Sip, savor and sway at the 5th annual Northforker Wine & Food Classic

Five years strong, the Northforker Wine & Food Classic returns Sept. 3 to Borghese Vineyard — Long Island’s oldest family-owned winery — for an evening blending vineyard elegance, incredible culinary talent and unforgettable summer-night energy.

As is tradition, plenty of toe-tappin’ live tunes will be provided by funk master band In the Groove. Ahead of the can’t-miss event, here are some partner spotlights for can’t-miss booths.

On a sunny late-summer afternoon in Peconic, Adam Kaufer pulls up to Chronicle Wines in his Mustang SUV and hops out. He isn’t here for a wine tasting, though; the tall, smiling chef is here to work — and, if all goes as it usually does, wow. Kaufer opens the hatch and grabs a giant vat of clam chowder — made from locally sourced clams, of course, from purveyors like Braun Seafood and Jermaine Owens — as well as trays of prepared cocktail shrimp and salmon tartare. As he sets up his station right outside the tasting room, guests clock that there’s something tasty and begin lining up to try Kaufer’s creations.

It’s just one of the many projects that Kaufer takes on via Grace & Grit (55750 Main Road, Southold), his constantly booked and ever-evolving catering company that he runs with business partner Jennilee Morris. But instead of seeming exhausted by the relentless schedule and on-your-feet demands of the crowd-pleasing job, Kaufer’s demeanor is consistently upbeat, drawing energy from the creativity involved in every project, whether he’s crafting the menu for a large-scale catering job, hosting an intimate chef’s supper, staffing a huge party in need of waiters and bussers, or working in the kitchen preparing his popular off-season pop-up takeout series.

It takes a lot to do what Kaufer does, and to do it well takes a bit of grace — and a whole lot of grit.

Giovanni Borghese may seem like a gentle giant, but he’s a fighter if there ever was one. And we’re very certain his parents would be extremely proud of the work, quality and tenacity that is synonymous with Borghese Vineyard. 

Ann Marie and Marco Borghese loved the North Fork, so much so that they bought the former Hargrave Vineyard in 1999, re-christened it Castello di Borghese and proceeded to spend 15 years realizing the dream of a lifetime: becoming proprietors of their very own namesake winery. But after digging in and building a respected brand on the North Fork and becoming deeply ingrained and embraced by the local community, a tragic twist of fate in July 2014 left Giovanni and his two siblings, Allegra and Fernando, reeling from the death of their parents. 

Taking over wasn’t exactly in the plans for any of them, least of all Giovanni. He was just 28 years old and starting down his own path in the business world, but something inside wouldn’t let him walk away from his parents’ dream. Intelligent and savvy, Giovanni used his business acumen to devise a plan to buy out his siblings, as well as his parents’ other partners in the business. He sold some of the vineyard’s acreage, then hatched a deal to lease it back, thus keeping the long-standing vines in production but diverting the burden that comes along with land ownership. 

Twelve years later, he is now the sole proprietor of Castello di Borghese. It’s a challenging life, to say the least, but it’s one that gives him the deep satisfaction of both honoring his parents’ legacy and forging his own path along with his team, which includes winemaker Allissa Goodale.

“Honoring my parents’ legacy for the past [12] years has been an extremely humbling experience,” he says. “I couldn’t be prouder of my team and myself to have gotten ourselves here.”

At some point, you’ve likely experienced the spot-on event planning and grand gastronomy for which the Art of Eating (264 Butter Lane, Bridgehampton, 631-267-2411) is known in the Hamptons. At weddings, intimate catered affairs or even one of the East End’s summer events, like Southforker’s Taste of Westhampton Beach, you’ll see John Kowalenko, lanky and loquacious with a broad, welcoming grin, alongside his pint-sized, powerhouse chef wife, Cheryl Stair.

Kowalenko’s talents have long lain in the logistics at the nearly 40-year-old event planning and catering operation — the turning gears and syncing behind the scenes motivate him. From his past life as a music and concert promoter to a sales and marketing stint for a well-known hotel chain, and as the man who now makes your perfect party dreams come true, Kowalenko likes to be the guy driving the bus.

Also pulling out all the stops and bringing some serious savory (and sweet) bite and beverage action this year is an impressive — and growing — list of vendors:

• Art of Eating 
• Balo’s Foods
• Borghese Vineyards
• DJ Chef
• Ficarra Ristorante
• Goomba Johnny’s Pizzeria
• Grace & Grit
• La Plage
• Land and Sea Smokehouse
• Oysterponds Shellfish Co.
• R.AIRE
• Seaside Grill
• The Catered Fork
• The Pike
• The Treatery
• The Village Cheese Shop
• Uncle Giuseppe’s
• Kidd Squid Brewing Co. 
• Po’Boy Brewery
• Take Two Brewery
• Twin Fork Beer Co.
• Übergeek Brewing
• Borghese Vineyard & Winery
• Chronicle Wines 
• Harbes Vineyard
• Jamesport Vineyards
• JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery
• Mattebella Vineyards
• Palmer Vineyards
• Paumanok Vineyards
• Pellegrini Vineyards 
• Sannino Vineyards 
• Casa J Tequila 
• Fort Hamilton Distillery
• Twisted Cow Distillery

Tickets for the event start at $135 for general admission are available here. This is a 21+ all-inclusive event.