Teetotalism and the Long Island Welcome Center
By Nancy Vallarella of What’s Cookin? – Smithtown
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Over the past sixteen months, the Long Island Welcome Center and Taste NY Marketplace at Dix Hills have had several operational and product changes. What remains consistent is an impressive facility that conveys a culture defined by history, achievements, and food. Here hospitality is key to reach the goal of driving Long Island’s economy through agritourism.
The center’s market, Taste NY Marketplace, features premium products that have been grown, sourced or produced locally. However, Long Island’s wine and craft beer are not sold at this Taste NY Marketplace. The federal highway location and self-checkout policies do not lend well to alcoholic beverage consumption or purchase. Instead, accommodating kiosks and multimedia presentations map out locations to visit and indulge in these products.
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The Taste NY Marketplace at the Long Island Welcome Center at Dix Hills does offer a significant amount of nonalcoholic, locally produced, artisan beverages. Coffee and teas are sold both hot and cold to drink on site, to go, and to brew at home. Also available are a variety of bottled water, cider, soda, and even kombucha.
New York state has quality spring water sources and significant apple and grape crops. Coffee bean and tea leaf crops do not exist. When local ingredients are not available, local producers take on the role of gatekeeper sourcing quality ingredients and then applying a technique.
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Locally roasted coffee from Giorgio’s Coffee Roasters of Farmingdale and Sail Away Coffee Co. (Deer Park) featuring iced bottled cold brew and kegged nitro iced coffee are currently available at the Taste NY Market Place at Dix Hills.
Recent visitors found themselves tea cupping the afternoon away with a gracious host. Serendipi Tea’s Co-founder and Owner, Linda Villano was front and center dispensing product while discussing everything you ever wanted to know about tea and tisanes. Loose botanicals of varied texture and color found only in nature were displayed among the brewed teas emitting a delicious fragrance. Serendipi Tea’s ingredients are sourced from all over the world and are QAI organic certified. Manhasset based since 1995. Serendipi Tea products have the distinction of World Tea Championship and North American Tea Championship winners.
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This Tea Demo and Tasting was hosted by Taste NY and Serendipi Tea. This event was one of many offered by Taste NY throughout the state. For a schedule of upcoming events reference: https://taste.ny.gov/events.
Smithtown residents can enjoy Serendipi Tea’s and Sail Away Coffee products at Soul Brew in Saint James.