's very sweet. It's. And it goes back, there's a little path or a little, a little creek into a brackish pond. And so it's just, it's really great. And again, it's a bit off the beaten path and so that's definitely one of those that you won't find unless you, unless you know about it.
- [21:55]
A
Yeah, that is great. So if you were into things like paddle boarding and kayaking and you are out visiting and you can't bring your own, is there a place near there that you could rent them or what's happening over there at the bay beach?
- [22:10]
B
Exactly. So the bay beaches, they don't have, you know, kind of any commercial setup. But you know, again, at the hedges, ha ha. You know, we can connect you because.
- [22:20]
A
It always goes back to the hedges.
- [22:22]
B
Exactly. It's like staying in the home of.
- [22:24]
A
A well connected friend.
- [22:25]
B
You know, we have individuals who will connect with you and can provide you with everything from loaner paddle boards to full on excursions. Orion Mims is a dear, dear friend and a multi time triathlete, extraordinary individual and father. And he runs these programs that, you know, he'll, he'll pick you up in his jeep with like 18 paddle boards attached to the top and take you guys out on this paddle board excursion or take your kids out canoeing and crabbing or if you want to work out, he'll take you to one of my other favorite places, the walking dunes in Amagan and he will have you running wind sprints up and down the dunes.
- [23:07]
A
What's his name? Ryan Whitman.
- [23:09]
B
Oh, Ryan. Like, like the, the constellation. Mims is the last name.
- [23:15]
A
Ryan Mims. He sounds also, he sounds kind of attractive. I'm picturing like he is, he's not.
- [23:21]
B
He'S not hard on the eyes, I will tell you that.
- [23:23]
A
Oh My God.
- [23:25]
B
But a funny little story. After I had my second child, my girlfriends and I were doing a lot of paddleboarding because it's a great way to get in shape. And you're outside, and we're in the Hamptons in the summer, and I say to my husband, like, I think we should go on a family paddle. And he's like, okay, fine, whatever. So we book it for a Saturday, and Orion comes to pick us up. And he's. My husband's like, oh, now I know why you're paddleboarding so much. Like, now it's all. It all comes together.
- [23:51]
A
Irene, that is. I have some good friends who are very into surfing and got into surfing, like, you know, later in life. And they have these incredible surf instructors, and they're out in Southampton. Anyway, it's a similar kind of thing. The surf instructors are all very. It's like Point Break. It's like Keanu Reeves in Point Break. They're all very attractive. And there's a lot of questions from the husbands about.
- [24:15]
B
Exactly. The great thing about Orion. He's an extraordinary human and very, very kind. And he's fit and he's handsome. So he's a good man.
- [24:25]
A
The triple threat. I love this. So there's another walk you just mentioned, right, though. So you can do the paddle boarding, you can do kayaking. This guy will help you with all these excursions.
- [24:33]
B
He'll help you with all these things. The walking dunes and Amaganzet, which you don't need a guide or anything to necessarily do. You could just go and go to those yourself. They're out in Amagansett. They're on the Bayside. And you can park and you could just walk them. And there are these, like, huge sand dunes. And it's beautiful because you'll get up to the top of one and the vista out over the bay is unlike anything you've seen, you know, or you could take a trainer and do a crazy workout. Really, there's. There's kind of so many different ways to explore them, and it almost feels like, you know, the last time I was there, I was with my. My son, who's now 16, and he was like. It's like being in one of the, like, shooting a Star wars movie because there's just. It's all these sand dunes around. And he's like, yeah, you would never think that you were in the Hamptons. You would never think that you, frankly, were in New York State. So it's a pretty special.
- [25:23]
A
That is so cool, the whole, like, tatooine Hampton situation. Who knew? Yeah, so also you've got bikes. Right? Again, back to the hedges. Because all roads lead back to the hedges. And there are great bike rides too. Right. Where you could ride your bike around the Hamptons or around East, Definitely to town and to beach.
- [25:41]
B
Exactly. You can definitely go to town. You know, one of my favorite things to do is to bike down Lily Pond Lane, which is kind of. It's one of the famed streets in East Hampton. They have beautiful homes that are. They kind of like Palm Beach. There's these high hedges, and so it's kind of tricky to see the houses. But if you're on bike or on foot going a little slower. Yeah, you could really kind of see what's going on behind those hedges. And it's pretty. It's pretty special. There's the beautiful bucolic trees that overhang, you know, Lily Pond. And it's. It's pretty great. And so I would recommend, if you're like me, if you like design and interiors and homes, it's a good ride worth doing, and it's not super hard or difficult. And it's because it's a little lane. There's not a lot of traffic, so it's safe. There's not a lot of cars around. So I would say that would be one that's worth doing. The other one that you could either walk or bike to is to the duck pond in East Hampton Village, which is, again, it's also great for families. It's great for adults as well. But my kids growing up down the street from the duck pond, we used to love to go. It's a little nature trail and it's. There's ducks and there's otters, and there's just a lot of wildlife. And it's a sweet little path through, you know, through the. I wouldn't say the woods, but through a little cops of trees. And you could walk or bike there from the hedges.
- [27:02]
A
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- [28:49]
B
In East Hampton right on Newtown Lane. You know, right in the middle of the village is a great playground. There's tennis courts, there's also you know, a big baseball diamond. Again, public bathrooms which is key around. It sounds so silly but really important. And it's all right in the village there. So you know, from a parent standpoint, you know, you can go get your coffee at Tudor Giorno and the playground is right there so you're not, you know, it's not even really a difficult excursion to go to. You're not isolated, you're right there in the village so you kind of can't go wrong. And the other thing for inclement weather that is again. And my kids are now there are now 10, 13, 16. They still love this place. It's the clubhouse here in East Hampton which is bowling and arcade and which is all of course indoors. And then when the weather's good there's putt putt outdoors. But all of that is to say even if you come visit East Hampton and it happens to be one of our few rainy days or a chillier day, never to fear. We have a movie theater in town and there's bowling in an arcade. So there's plenty to keep everyone busy and happy.
- [29:54]
A
That is amazing. We go to Newport in the summertime and there's an arcade there and even when it's nice out, the kids are like, can we go to the arcade? I mean it's like all they want to do. Like all they want to do. It's so that's very good intel. The arcade is, and the movie theater too. A great reminder that that's always an option. Yeah, stores, you must have a ton of places that are, there's so much good shopping.
- [30:16]
B
It's kind of a problem. Leslie.
- [30:18]
A
Yeah, I mean, I know it, what would be your, I mean, I don't know, you could probably give me 20.
- [30:23]
B
I mean every designer that you could ever want has a boutique in East Hampton. And so that goes without saying that yes, you can shop Gucci and Louis Vuitton and Prada and Ralph Lauren and all of that. And so that I don't need, you know, don't need to waste everyone's time on. Just know that is, it is extraordinary. I would say some of my favorites are Corona Zabet, which is a family owned store. There's one in Nashville actually. Now I don't know if you know Beth Puccini, the owner, but it is, I do.
- [30:50]
A
And actually I do know Beth and she's terrific and her stores are amazing.
- [30:54]
B
Yeah, I mean I think her eye, the curated selection and her eye of what she puts together, it's really unparalleled. She's obviously a store in Palm beach as well. And, and so I, you know, I, I, I've gotten to know her quite well and she's someone I, you know, again I, I admire her as a female business leader, but also again, the store itself is really great. Another one of my favorites is Henry Lair. There's a Henry Lair in East Hampton. There's also one in Saab Harbor. They offer, I would say it's maybe a step back from Corona's event. It's kind of more casual wear. T shirts, jeans, sweaters, layering pieces. In fact, my 13 year old today, before she left to go to her job was like, can we go shopping this afternoon? It's almost fall. And I will tell you about this time. Every mid August Amelia and I go to Henry Lair. In fact this is a Henry Lair special and stock up on, you know, a cashmere sweater, some good T shirts for fall we get our new blue jeans. And so it's good. They also have really great button down shirts. So I would say Henry Layer is a can't miss, as is the Monogram shop. And that again, local family owned by a mother daughter duo. They will embroider anything they do Those, you know, really cute plastic like reusable but also disposable cups that everyone has in their house with funny sayings on them. They, you know, they print napkins with funny sayings on them and it's, you know, it's, it's a great place. Especially a great place to grab a hostess gift if you're visiting in town and either want to take something back that's witty and cute to remind you of your holiday or if you're going to dinner and need to not show up empty handed but don't want to show up with the boring bottle of wine that I always show up with.
- [32:36]
A
That's me too.
- [32:37]
B
Me too. Stop by that in the Monogram shop.
- [32:39]
A
They also as a shout out to the Monogram shop. You can order from them online. I've been doing for years. Yes.
- [32:46]
B
Yep.
- [32:47]
A
So open to any place, wherever you're, you know, wherever listener's from, you can get great things from them.
- [32:53]
B
Exactly. Exactly. So those are my, those are my three favorites. You know, I would say, you know, White's Pharmacy is a good one as well if you like really beautiful candles. And yes, they're also a, they have a regular pharmacy and regular drugstore but they have color cosmetics, very high end beautiful color cosmetics and a great selection of candles and also giftables and it's you know, that kind of high end old world chemist. And they're a can't miss as well. And they're in East Hampton as well as Sag Harbor.
- [33:23]
A
What about if you say you're, you want to bring lunch to the beach or you're, you know, we just. You made me think of it, you know, going to bringing a hostess gift. But you want to. I know one of my idols, Ina Gardens is out there, the Barefoot Contessa in your neck of the woods. But is there like a great prepared. Maybe I'm teeing this up. Maybe great prepared food. I'm upset. I actually interviewed this woman who's amazing who worked with Ina for years and she's now a writer for the New York Times and has her own cookbook out. Her name's Lettie Hoik and she is very tight still with Ina and Jeffrey. I've been trying to invite myself over to her house for dinner when she has Ina and Jeffrey there. But that's a sidebar.
- [34:06]
B
But anyway, I'll be with you because I will say our opening night at the hedges, Ina and Jeffrey were guests of ours and I had to resist everything in my body to not fangirl all over I know. Jeffrey.
- [34:20]
A
I know.
- [34:21]
B
I introduced myself, I restrained myself and then I walked away. And of course, Andrew, my husband, was like, good job, well done.
- [34:28]
A
I know it is. I don't know what it is about it. I love everything she cooks. I love, I love their love. I love the whole, the whole package. It all works. Yeah, she's great. So her is the barefoot contest is still open and operating?
- [34:42]
B
Unfortunately.
- [34:43]
A
No.
- [34:43]
B
No, it is not. I would say, you know, we have a place called Round Swamp Farm.
- [34:48]
A
Okay.
- [34:49]
B
Is delicious. It started out again local family farmer and fisherman. It started out as a farm stand on the side of the road by set. Started by a couple of sisters. They're now, I think the grandparents. The eldest generation in this business. And it's evolved. There still has some produce and there's a meat counter and a fish counter. But it predominantly is prepared foods. And it is, I mean, the guacamole from Ransom Farm is stuff of legends. It is amazing. They do this jalapeno cheese dip that's like a seven layer dip. You know, I'm a Midwesterner, I, I love a good seven layer dip. I like my cheese, I like my dairy and their, their food. It's, it's really, it's something, you know, it's something to remember. And so if I was going to the beach or going to a friend's house and wanted to show up again not empty handed with a food item, I would stop by. Round swap, without a doubt. The other one is, you know, there's pop up bagels here in Amaganza. So, you know, you can't go wrong with a dozen pop up bagels because they still have a wait list. You can't buy. You know, you can't just show up and buy their bagels. You have to preorder them.
- [35:55]
A
Stop it.
- [35:57]
B
Yep.
- [35:58]
A
And pickles you can freeze too.
- [35:59]
B
So that's, it's exactly it. Yep, yep. So I'll get. Because for me getting to Amaganza from side harbor, it is kind of a hike. And so I'll preorder two or three dozen, get them, and then bag them up and freeze them, you know, and we'll, we'll consume them, we dribble them out over a few weeks.
- [36:16]
A
I am on this is TMI a little bit, but I'm on day two of a juice cleanse. And so as we're discussing.
- [36:23]
B
Sorry, I'm literally torturing you. I don't know what I'm doing.
- [36:27]
A
Like you should not be. You know, I'm trying to undo some of the horrible damage I did to myself in July. And it's just. It's torture. But anyway, I can't. I. My first stop is gonna. The bagel thing. Really got my, you know, got my wheels turning.
- [36:40]
B
Very yummy.
- [36:41]
A
Very exciting. Okay, so what about events in the summer? There's. Are there any. Or there's. Or throughout the year, are there special times of year that you think it's great to visit Easthampton?
- [36:51]
B
There is so much. I mean, summer is the obvious answer, without a doubt. So we'll start there. I would say there's a couple things that happen here in the village that are really special that make you remember that fundamentally East Hampton Village is a small town. It's a tiny little town. And what I really love is that our leadership here, our trustees and our mayor of the village have kept those traditions and actually reinvigorated these small town traditions. So there's concerts on Tuesday at Main Beach. They're called Tuesdays at Maine.
- [37:25]
A
Oh, that's great.
- [37:26]
B
There's a microsite. They're run by our East Hampton Village Foundation. There's a website. So if you Google Tuesdays at Maine, East Hampton Village, there's a website and a full concert schedule. They'll screen movies at the beach as well. They run a yoga at the beach program because there's a little pavilion there. And so there's a flat surface right. Overlooking the sand. And. And so, you know, I would say that's one of the things that they've really done very well to bring us together as a community. And they're very, very well received. And so I would say, without a doubt, you can't miss a Tuesdays at Main concert. That's timeless. And then also we have. There's a carnival every June that's held by the Ladies Village Improvement Society, which is, again, you know, a group of ladies that harken back to a time that's, you know, before now. And they put together a wonderful carnival for the children here in the village that's one that you kind of can't miss. And again, it's right in town. So you could do shopping, you could do lunch, and then you're kind of right there. The East Hampton Historical Society every July runs an antique show for a week that is perhaps one of the best antique shows on Long Island. The vendors who come and sell at that are just. They're some of the best vendors from the Northeast. They're really, really great. It's really exceptional. So again, if you're an antique person or Again, if you're interested in decors and design, I would say that would be a can't miss. So, yeah, there's a lot of fairs and festivals. There's a children's fair that the library puts on for children. We just had this past weekend author's night, which happens right next to the playground in the middle of the village. And that's put on by the library where they invite local authors to come and sell and sign books. They put up a big tent. So, yeah, there's. There's a lot of things that bring us together and that, you know, feel. Feel pretty small town, even though we're. The village has a big personality. There's. There's a small town feel.
- [39:16]
A
Okay, so the hedges is open. The hedges is cooking. Right. You've got everything happening there. What. And this might be an annoying question to ask you because I asked this of someone. I forget who it was. Oh, might have been Joey Wolfer who had this response. You know, it's sort of the idea of what's next is sort of like the implication there is like there's not enough happening already. There's so much happening already. But is there, you know, maybe a dream location that you, you know, when you're talking to your husband that you would love to open another place or any other things you'd want to do with the hedges that you. Because I know you just opened that you haven't realized yet what it. What's sort of on your.
- [39:56]
B
Yeah, there's a lot on the agenda. I mean, I think, you know, it is. We're, you know, not even a year into the hedges, not even a season into the hedges. So there's a lot, you know, on the forefront there. You know, we're going to be closing this September and going through a guest room restoration because the inn National Historic Trust landmark, but in the rooms are in need of a little love and affection. So we'll be giving them the love and affection that they deserve this fall and winter. And so that is certainly something that has a lot of. My focus is making sure that the building is in the shape that it deserves and needs to be in and that the rooms and that the common spaces are also look the way that we want them to look for our guests. So that's a big one. And then I think for us, one of the things we've most enjoyed about Palm beach and the business in Florida is watching it grow and evolve. As, you know, Tina, you ask what were there things to do? Of course, the obvious answer is Summer. But, you know, in Florida, we now we run a business that is year round.
- [40:59]
A
Yeah.
- [41:00]
B
You know. Yes, yes. Winter is, you know, is the social season and it's when a lot of people think about going to Florida. But we have a healthy business there, you know, pretty much year round now. And that was not the case when we started out nine years ago. And so I think, you know, looking at that, I think for us, you know, after we restore the rooms and after we get this business normalized, it's really going to be looking at year round and how do we create and work with the village and the local individuals here to create a destination that really does make sense year round. And so that's going to mean supporting. You know, there's, there's a Christmas parade that happens every year. There's a big Thanksgiving gathering. You know, there's a lot of apple picking and pumpkin picking and things like that that happen out here. So I think that's, you know, that's as far as looking at the hedges. The second thing that really excites me is putting together some programming that will help make us an exciting destination in months that are not summer, which is.
- [42:00]
A
Also, I think, so great for the people that live there year round. We lived in Millbrook for a long time and you're talking to a former town councilwoman, Sarah. I don't know if you know that.
- [42:11]
B
I didn't know that, but there you go.
- [42:13]
A
But those kinds of things are so important for the local economy to have, you know, have programming and events going on all year round for communities that are a little more seasonal. So that's, that's terrific.
- [42:26]
B
It's a big, it's a, you know, it's, it's a big piece of our mission. You know, you know, we, we started in Florida, what's. What was called the Living Room series, which is, you know, Wednesday night programming that, you know, was began for our guests but also for the community members. And we thought, you know, oh, we'll do it January, February, March, maybe November. December, January, February, March. Now we do it 10 months out of the year.
- [42:47]
A
Yeah.
- [42:47]
B
Every Wednesday we have a speaker or an author or a painter or a fashion designer, someone of interest come and speak in our living room. And we invite the community, come and talk to them. And we mimicked that program up north here at the hedges again on Wednesdays and we call it Conversations at the Hedges. And again we thought, oh, we'll do it, you know, July and August, just for two months and see how the response is. The response was resounding. We're already running it into September. We're running it up right until the day that we close. And everyone's asking, frankly, why do you have to close? Can't you stay open? And I'm like, we will eventually. We will stay open past September. You know, we just. We need to close this year for the. You know, for the renovation work. But it is. It's something that's important to us, which is to bring content, to bring programming, and to bring interest to this community year round, and not just in the summer.
- [43:41]
A
So. Great. Sarah, I'm so excited to come visit. I mean, hopefully I can get in, but when is Your closing date? September 28th. 28th. Oh, good. So it's all. All of September.
- [43:52]
B
Pretty much all of September. Come see us, please.
- [43:54]
A
Which is a great time to be there, right?
- [43:56]
B
Sneaky secret. Leslie. Best month of the year on Long island is September.
- [44:03]
A
I feel like.
- [44:04]
B
And now everyone's gonna hate me because I've told them the truth. I know, but the truth is September is the best month.
- [44:10]
A
I interviewed Lila Rose about Jackson, and she also revealed that October is the best. You know, sort of these secret things. She didn't know. She hesitated. But she had to admit that October is a great time to go there too. These fall months, really, you know, yeah.
- [44:26]
B
The weather's, you know, during the day, it's still balmy and warm. You can swim in the pool, you can go to the beach and, you know, again, you can get into all the restaurants. Everything is still open and operating, you know, but the summer folk have kind of gone back to the city or gone back to wherever they live. And so it's just. It's really beautiful. And the light, the twilight light is always gorgeous here, but it has an even better hue in September.
- [44:49]
A
So I can't wait to come visit. I can't wait to see all the things that you're doing there. It's just such a wonderful addition to the community. And I really am so grateful to you for taking the time to giving us all the sort of the behind the scenes look at East Hampton. And we got a little Sag harbor in there, and I love it.
- [45:06]
B
It's a pleasure. It's a pleasure. I didn't know you were Nashville based, Leslie. I'm a former Nashvillian.
- [45:11]
A
I did not know that. We just moved last summer.
- [45:14]
B
Oh, wow. Wow. I lived in Andersonville for four years.
- [45:17]
A
Oh, wow.
- [45:18]
B
I was in elementary school and then went back to Nashville. I went to Vanderbilt, and that's where.
- [45:22]
A
I met oh my gosh.
- [45:24]
B
Yeah. So I've done eight years in Nashville total.
- [45:26]
A
Oh, that's great. The community is so welcoming and so it's been really fun.
- [45:31]
B
It's been great, great time to be in Nashville. And it's interesting. I mean, we were there, Andrew and I were there in June, meeting with the Chancellor of Vanderbilt and just kind of going back to campus and we both looked at each other and we're like, you know, is our next hotel here? There is so much happening in Nashville. The food and it's, you know, it's. They've always had an interesting food scene, always had an interesting music scene, but I think it has a lot to recommend right now. It's really interesting. So good for you. That's exciting.
- [45:55]
A
But Sarah, thank you so much for taking the time. It was so nice to, to meet you and I really appreciate you joining the pod and I can't wait to get now share all of your tips with everybody and to come out and visit you and see the hedges, please. And the colony in the winter. We did not get down to Palm beach last winter.
- [46:13]
B
Well, come to both. You don't have to choose.
- [46:16]
A
I know. That is what's so great. Right? There are two locations where we can get two amazing experiences. So I'm definitely going to take you up on that.
- [46:25]
B
Right. Amazing.
- [46:27]
A
Thank you so much. That brings us to the end of this episode of the interview. A huge thank you to Sarah Wettenhall. I so enjoyed talking to Sarah, learning all about East Hampton and the surrounding area and then just hearing more about her amazing story of bringing back these two iconic hotel properties to life. The colony in Palm beach and the hedges in East Hampton. And also just she made me want to go out there for a visit. I can't wait to hit East Hampton. Hopefully later this summer or maybe early this fall. And big thank you too to our summer sponsor, 10 Mile Distillery. Don't forget to visit their website, 10 Mile Distillery.com to order some of their amazing spirits, including their award winning Little Rest Whiskey. And don't forget that Interview listeners get 10% off at checkout. And also Cozy Earth. Big thank you to them for sponsoring and don't forget all of their amazing sheets and pajamas. And they've so many different products and they're giving interview listeners 40% off. So be sure to use interview promo code at checkout for that. And as always, thank you so much listeners for listening. Really appreciate your support of the podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate or review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify it actually makes a big difference for the podcast, and I really appreciate it, and I hope you're having a great summer. I can't believe it's the middle of August already and everybody's headed back to school soon. So soak up every last day of this summer. And in the meantime, I hope you'll tune in this Wednesday for our next episode. And until then, this is Leslie, and thanks so much for joining the interview.