In 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald published the now-classic novel “The Great Gatsby.” Art Deco was all the rage, and rumrunners were dodging Prohibition rules against booze. The institution that would become the Grand Ole Opry began its run broadcasting the best in American country music.
And on Main Street in Bridgehampton, a community institution was born: Spiro Stavropoulos opened the Candy Kitchen on May 2, 1925.
Thus, the year 2025 marks a whole century in business for the restaurant, owned since 1981 by Gus Laggis and managed day to day by his daughters, Jamie Laggis and Maria Laggis Lima, and son-in-law, Mauricio Lima.
Their patriarch is a bit interview-shy these days, and is spending the winter in the West Palm Beach, Fla., area. But Ms. Laggis and Ms. Laggis Lima speak for him when they say they’re grateful for the local support.
“We take a lot of pride in our work. This is an extension of us,” Ms. Laggis said in an interview this week, just a few days after the eatery reopened following a two-week winter hiatus.
When the noted food critic Florence Fabricant published a list of her favorite old-fashioned ice cream shops in The New York Times in May 1998, single-scoop cones at the Candy Kitchen were $1.95. Today, a small cone costs $6.50. But you still pay cash — another constant there, along with most of the menu items.
About a decade ago, the original machine used to make the ice cream broke down and a new, custom-made one had to be shipped up from South Carolina in pieces to be installed. It was a big deal, but necessary. “The ice cream has to be made the old-fashioned way,” Ms. Laggis said.
Nowadays, it’s Mr. Lima who makes most of the ice cream, including 30 different flavors during the summertime. It’s a full day’s task, but a personally fulfilling one when he sees the youngest customers’ delighted faces. And the recipe is another thing that hasn’t changed. “Everything is pretty simple. That’s how we like to keep it.”
Kathy Lowe, who has been working there on and off since 1973 and is now its bookkeeper, called the Candy Kitchen “a gathering place” and “a happening place to come and be seen.” It was mentioned on a recent episode of the HBO show “Succession,” which concerns a different sort of family-owned business.
“Probably a lot of real estate deals happen here,” Ms. Lowe mused.
“And more than one marriage proposal, too,” added Cindy Gonzalez, one of the waitresses.
Based on who you’re talking to, the restaurant has different names: Candy Kitchen to most, but it’s “the shop” to the Laggis and Lima family, and to Gus Laggis’s grandchildren it’s “Papou’s kitchen,” for the Greek word meaning grandfather.
He arrived in the United States from Greece in 1967. Before he was presented with the opportunity to buy the Candy Kitchen in 1981 from George Stavropoulos, son of the original owner, he worked at Shippy’s Restaurant as well as another nearby soda fountain — Sip ‘n Soda in Southampton Village, still family-owned to this day as well.
Mr. Laggis’s wife, Vivi, was also an important part of the Candy Kitchen operations for decades. She died three years ago.
“I always felt like she was my dad’s drive,” Ms. Laggis Lima said. “She was here all the time. They both worked really hard — that was their thing. I don’t know anyone else who works that hard.”
For the last quarter-century, one of the familiar faces has belonged to Lori Robertson, who works the counter and serves tables. “I enjoy it. I’m not the type to sit in an office or a bank — I tried both and didn’t like it,” she said. “This place has personality — the owners, the workers, the customers.”
Ms. Gonzalez has been working there for a decade, since she was 13 years old. She has noticed a trend among everyone she’s worked with over the years: “Everybody gains a few pounds. You can’t resist the ice cream. And the cheeseburgers, fries, and shakes.”
On Monday morning, Walter Klauss of East Hampton, a concert organist and the resident conductor of the Choral Society of the Hamptons, had coffee and croissants with a friend. The Candy Kitchen “is older than me, but not by much,” he said. “It’s a very comfortable, relaxing place. With so many shops and stores changing hands all the time, it’s nice to see something be consistent.”
“It works well because it’s a family business and we care so much. The people in the community care so much, too,” Ms. Laggis said.
Ms. Laggis Lima added, “That keeps us going.”
