In honor of Presidents Day weekend, let’s take a culinary trip down memory lane. How our presidents dined and entertained, and how their wives handled White House-housekeeping, is not only historically significant, it is quite revealing.

Some of our presidents and their wives loved good food, good wine, and entertaining. Others, not so much. When Thomas Jefferson was minister to France he adopted the custom of conducting business while acting as dinner host. Although he was enamored of French cuisine and spent a great deal of money importing wines, Parmesan cheese, anchovies, capers, and other delicacies, he also never lost his taste for good ol’ American foods like turnip greens, sweet potatoes, baked shad, Virginia ham, and crab.

He grew over 30 varieties of peas in his garden at Monticello and attributed his long life to eating lots of salads and vegetables, and drinking wine rather than hard liquor. He did away with the traditional weekly levees (afternoon receptions for men only) and held parties on the Fourth of July and New Year’s Day. This was partly because there was no hostess at the White House; when he needed one, he called upon Dolly Madison to help out. He did, however, feed up to 12 guests almost every day of the week, dinner being served at 3:30 in the afternoon, and at a round table for more ease of conversation. Margaret Bayard Smith called Jefferson’s table “republican simplicity united to epicurean delicacy.” According to Monticello.org, Representative Manasseh Cutler, a guest for dinner on Feb. 6, 1802, recounted a meal of “rice soup, round of beef, turkey, mutton, ham, loin of veal, fried eggs, a pie called macaroni and not very agreeable, ice cream very good. Many other jimcracks, a great variety of fruit, plenty of wines, and good.”

Abraham Lincoln was not a foodie; he was more of a food-is-fuel kind of guy. He would start his day with cornbread smothered in honey with strong black coffee, and he loved pecan pie. He planned his own inaugural luncheon, served at the Willard Hotel, and while the menu was not bad, it was fairly simple: mock turtle soup, corned beef and cabbage, parsley potatoes, blackberry pie, and coffee.

All of the cooking at the White House was done over open hearth fires up until Millard Fillmore’s administration of 1850 to 1853. Meats were cooked on spits, and iron and bronze pots were suspended over the fire to cook stews, soups, and vegetables. Breads were baked first in bake ovens built into the back of the hearth wall, and, once the temperature dropped, pies, cookies, and custards were cooked next. Coal and hardwoods were used, coal for the highest heat, while maple, ash, oak, hickory, and dogwood would burn more evenly.

When Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s housekeeper, Henrietta Nesbitt, first saw the White House kitchen in 1933, it was full of cockroaches, all of the counters and the refrigerator were wood, and whatever equipment it had was outdated. She insisted on a complete upgrade and modernization, which became Public Works Project 634. The Depression was so bad, President Roosevelt wanted to use relief workers for the improvements. Unfortunately, the cooks continued to prepare food the same way, and apparently Mrs. Nesbitt was dreadful when it came to menu planning, so the food continued to be terrible. She was fond of cheap cuts of meat, tongue, sweetbreads, and Jello molds with marshmallows. F.D.R. claimed that the only reason he considered running for a fourth term was so he could fire Mrs. Nesbitt.

Years ago I took a tour of the White House and was fascinated to learn that Rutherford B. Hayes’s White House china was painted with gory hunting scenes. The purpose was to dissuade guests from eating too much. I have never read this in any book, but I saw the china with mine own eyes and it was rather unattractive. It probably also didn’t help that Hayes’s wife, Lucy, was referred to as Lemonade Lucy because she refused to serve alcohol in the White House. Party pooper!

Over time, the art of state dinners also changed. Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower were the first presidential couple to host a lot of state dinners. In 1959 they entertained the Soviet premier, Nikita Khrushchev, King Baudouin of Belgium, and the presidents of Argentina, El Salvador, Mexico, and New Guinea. Their guests were usually high-up government officials and corporate bigwigs. Mamie served American wines and her favorite dessert, apple brown Betty. The parties were big and guests were seated at a huge U-shaped table.

The John F. Kennedys replaced this kind of table arrangement with smaller, round tables to seat 10 to 12 guests. They also expanded the guest list to include more people from the arts, such as Andre Malraux, Robert Lowell, Tennessee Williams, and Leonard Bernstein.

Lyndon Johnson was the first to do away with regular, formal dinners at the White House, and moved them to his ranch in Stonewall, Tex. Some people made fun of this but many guests felt it was more homey and intimate to be invited to the president’s private residence. Richard Nixon gave the most state dinners, and George and Laura Bush gave the fewest of any postwar presidencies. The Clintons were fond of packing their state dinners with gobs of Democratic party donors, and the parties were held in tents to accommodate the many hundreds now invited.

Walter Scheib was the White House chef for 11 years, from 1994 to 2005, under Clinton and Dubya. I attended a wine pairing and cooking demonstration in 2012 presided over by Mr. Scheib and learned a few tasty tidbits from him. One Christmas the Clintons had so many houseguests the food costs went $25,000 over budget, and Hillary was super cranky when she had to write the check. Chelsea Clinton took six weeks of cooking lessons from Mr. Scheib before she left for college because she was converting to veganism. Laura Bush asked him to get the recipe for Blue Bell ice cream (big in Texas), which he did, but was sworn to secrecy by Blue Bell lawyers. He also got the recipe from Bill Clinton’s mother, Virginia, for his favorite dessert, peach and blackberry cobbler, but had to tinker with it “to make it good.”

The foods and protocol and manners of the White House and our presidents have been as varied as the politicians themselves. The Obama administration’s current emphasis on good health and having a kitchen garden is reminiscent of Thomas Jefferson’s years in the White House. Maybe the days of Barbara Bush’s layered pea and bacon salad with sour cream and mayonnaise dressing are over. Then again, maybe not. Whatever the case, celebrate the institution and our history with some favorite presidential recipes.

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Stefanie Sacks of Montauk, a chef and nutritionist who has dished far and wide about how the food we eat affects our health — she has a weekly WPPB radio show, “Stirring the Pot,” does a weekly blog, “What the Fork,” and has contributed to three books on the subject, not to mention appearing recently on “The Dr. Oz Show” — has now put her sage advice and considerable knowledge into a new book, “What the Fork Are You Eating?” to be published next month by Tarcher/Penguin.

Ms. Sacks will be at BookHampton in East Hampton on Saturday at 5 p.m. to read from and sign copies of the book.

Subtitled “An Action Plan for Your Pantry and Your Plate,” it aims, Ms. Sacks writes, to give readers enough information to question what they’re eating and “the tools to start doing something about it.”

Technically, Ms. Sacks is what’s called a culinary nutritionist, but her clients, she says, think of her as a “food therapist.”

She considers herself a “moderationist,” not wedded to any particular fad, not dogmatic about going 100-percent organic, but emphatic about the importance of understanding what goes into your food and how that might help or harm you. Ultimately, the message is that good choices equal better health. Buying all organic foods would be great, she writes in a chapter called “Meal Rehab,” but “that’s not my reality all the time. And quite honestly, it is not many people’s reality. So my job is to teach people how to work with what they have, what they can do, what they are willing to do, and what makes sense for them, while at the same time helping them do a little better. . . .”

She’s a big advocate of label-reading as a way of learning what’s really in those canned tomatoes that seem so virtuous, or that supposedly healthy granola bar, and a great proponent of eating what she calls “real food.”

The book goes into good detail about the culprits in our pantries — chemical preservatives, artificial sweeteners, genetically modified organisms, and the like — and offers strategies for making smarter choices and even tips for how to tackle the weekly grocery shopping, then wraps up with dozens of recipes so that readers can put all they’ve learned into practice.   

“Bah humbug,” you may think after reading this review. Or “She sure is a Grumpy Cat!” Sorry, but this job is essentially to provide a community and consumer service. Therefore, I am obligated to tell you about a recent evening I spent pushing food around my plate and being treated indifferently for a few hours, and then paying for it.

Le Charlot is an attractive restaurant located in Southampton where Barrister’s used to be. It has white walls, ceiling fans, red and white bistro chairs, and dark red leather and ultrasuede banquettes around the periphery. There are large pictures on the walls of gorgeous and sexy and tragic American actors such as Steve McQueen and Marilyn Monroe. And, of course, Brigitte Bardot.

You get some nice French bread and butter upon being seated.

On most occasions I dine with two or three more guests. That way the others can chat while I observe and scribble and steal bites of food off their plates. I figure three appetizers, three entrees, and three desserts are a fair enough representation of the kitchen’s abilities. When there are only two of us, as there were on this visit, I always order some food to go to sample later. I chose not to on this occasion, as we had already blown The Star’s wad and some of our own money on dinner for two. That, and I had tasted enough.

We began our meal with tuna tartare and an avocado and hearts of palm salad. They were both okay. The tuna tartare was served in a square shape with a good deal of avocado salad underneath. The tuna was described as having a wasabi dressing, which wasn’t detectable, but did have some Asian flavors as in soy sauce and sesame oil. There were a few strips of fried wonton wrappers on top that tasted as though the oil in the deep fryer hadn’t been changed since it was still Barrister’s. The green salad alongside had no discernible dressing other than oil. My friend Sam insisted this was probably intentional as a foil for the rich tuna.

Sam wanted very badly to like this restaurant as he lives around the corner and desperately wants a good French restaurant in Southampton. Sorry, Sam. The avocado and hearts of palm salad was pretty good. It was served in a round shape with endive leaves around the plate, cubes of tomato, and chopped chives.

For entrees we ordered the organic roasted chicken and steak tartare with French fries and salad. The chicken was boring and had the most peculiar presentation and sides. Okay, it wasn’t boring, it was weird. The chicken lacked seasoning, and it was barely lukewarm. The “natural garlic juice” was a pale pink liquid at the bottom of the plate without much flavor from chicken or garlic. The mashed potatoes served with it had so much whole grain mustard in them that the vinegary flavor actually tasted more like bottled key lime juice. I swear to God, that’s what it tasted like! Also on the plate were little bundles of the tips of haricots verts (you know, the part you discard) wrapped in raw bacon. Hey, where’s the rest of my beans? I like the middle parts!

The steak tartare was creamy and mediocre. Some of the chunks of beef were disconcertingly large. You could not taste any of the traditionally added ingredients such as capers or shallots or mustard. The green salad served with it was the same underdressed salad as before, but this time had a few shallots or red onion, so perhaps it had been tossed more completely. It still lacked vinegar and salt. The French fries were of the frozen variety, rather thick, but pretty good. A dish of ketchup was on the plate with them.

The service was indifferent. Finding out what kinds of wine by the glass were available was like pulling teeth. “Red” and “white” are not the most helpful flavor descriptors. Our waitress’s attitude may have been more appropriate if we’d asked her to tie our shoes or wipe our noses, you know, like kind of an out of line request or huge inappropriate favor.

Prices at Le Charlot are moderate to expensive, but I’m leaning on the expensive side considering the quality of the food. Appetizers are $11 to $25, entrees are $25 to $37, desserts are $10. Our wine by the glass was $14. Ouch.

For desserts (made in house) we ordered the chocolate mousse and tart tatin. The chocolate mousse was okay. It was a bit gluey with no air in it, but it did taste like chocolate. The tart tatin was a disgrace. Or “clunky” as Sam more aptly described it. It had plenty of sugary caramel flavor and lots and lots of apples, but the pastry bottom had gotten soggy and disappeared probably days ago.

An observant waiter or waitress would notice plates with most of the food left on them. My avocado and hearts of palm salad had been nibbled at, the chicken barely touched, and the desserts had perhaps three bites taken out of them. Our waitress whisked all away with nary an inquiry as to why the food was still there. Zut alors!

After spending over $100 each for our meal, I’d like to say the evening was saved by slipping over to St. Ambroeus for samples of pistachio and mint chip gelato but I’d be lying. Because I’m Grumpy Cat.

Coming right up is the next Artists and Writers night at Almond in Bridgehampton, this one with Francine Fleischer, a photographer. During the special events, Jason Weiner, an owner of the restaurant and its chef, prepares a three-course meal served family-style, and the featured guest leads a discussion.

Ms. Fleischer’s work has appeared in magazines such as Vanity Fair, Conde Nast Traveler, Esquire, and Italian Vogue, and her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. She is a part-time resident of Sag Harbor.

Reservations are required for the Jan. 13 event, which begins at 7 p.m. The cost is $40 in advance, $45 at the door, and includes a glass of local wine or craft beer, plus tax and gratuity.

Sen Tasting Menu

Sen, a Japanese restaurant on Sag Harbor’s Main Street, offers a seven-course tasting menu Sunday through Thursday nights for $28. It includes a choice of soup, salad, seasonal vegetables, sushi or sashimi, one of the “kitchen selections,” rice, and dessert.

Winter at 1770

At the 1770 House in East Hampton, Thursday nights bring a $17.70 deal in the downstairs tavern, featuring a burger, meatloaf, or pizza. Soave or Malbec wines will be offered by the glass for $9.

Beginning on Sunday, in addition to the nightly menu at the tavern and in the inn’s main dining room, diners who visit Sundays through Thursdays can take advantage of a three-course prix fixe for $35 with choices from the a la carte menu. The restaurant’s dishes focus on local and seasonal ingredients. Among the winter items are North Fork oysters, spicy local fluke tartare, slow-braised short rib with local butternut squash, and house-made linguine with local clams.

Cavemen invented it. Attila the Hun enjoyed the horse-meat variety. Pioneers and cowboys survived on it. We’re not talking about your 7-11 sodium nitrate–filled teriyaki version of it, we’re talking about real jerky, homemade jerky.

Jerking and smoking meats and fish can bring you back to a primal era, and this is the perfect time of year for it, with venison and game birds aplenty and post-holiday time on our hands. One advantage of meat from wild animals is the lower fat content, which is key for successful jerky. You can certainly use cheap, lean cuts of beef, such as round, flank, and sirloin tip. Turkey breast is also good.

Jerky is distantly related to pemmican, the pulverized dried meat mixture with berries and fat eaten by Native Americans. In China it’s called pork chip. In Italy there is coppiette — made in ancient times from the sinewy hind limbs of horses and donkeys  — seasoned with red pepper and fennel seeds. Ethiopians make a dried beef called qwant’a with salt, pepper, and berbere, and in South Africa it’s called biltong. Jerky can be made with just about any edible animal, fish, bird . . . or snail.

The cavemen may have discovered the smoking method by accident. It’s easy to imagine them hanging strips of meat to dry with a fire burning nearby to keep away predators and insects. Lo and behold, the smoke sped up the process and added flavor.

There are two basic methods to making homemade jerky: in a dehydrator or in your oven at a low temperature. These homemade versions retain some moisture and therefore are perishable, so they need to be kept in airtight containers and refrigerated.

Salting meat helps dry it out and inhibits harmful microbes, and cooking with low heat then removes more moisture and weight, creating a highly concentrated protein-packed chewy treat.

Most of the recipes I have seen are similar and fairly straightforward. When making jerky with beef, you want to use any of the aforementioned cheap, lean cuts. Freezing the meat for one to four hours enables you to slice it very thinly. You should slice it along the grain, not against it. Next you marinate the slices in whatever flavors appeal to you. Liquid smoke, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and brown sugar is one way to go. India pale ale with honey, soy, mustard seeds, garlic, and lime juice also works nicely. From here you can add hot peppers or pineapple juice, go Asian style with ginger, or improvise. (I think the addition of smoked paprika or chipotle would be good, as would maple syrup for a hint of sweetness.) Marinate for about eight hours, then drain. You can add a dry rub after marinating if you wish. Depending on your method and the thickness of your meat, the dehydrating/smoking process can take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours. You may like it brittle, or perhaps a bit chewy.

If you are making jerky in your oven, set it to 165 degrees. Place meat on a wire rack sprayed with PAM over a baking sheet and cook for approximately one to three hours. Check the meat after one hour, turning it occasionally, then check again every 30 minutes. Some people leave their oven open just a crack to release more moisture.

If you knew what goes into most commercial jerky products you probably wouldn’t eat them. Okay, I’ll tell you. Those ubiquitous tubes and slices by the cash register are made with ground meat, gristle, tendons, cartilage, and connective tissue, all smashed together, then re-formed to resemble actual strips of lean meat. Throw in some sodium nitrates as preservatives, and you’ve got a pretty gross product.

If you own a smoker, you can get even more creative, spraying such delicacies as Dr. Pepper on the meat as it cooks. You wouldn’t want to mess up your oven with this.

We all have friends out here who hunt, so if you can, get one of them to give you some venison or duck to experiment with jerky. Otherwise, a nice turkey breast or piece of sirloin tip roast from the grocery store will get you started.

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Here are some recipes from “Eat Like a Wild Man,” ironically written by a woman, compiled by Rebecca Gray.

Dim Sum Jerky

Make with duck, goose, or beef

Marinade:

1 cup red wine

2 tsp. oyster sauce

4 tsp. soy sauce

4 tsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. garlic powder

It is easiest to slice meat when it is lightly frozen. The cuts should be thin, long, and sliced along the grain; they may be as wide as the meat allows. Remove all the fat, as it will not keep and will spoil the jerky. Marinate the strips in a glass container overnight. Pat them dry and arrange the pieces side by side, without overlap, on roasting racks. Cook at minimum heat, say 150 degrees, for six hours. Leave the oven door ajar to allow moisture to escape. 

Alternative drying techniques include a hard cure in an electric smoker for twelve hours. Crisp jerky means the heat was too high. For sweeter jerky, baste with molasses or honey and water just before drying. You can vary the marinade given above by adding more sugar, salt, or some juniper berries to taste. If the cut and type of meat used produce extremely tough jerky, slice against the grain next time.

Store the jerky in a cool, airtight container. 

Elegant Brimble Jerky

Make from breasts of one turkey

Marinade:

2 cups apple cider

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup salt

1 tsp. grated orange peel

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. ground ginger

Grated rind of 1/2 a grapefruit

Juice of 1/2 grapefruit

Dash of Cointreau

Again, it is easiest to slice meat when it is slightly frozen. The breasts should be sliced in horizontal sheets — thin, long, and with the grain. Marinate strips in glass container overnight. Pat them dry and arrange side by side on roasting rack, without overlap. Cook at 150 degrees for six hours. Leave oven door slightly ajar.

You can also try method described in recipe above for a hard cure in a smoker.

The Dockside Bar and Grill in Sag Harbor is closed for a winter break. The restaurant is slated to reopen in mid-February.

Gula Gula Store

Luchi Masliah of Springs, the founder of Gula Gula Empanadas, has announced plans to open a store on the North Fork, in Mattituck, in the spring. Ms. Masliah, who has been selling her varieties of empanadas, which feature fresh local produce, at farmers markets and in frozen, prepackaged form for several years, has had her sights set on a brick-and-mortar shop for some time.

The new store on Pike Street will not only sell empanadas but will offer other prepared meals to go, along with grocery items.

In the meantime, Ms. Masliah is among the vendors at the weekly Saturday indoor farmers market in Riverhead.

Topping Rose Events

The next wintertime farmers market at the Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton will take place on Jan. 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The markets continue on the third Saturday of each month through March.

The restaurant, which recently parted ways with its celebrity chef, Tom Colicchio, also has a once-a-month lineup of cooking classes, on the third Wednesday of each month, and of special dinners. The next, on Friday, Jan. 16, will be a pig roast with wine pairings from Macari Vineyards. The cost is $95 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations are required.

Sunday Suppers

Looking for something to do on a winter Sunday? The Diliberto Winery in Jamesport is hosting “Sundays With Grandma,” an Italian meal paired with wine, also featuring a homemade pasta-making demonstration and live Italian music, each week through March 22. The cost is $49 per person plus tax and gratuity. Those who might like to stay overnight at a luxury apartment at the winery will be offered a two-night package rate.

It began with a last-minute invitation. My friend T. had just finished building his house on an island in the Bahamas. The island shall remain nameless because there are good things about the newly built community and a few not so good things. My assignment: Bring Parmesan cheese, a cocktail shaker, and swim goggles.

I am a good cook. T. is better. Not knowing what kind of food supplies were available, we all brought various gourmet necessities. Brenda brought a staggering array of chocolates and praline almonds. The vegetarians brought vegetarian-ish survivalist items: cereal that tastes like horse feed, gluten-free crackers, almond milk, and so on. What I thought would be a story along the lines of “gourmands making do on a remote island” turned into “lo and behold! There is a hydroponic farm right next door growing the best greens, peppers, beans, and tomatoes and a supermarket only 17 miles away that is better equipped than our I.G.A.s, Waldbaum’s, and Citarella combined.

Meal planning, however, was still of supreme importance. Having cans of tuna, diced tomatoes, sardines, et cetera, was helpful. Fresh citrus, crucial. A variety of rums, survival.

Loaves of sunflower bread helped make breakfast and snacks a breeze. As there are very few restaurants or atmospheric fish shacks, we only ate out twice. Once was lunch at a place called Snappa’s where you can get “snappatizers” and then “snappaselfie.” Ha ha. The other meal out was on New Year’s Day at a nearby, almost finished inn that served a dish called “minced lobster” with yellow grits, and “boil fish.” The minced lobster was absolutely delicious, essentially a lightly sweet, stew-like mixture of tomatoes, peppers, and onions with finely minced lobster.

Bahamian boil fish comes many ways, sometimes served with grits or johnnycakes. It is essentially a well-made fish stock to which some white fish fillets are added, along with potatoes. From here you can squeeze a little lime juice on it and sprinkle a few shreds of goat pepper if you dare. The water dripping from the ceiling didn’t seem to bother anyone, perhaps because the rum drinks help. Plus there was only one other family there that day, some boisterously fun Bahamians we had partied with the night before.

Dinner on our first night was simple, a gorgeous Greek salad with “roasted toast,” baked pita slices covered in a slurry of fresh herbs, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil. Breakfast the next day (and one other) was T.’s version of huevos rancheros, or more accurately, chilaquiles, made with crushed tortilla chips at the bottom of the pan for extra crunch. Dinner on the second night was pasta amatriciana, with the sauce made traditionally with bacon, onions, red pepper flakes, garlic, Parmesan, and chopped tomatoes. This was served with a simple green salad, mostly arugula, from the nearby farm.

When we weren’t eating or cooking or talking about our next meal, we were trying to concoct recipes to deter the treacherous no-see-ums that come out in the mornings and evenings when the breeze has died down. Honestly, nothing works. We also made many trips to various hardware stores, as T. is still putting the finishing touches on his house. Mornings were spent swimming in the ocean, which was a perfectly delicious temperature of around 72 degrees. The sea creatures are abundant and curious, as they haven’t seen a lot of humans in their waters until now. Barracudas, sea turtles, and rays inspected us. I didn’t see them, as I am blind as a bat without glasses. Ignorance was bliss.

Day three’s dinner was a simplified steak Florentine on top of salad dressed with not much more than lemon juice and olive oil. I have to say at this point that although I was jonesing to get into the kitchen and cook, I was only tasked with sous chef duties, refilling the water purifier, one key lime pie, two salad dressings, and deviled eggs for our swingin’ New Year’s Eve bash. However, watching a master work without recipes, and with (moderately) limited supplies, was an education and fun to observe.

For our New Year’s Eve cocktail party we made deviled eggs and a version of pissaladiere on lavash bread. The employees, managers, and homeowners of the community were invited, and all six of them loved the food. I told you this place was remote and unfinished.

Our last lunch was a brilliant salad Nicoise, full of more greens, tomatoes, and green beans from the farm, along with fancy canned tuna, beets, new potatoes, and hard-boiled eggs. New Year’s Day dinner was a version of garides giouvetsi, shrimp baked with tomatoes and feta. We served it with brown rice.

At this point, two more houseguests had arrived so I got to show off with a key lime pie made with real key limes we found just that day at a shop specializing in neem products. Neem is a tropical tree that yields leaves and oils believed to have medicinal qualities, including being a no-see-um deterrent. They are not.

Our last supper was chicken mole enchiladas made with some mole paste T. had brought back from a recent trip to Mexico. This was accompanied by yet another delicious and light salad garnished with those large, watery avocados so different from the creamy Haas variety. Sliced pineapple with a little vanilla ice cream topped it off.

The unspoiled beauty of this place deserves more description, the pink sand, turquoise water, coral formations, blue holes, and wildlife. But this is a story about how to eat on a vacation when there are no restaurants (or you simply don’t want to go to them), and you must plan meals, stock the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer, accommodate those with different eating habits, and then whittle it all down by the end of the week. T. does it well. But he does friendship better.

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The Smokin’ Wolf barbecue takeout shop in East Hampton is taking orders for Super Bowl specials. The menu includes sliders, nachos, quesadillas, ribs, brisket, buffalo chicken wings, and more. For every $75 spent on food, those who order will receive a 12-pack of beer.

Weekly lunch specials are also offered by Smokin’ Wolf. This week, the specials include soup or chili made with chicken or beef, served with salad or mashed potatoes, grilled steak salad, cream of spinach soup, and grilled hotdogs with French fries for $7.75.

Closed for Reno

John Papas Cafe in East Hampton will be closed until about Jan. 25 for renovations and repairs.

For Cooks

In anticipation of a move, the Loaves and Fishes Cookshop in Bridgehampton is having a sale that will continue until mid-February. Everything in the store is 30 to 50 percent off. The shop will move out of its Main Street digs and reopen in early March at the Bridgehampton Inn, which is just down the road on the Montauk Highway.

Food Drive at Bakery

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Blue Duck Bakery Cafe will be collecting nonperishable food items to be donated to local food banks from Monday, the King holiday, through Jan. 31. The bakery-cafe locations are in Southampton, Southold, Riverhead, and Greenport.

Seafood Specials

The Seafood Shop on Montauk Highway in Wainscott has been running daily $10.95 takeout meal specials this winter that come with a choice of 20-ounce beverage, waffle fries or cole slaw, and a cup of clam chowder. Recent offerings have included quesadillas, fried local whiting, grilled salmon, and an oyster po’ boy.

Phone orders have been advised 15 to 20 minutes before pickup. A sign-up link on the shop’s website delivers daily notices about what’s cooking to your email inbox.

Tasting Times

Both Channing Daughters winery and Wolffer Estate Vineyard remain open in the winter for tastings. Channing, which is on Scuttlehole Road in Bridgehampton, is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Drop-in visitors pay $10 to sample as many as six wines. The sampling is free for Wine Club members. Those with more than six people in a group have been asked to reserve in advance.

Wolffer’s Montauk Highway wine stand is closed for the season. Guests will be accommodated in the main winery building on Sagg Road seven days a week from 11 a.m. with closing Sunday through Thursday at 6 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Tasting prices vary depending on the options selected, but they run about $18 per person.

Topping Rose Class

Kyle Koening and Cassandra Schupp, who are the head chef and pastry chef, respectively, at the Topping Rose House restaurant and inn in Bridgehampton, will lead a cooking class Wednesday tied to the season and a particular technique, in this instance, pureeing.

Participants will learn to prepare each of the dishes for a three-course meal, as well as make a classic cocktail. The menu is butternut squash agnolotti, slow-roasted beef brisket, and, for dessert, cranberry panna cotta trifle. After that, everyone will sit down to eat the fruit of their labors, which will be accompanied by a wine paring.

The cost is $175 plus tax. Students can stay over for the night at a reduced price and get a 10-percent discount on gift cards and selected items. Phone reservations are a must, the restaurant said.

A reminder: Topping Rose hosts a farmers and artisans market the third Saturday of the month until the end of April. This week’s expected vendors include Browder’s Birds poultry, Carissa’s Bread, East Hampton Gourmet, Miss Lady Root Beer, and Great South Bay Candles, though the roster can change from month to month. Hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Citta Specials

Weeknight diners at Cittanuova in East Hampton Village can chose from several tempting options through April. On Tuesdays, pizza and a draft beer plus dessert are $15. Steak night, every Wednesday for eat-in only, features a $19 tagliata cut. On Thursdays there is a $15 three-pasta sampler.

Happy hour seven days a week from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. features $4 drafts, $5 small-plate dishes from the kitchen, $5 half-bottles of pino grigio or Chianti (normally about $14), and $6 mixed drinks.

Champion Chili

Registration has opened for a Jan. 25 chili cook-off to benefit the Clamshell Foundation academic scholarships and local food programs. Only 32 competitors will be allowed. An application can be downloaded from clamshellfoundation.org. Individuals can enter for $25, businesses for $100. Each participant has to prepare two gallons of chili. Doors open to the public at 1 p.m., and admission is $20, $10 for children under 12.

Cavaniola’s Traditional Swiss Fondue

It is important to use the best ingredients for best flavor. Supermarket cheeses probably won’t yield the same results, so I strongly urge you to get the best cheeses you can for this fondue recipe.

Cavaniola’s very kindly shared its recipe for fondue, and the results were spectacular. If you want, the shop will blend the cornstarch and grate the cheeses for you beforehand. Bring cheese to room temperature before beginning.

Serves two to three.

3 oz. grated Gruyere

3 oz. grated Emmental

3 oz. grated Appenzeller

1.5 Tbsp. cornstarch or flour

1 clove garlic, peeled and halved

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 tsp. lemon juice

Fresh ground pepper

Pinch of nutmeg

In a medium bowl, combine the three cheeses and toss. Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the garlic clove halves. Add the wine and heat over medium until hot but not boiling.

Whisk in the cornstarch and lemon juice. Add a handful of cheese to the wine mixture. While stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, wait for each portion of cheese to completely melt before adding the next. Continue until all the cheese is completely melted, bubbling gently, and has the appearance of a light cream sauce. Season to taste with pepper and nutmeg. Remove the pot from the heat and place over an alcohol-safe burner.

Nancy’s Ribollita

This soup recipe is from my friend Nancy Greenwald and has been included in my column before. It makes a huge batch, so freeze some! It is perfect after a first course of fondue.

Serves a lot of people.

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cans cannelini beans, or soak and use dried beans as directed

1 large can whole peeled tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

1 can tomato sauce

4 carrots, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 large sweet onion, chopped

2 bunches Swiss chard or one each chard and kale, center stems removed and coarsely chopped

1 bunch basil leaves, chopped

1 bunch rosemary, left whole (I tie this in a bundle with kitchen string)

1 bunch thyme, left whole and tied in a bundle

1/2 cup sage leaves, chopped

4 cups water

3 vegetable bouillon cubes

Saute onion in large stockpot or Dutch oven with olive oil for about 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and saute another 10 minutes.

Add broken up tomatoes, tomato sauce, and paste. Add layers of cooked beans, chard, kale, basil, and other herbs. Pour in four cups water with bouillon cubes, and bring to a boil.

Lower heat and cover, then simmer for one and a half hours, stirring occasionally.

Remove stem bits of herbs before serving.