The Bread Shed is proving to be no half-baked idea Since opening March 1, the weekends-only bakery has become a West Sayville sensation, with crowds lining up outside the small Main Street shop for a shot at Meggin Hall’s homemade sourdough creations — which are sold from 11 a.m During The Bread Shed’s first two weeks, that took 90 minutes. This past weekend, the Saturday supply of 126 loaves, including Irish soda bread “The line was down the block and I looked at my husband and I went ‘Can you believe this is happening right now?’” said Hall a second-grade teacher during the other days of the week Hall said she began experimenting with baking sourdough bread in 2022 “just by watching videos and going on YouTube and whatever.”  Hall, 48, said she was drawn to sourdough not by the pandemic-era baking craze — “Everyone was doing this during 2020 but I really had no idea” — but by health reasons The mother of two explained that she learned about sourdough while reading author Dan Buettner’s books about “blue zones” around the world where people live extraordinarily long lives.  Among the revelations: that sourdough bread from Ikaria “I was reading about how good it is for you and how good it is for your microbiome and your gut,” she said After Hall’s first attempt at making a starter “completely failed” in 2022,  she said she tried again a few months later and hit on a winner her mother and friends at the school where she works I’d make her sourdough bread and she’d make me meatballs,” Hall recalled In January, Hall and her husband, John, discovered a vacant 650-square-foot storefront in West Sayville and later signed a one-year lease for South Shore Sourdough’s space at 106 Main St The sourdough breads, chocolate-chip cookies and muffins are baked inside the couple’s Oakdale home where a bread oven was installed last month all the baked goods are packaged and driven to the nearby storefront “We got people lining up at 10:40,” she said 48,  is involved in shopping for supplies and serving “He runs the register and the Facebook,” she said. “I do the Instagram.” while their 20-year-old daughter is in college said the family’s new business is providing lessons for the kids “It’s a great thing to show them that you can follow your dreams whether you intended them to be your dreams or not,” she said “Just take a risk and do something different.” Hall conceded that the one-time side hustle has become a lot more than that but said she does not allow it to enter her mind while she’s at school That changes almost as soon as school ends I turn the bread oven on,” she said Monday I was rolling dough this morning before work Now I’m going to go bake the bread while I’m making the corned-beef dinner.” Hall said she has “zero intention” of leaving teaching behind are considering opening the store on Fridays during the summer not in my wildest dreams did I think this would ever happen,” she said “We’re bringing bread to people and it makes them happy.  “And I love making people happy with food.” All photos come courtesy of Bread Shed ownership Tap here to see what’s happening Receive emails and newsletters to keep in touch with I LOVE NY Join our experienced volunteer docents for a guided tour of all four of the exhibit spaces at the Long Island Maritime Museum Learn about the rise and fall of Long Island's oystering industry throughout the early Twentieth Century in the William Rudolph Oyster House and leisure on the Great South Bay in the Everett Lawrence Small Craft Building teaches about daily life on the South Shore at the start of the 1900s through the lens of Leonard Beebee our Main Building houses a permanent exhibit on the U.S maritime rescuers who would eventually become the U.S This guided tour will be available starting at 1:00pm A docent in each exhibit space will spend approximately 20 minutes giving visitors a deep dive on the history on display this tour is being offered free of charge as part of NY Paths Through History Please call the museum at (631) 854-4974 for any questions or to reserve a spot Cookies are used for measurement, ads, and optimization. By continuing to use our site you agree to our privacy policy 800 CALL NYS · info@iloveny.com A cinnamon-raisin sourdough loaf at The Bread Shed in West Sayville Meggin Hall set up a cart that her father-in-law had made at the end of her driveway in Oakdale she placed about a half-dozen fresh sourdough loaves that she had baked with sign that said "fresh bread." When she checked on the cart later that afternoon hungry passersby had left money in a cash box or used a QR code to pay via Venmo had been baking sourdough bread for about two years when she started her driveway business Meggin Hall is the owner of The Bread Shed in West Sayville she opened The Bread Shed in West Sayville a neat storefront that formerly was Infuse Tea Bar selling about 120 loaves (plus cookies and muffins) each Saturday and Sunday By the time she opens the doors at 11 a.m. there are a few dozen people lined up outside I overbaked — I figured it would be better to have stuff left over than to sell out The Bread Shed’s classic sourdough ($13) has the shape and upraised flap ("the ear") of a traditional loaf crackly-crusted russet of some other sourdough breads "and a lot of my customers do too." Cinnamon-raisin ($17) is also available every weekend (Both breads are available either round or as oblong "sandwich" loaves.) Weekly specials might include rosemary garlic or everything-seed breads ($14 to $17) and there are always cookies (six for $12) and muffins (two for $8) By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy A classic sourdough at The Bread Shed in West Sayville Hall believes that it’s not only the taste of her wares that keep her customers coming back they are looking at my ingredients and seeing no filler no preservatives — plus the health benefits of sourdough." (Sourdough bread gets its lift not from commercial yeast but from a "starter" that the baker feeds and maintains over the years and decades This natural fermentation process is thought to promote digestive health.) Hall considers herself an accidental shopkeeper "I just wanted somewhere to park the cart," she said That cart isn’t nearly big enough to hold all the bread she sells but it holds most of the muffins and cookies as well as sourdough knives ($25) also made by her father-in-law The Bread Shed, 106 Main St., West Sayville, Instagram: @south.shore.sourdough The Newsday app makes it easier to access content without having to log in Unlimited Digital AccessOnly 25¢for 6 months 2024 at 10:25 am ETThe fire broke out on Friday (Courtesy of Ken Bradbury)The West Sayville Fire Department was on the scene within minutes (Courtesy of Ken Bradbury)Multiple fire departments provided mutual aid (Courtesy of Ken Bradbury)An unoccupied vehicle in the driveway also caught fire NY — Firefighters extinguished a fire that broke out in a West Sayville home on Friday the West Sayville Fire Department told Patch West Sayville firefighters responded to a house fire on Colony Drive around 10 a.m. Second Assistant Chief Mike Chiesa arrived first on scene and "quickly upgraded the alarm to a working structure fire as the fire had extended to the house," officials said Suffolk County Police told Patch than an unoccupied 2026 Chevrolet caught fire in the driveway engine 3-10-4 was on scene in four minutes from activation and "started an aggressive attack" followed by ladder 3-10-5 which was tasked with ventilation and Chief of Department Brian D’Onofrio had command of the scene and the Sayville Community Ambulance Company Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. 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Over 500 donors have contributed more than $57,000 to help a West Sayville family rebuild their lives after a devastating fire destroyed their West Sayville home a week ago who have called West Sayville home for over two decades lived in the Colony Drive house with their three children: Connor a Sayville High School senior headed to college next fall 13 blaze began as a vehicle fire in the driveway in front of home’s garage and quickly spread to the house Despite rapid response from the West Sayville Fire Department and several other fire departments the family lost their home and all of their possessions described the Smalleys as a family “always there for anyone who needs anything.” has drawn an outpouring of support from the community with 533 donors contributing $57,400 as of 12:30 p.m The funds are helping the family begin to rebuild after losing their home and possessions amid the holiday season “We have been overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness shown to the Smalley family during this heartbreaking time,” Carroll shared in a recent update Michelle Smalley expressed her gratitude to the community in a heartfelt Facebook post we are thankful to be together and unbelievably grateful at the outpouring of love and kindness,” she wrote 2024 at 5:13 pm ETThe accident happened on Monday morning (West Sayville Fire Department )The crash knocked over a telephone pole (West Sayville Fire Department )WEST SAYVILLE NY — Firefighters from the West Sayville Fire Department responded to the scene of a rollover crash that knocked over a telephone pole on Montauk Highway on Monday Suffolk County police said that around 9:30 a.m. a 35-year-old Patchogue woman was driving a 2002 Chevrolet Suburban westbound on Montauk Highway near La Salle Place in West Sayville when she veered off the roadway and hit a utility pole The woman was evaluated by emergency responders on the scene but declined further medical attention The home belonged to Michelle and DJ Smalley who have been part of the community for around 20 years the community has come together to help the family with a GoFundMe organized by Patricia Carroll On the fundraiser page "Please help support a wonderful Sayville family who is always there for anyone who needs anything Michelle and DJ and their three children Connor lost their home on Colony Drive to a devastating fire on Friday All of their possessions and memories are gone "The Smalley family has been part of the heart of this town since they moved here to raise their beautiful family over 20 years ago Michelle and DJ have raised three wonderful kids who have been standout athletes and citizens who have always demonstrated exceptional sportsmanship and integrity "The two oldest boys Connor and Jack are in college -- Connor is getting his masters -- and Lauren will graduate Sayville High School and head to college this year This is one of the best families I have ever known and they can use our help at this difficult time "Please help make this Christmas a happy one for a family that has been there for so many of us." Click here to help the Smalley family Here comes Santa — along with live reindeer trolley rides and a one-of-a-kind gingerbread house competition The holiday season slides into beast mode in Sayville on Nov for the 18th annual Miracle on Main Street festival presented by the Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce Here’s a breakdown of what’s in store at what is arguably Long Island’s best holiday block party prancing reindeer and little marching “toy” soldiers and take in the festive sounds of school marching bands — is Small Business Saturday Winter Wonderland sand art and a craft tent for the kids in the parking lot of Main Street Shopping Plaza (Cornucopia) along with plenty of opportunities in Main Street shops to get a leg up on your holiday gift lists Main Street downtown closes to car traffic from 5 to 9 p.m The nighttime festivities include live reindeer The ceremonial Christmas tree lighting takes place at 6:30 p.m Top: Carolers dressed as Dickens characters added a special charm to “Miracle on Main Street” in Sayville 2025 at 2:27 pm ETThe fire broke out in a Dodge Ram at a Sayville home on Friday morning (Courtesy of West Sayville Fire Department)(Courtesy of West Sayville Fire Department)(Courtesy of West Sayville Fire Department)SAYVILLE NY — Firefighters extinguished a blaze that broke out in a truck in a Sayville neighborhood on Friday morning according to the West Sayville Fire Department Ex-Chief Brian D’Onofrio was at home on Friday morning when he heard a loud explosion He looked outside and saw that his neighbors truck was on fire D’Onofrio jumped into firefighter mode and "quickly called 911 and ensured there were no injuries," officials said Fire department officials said engines 3-10-1 operating under Chief of Department Patrick D’Onofrio Suffolk County police also told Patch no injuries were reported and that the fire was contained to the driveway head of the Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce who has organized a fundraiser to support businesses damaged by Friday night’s blaze along Sayville’s Main Street as the holiday season approaches — a critical time for these businesses — they need our community’s support more than ever to help them recover and endure through the winter months,” wrote Tyznar Greater Sayville Chamber of CommercePO Box 235Sayville The multi-level fire ripped through a strip of small businesses Other impacted shops were The Crushed Olive Around 5:40 p.m., a blaze broke out at 25 Main Street, a vacant property since Café Joelle moved to a new Sayville location earlier this summer Local fire departments contained the fire after two hours An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing Top: Firefighters controlling the blaze in Sayville on Friday, Oct. 25. (Photo credit: Gregory Trainor/Facebook) There are no statistics available for this player Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here 2024 at 8:14 am ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The 23-year-old Medford man was pronounced dead at a Bay Shore hospital NY — A man was killed after being struck by a train near Sayville on Tuesday morning was on the train tracks without authorization west of the Sayville station when he was struck by LIRR train 64 around 11 a.m He was removed from the scene by EMS and transferred to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore where he was pronounced dead and his family was notified the Montauk Branch service was suspended between Oakdale and Sayvillee until 12:20 p.m. 2024 at 3:16 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The rollover crash happened Saturday afternoon (Courtesy of West Sayville Fire Department Assistant Chief Patrick D’Onofrio)OAKDALE NY —The West Sayville Fire Department and Suffolk County police responded to a rollover crash that involved two vehicles in Oakdale on Saturday afternoon a woman was driving in the middle lane of eastbound Sunrise Highway west of 47A when she was rear-ended by another vehicle which caused her car to strike a guardrail and roll over around 4:10 p.m Police said the woman and her passenger were transported to Stony Brook University hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and the driver of the other vehicle refused medical attention 2025 at 10:11 am ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The volleyball tournament is slated for Tuesday evening NY — The Sayville Union Free School District is host a volleyball tournament for a good cause on Tuesday Lincoln Avenue and Sunrise Drive will face off in a fundraiser round-robin volleyball tournament teachers and staff will compete for bragging rights and a highly coveted trophy The winning school will then take on a team of raffle-winning students in the final game of the night with all proceeds benefiting the Sayville School Employees Charitable Foundation to support local families in need attendees may donate a non-perishable food item for the Sayville Food Pantry Over the first five iterations of the event over $7,000 has been raised along with countless food items The tournament will take place at the Sayville High School gymnasium 20 Brook Street in West Sayville The Fresh Grocer has launched its first New York location on Long Island The sister brand to ShopRite opened Aug at the Lighthouse Commons shopping center in Oakdale a Long Island family-run company with three generations of grocers who operate ShopRite stores in Riverhead “This new store continues to showcase our commitment to offer incredible value along with the convenience of a smaller format grocery store,” said Ken Thompson Sr. The ownership team also includes Ken Thompson Sr.’s son This Fresh Grocer location in Oakdale spans 26,000 square feet a typical ShopRite location measures 70,000 square feet or more This includes sections such as a full deli (with Boar’s Head products) “What differentiates us from other smaller footprint stores is that we can leverage the buying power of ShopRite,” said Ken Thompson Jr There are currently 24 The Fresh Grocer locations in the United States with all of them being located in New Jersey and Pennsylvania The Thompson family completely renovated the space cleaned up the welcome sign at Lighthouse Commons This is a full-circle moment for Thompson Jr. who began his grocery career in 1985 as a cart pusher just up the road in Bohemia where Guinta’s Meat Farms is now located “It’s a family business,” said Thompson Jr You become part of the community that you’re serving.” The Lighthouse Commons — also home to the CM Performing Arts Center, the Oakdale Brew House, a post office, and other retailers — had been without a supermarket for well over three years since the independently owned Fresh Food Supermarket closed. Fresh Food had opened in June 2019 but only operated for about seven months before the pandemic hit but in 2016 it moved to a larger location on Sunrise Highway in Oakdale which is now a Lidl that opened in October 2020 The Fresh Grocer operates as a cooperative 2024 at 9:43 am ETA man was driving while intoxicated when he crashed his car into the bagel shop (Courtesy of West Sayville Fire Department)West Sayville Fire Department crews responded to the scene with police (Courtesy of West Sayville Fire Department)OAKDALE NY — Firefighters from the West Sayville Fire Department and Suffolk police responded to a car crash involving a Mini Cooper and a bagel shop on Monday night was driving a 2008 Mini Cooper when he swerved off the road and crashed into Bagels on the Bay at 1384 Montauk Hwy Angiulo was arrested and charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated and driving while intoxicated Red Label Coffee Co. and Scoops & Cones Cafe teamed up to open a combined location at 14 Washington Ave. taking over the former site of Cool Beans Coffee Shoppe There’s nothing better than that,” said Joseph Vitale who co-owns Red Label Coffee with his brother Jonathan The Vitale brothers have been friends with Thomas Cacciopoli They always knew they wanted to go into business together “We wanted to expand into Suffolk County and continue to grow,” said Jonathan who learned the coffee trade alongside his brother from their mother who worked in coffee shops during their childhood Both Red Label and Scoops & Cones have already made their mark in Nassau County while Scoops & Cones can be found in Wantagh and Farmingdale The trio swung open the doors to their first Suffolk County location on Tuesday a coffee bar offers a wide selection of caffeinated beverages Red Label is renowned for its 50 flavors of iced coffees that contains no sugar “The flavors are roasted into the beans so it has the same calorie count as a regular black coffee,” Joseph explained One of their top sellers is the French toast flavor you can choose from their selection of handmade ice cream They also offer waffles and crepes made right in front of customers as well as freshly baked brownies and gourmet cookies They also collaborate to offer specialty items such as affogato, an Italian dessert where ice cream is drowned in coffee. To learn more about both, follow them below. Sayville’s Paper Doll Vintage Boutique is back on its heels and threads just two months after a devastating fire destroyed the store’s Main Street location Owner Dominique Maciejka announced in a heartfelt Christmas Eve Instagram post that the beloved vintage shop has secured a new location at 106 Railroad Ave. just around the corner from its former storefront and across from the Sayville Theater It’s expected that the shop will re-open this spring View this post on Instagram A post shared by Paper Doll Vintage Boutique (@paperdollvintage) Maciejka said in her post that the new location offers exciting opportunities for her vintage shop The shop will give us time and space to figure out what the future holds in order to become whole again and one day return to the scale we once were,” she wrote the new location includes a private parking lot for such events as Vintage Yard Sales Maciejka is planning collaborations with artist Ricky TeeVee on the store’s aesthetic and the Sayville Theater to host vintage movie nights Maciejka is currently operating a pop-up shop at Sayville N Spice on Main Street and Railroad Avenue allowing her to keep her business afloat during the holiday season The temporary shop will continue until Jan after which Paper Doll Vintage will close temporarily to prepare the new space for opening in the coming months Community support for Paper Doll Vintage has been overwhelming Donations through a GoFundMe page have reached nearly $40,000 Paper Doll Vintage’s return marks a new chapter for the boutique which has been a labor of love for Maciejka since she began her journey in vintage fashion at just 14 years old She also owns Paper Doll Curiosity Shoppe in downtown Patchogue “We are so happy to be able to continue our journey of bringing the best vintage to you and couldn’t have done this without you,” Maciejka said “It truly feels like a holiday miracle Top photo: The Paper Doll Vintage Boutique’s future location on Railroad Avenue in Sayville (Facebook) Café Joelle hasn’t gone far from its roots moving late last month to a much larger location in Sayville But to step inside the new Foster Avenue home of a restaurant and bar that has been a fixture in the hamlet for more than 30 years is to take a trip down memory lane — via the photographs on its so-called homage wall “We’ve got old pictures of where Café Joelle used to be going back to when this location was Donatello’s and Oysterman’s,” said Jake Byrne one of three longtime pals who are partners in the restaurant “We’ve even got pictures of Joelle herself “This place feels special and seeing peoples eyes light up when they walk into the room makes it all worth it.” At three times the size of its previous space on Main Street, the new-look Café Joelle can seat up to 146 diners and meet what has, for years, been surging demand for the entrees, salads, appetizers and cocktails on its eclectic menu Facing customer wait times of two-plus hours on Friday nights Byrne and partners James Caporuscio and Kyle Kenny began looking for other options not long after they took over Café Joelle in 2018 “In a business of saying ‘yes,’ it’s kind of hard to say ‘no,’ — we needed a bigger space,” Byrne said That opportunity presented itself a few doors away on Foster Avenue The space was once home to Michael Turner’s Bistro 25, whose “exceptional food at below-average prices” was praised in 2011 by The New York Times The popular restaurateur had rebranded the bistro as Cenote a little more than a year before his death in April 2023 has unexpectedly turned out to be what the three Sayville natives and their families had long been seeking since taking over the business in 2018 “We had been in [Café Joelle’s previous space] for six years and created a name for ourselves and created a following,” he said “That gave us the confidence to make the move to a bigger location.” The partners, who also own The Greenery on Railroad Avenue “We are keeping the lease there and we’re looking to do something along the Mexican lines over there pretty soon,” he said As for Café Joelle, it now has enough room to accommodate large private events, such as a recent wedding for more than 90 guests. There is also a lounge across from the expanded bar area. “It’s been a dream come true,” Byrne said. The hospitality veteran emphasized that patrons will recognize the “same great food and concepts” from the restaurant’s former location. “The main thing we hang our hat on is the level of hospitality that we provide,” he said. “We make everyone feel like they’re at home and that they’re a part of it just as much as we are.” Café Joelle is located at 45 Foster Ave. in Sayville.  It is open Monday to Thursday from noon to 9:30 p.m.; on Friday, from noon to 10 p.m.; on Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Photos by Jennie Alberto of Driven Digital