Hampton Chutney has been a unique presence on the South Fork for nearly three decades. Its founders, Gary and Isabel MacGurn, who met at an ashram in the village of Ganeshpuri in Maharashtra, India, opened their first dosa shop in Amagansett in 1997. Their distinct take on Indian fusion food inspired a loyal following, and the MacGurns went on to open Manhattan locations, first in SoHo and then on the Upper West Side.
By 2021, though, in the midst of the pandemic, both Manhattan locations had closed, and a dramatic proposed increase in rent at their space in Amagansett Square had forced them to find a new space. They reopened a few months later on Newtown Lane in East Hampton, which has been their only location for the past four years — until this week, when construction officially began on a new location on Manhattan’s Astor Place. This time around, the business’s New York City outpost will be overseen by a new generation: the couple’s younger son, Ravi.
“He’s always talked about wanting to be involved in the business,” Ms. MacGurn said. “He’s got a good business head, and he has been working with Gary on expediting the orders.” The younger Mr. MacGurn, who has been working in the stores since he was 14, was instrumental in what he called a “revamping” of the business website and online ordering system earlier this year, including the launch of Hampton Chutney’s own custom app.
“I think it was pretty obvious, at least to me, that the website was pretty outdated,” he said. “There wasn’t any option to order on it. It was really just to see our menu, which people can already do, and in this day and age so many people order for delivery and pickup.” He found a web development company that he believed could help bring the business up to speed, and asked his parents whether they would be willing to have an introductory meeting.
“I was very skeptical,” said Ms. MacGurn. “I thought they were going to do a hard sell, you know, trying to get us to sign up for something — but it was like the best thing we ever did. I mean, they just brought us into the 21st century.” They have always adhered to a strict set of internal standards, to which they attribute much of their success and longevity, and she is excited that Ravi will be taking on a more active role in this next chapter of the business.
Ms. MacGurn, who attended the Wharton School and had intended to go into investment banking, has done all of the bookkeeping herself, and constantly scrutinizes their costs. “I’m not going to raise the price just because I can, or because everybody else does,” she said. They made the decision to stay open seven days a week, year round, to establish consistency for their patrons and their employees — some of whom have been with them for as long as 18 years. “It helps a lot, in terms of running more smoothly. That’s pretty much why we’ve done it, because we don’t make money in the winter.”
At the same time, they continue to prioritize the quality of the food and flavors they create, following the exacting, extensive processes that Mr. MacGurn learned over years spent cooking in India. To create the batter for their dosas (and uttapams, which are thicker, round in shape, and served with the fillings on top), they leave lentils and rice to soak overnight and then put them through an industrial grinder. The batter then ferments, giving it “that kind of sourdough flavor,” Ms. MacGurn said. “So it’s a process, and most places do not go through that process” — as a result the dosas are also naturally gluten-free, an unexpected “bonus” when gluten fell out of favor in the mid-2010s.
The chutneys, too, require skill and patience to achieve their balance of saltiness, sweetness, and citrus — which, she says, her husband has “definitely mastered.” Each flavor begins with a spice blend they call their “magic,” created by cooking a specific succession of spices in hot oil until they turn a certain color, and then quickly blending them together. Their menu is largely plant-based, though their curry chicken, introduced at customers’ request, remains their most popular offering.
Ravi hopes to translate the qualities that Hampton Chutney has become known for to the much faster pace of New York City. “I think it’s going to be very much the same, just creating a very welcoming environment for people to enjoy good food and a good atmosphere,” he said. “We’ve had locations in the city in the past, but I think the big difference with this spot is the location — we’re going to be in NoHo, right by N.Y.U., so there is going to be a lot of foot traffic.”
“We want people to think about grabbing a dosa or a curry chicken bowl the same way they would grab a slice of pizza,” he added. “Something fast, delicious, and affordable. We just want to make it easier than ever.”
