Tucked along Mattituck’s Love Lane, where foot traffic slows to a weekend amble, the Village Cheese Shop, with its custard-yellow facade and powder-blue trim, has been an “if you know, you know” spot for gourmet ingredients on the North Fork for more than 20 years.
Inside, its massive cheese counter boasts around 100 varieties in the peak season, from local Catapano chèvre mixed with honey or coated in herbs to its truffle Brie, a mashup of Fromager d’Affinois cut lengthwise like a layer cake and stuffed with a house-made blend of mascarpone, black truffle, truffle oil and truffle salt.
While it’s most famous for its selection of cheese, its shelves offer an array of gourmet ingredients from around the world, such as blistered peanuts from a Methodist church in North Carolina and aged balsamic vinegar from Modena.
‘Done it all’
What many don’t know is that its current proprietor, Michael Affatato, comes from a wine, not a cheese, background. “I’ve done it all,” said Affatato.
“I grew it, picked it, harvested it, vinified it, sold it, retailed it, wholesaled it,” he said with a laugh.
Affatato worked at the winery Maison Chapoutier in the Rhône Valley from 1999 to 2002, once owned Château La Gatteex on Bordeaux’s Right Bank with his ex-wife, and currently owns the largest documented collection of antique English wine bottles.
Affatato took over the Village Cheese Shop from its original owner, Rosemary Batcheller, and has since settled into the life of a cheese professional. He practices his French with his customers daily, juggles shipments of cheese, honey and cured meats, and organizes the sale of intricate cheese boards for local events.
But it’s after hours, when the last customers drift out onto Love Lane, that the shop reveals an unexpected second act.
‘The Appellation Association’
About six times a year, after the shop closes its doors, the light-filled seating area to the left of the counter undergoes a transformation. Candles are lit along a long farmhouse table, and 12 guests arrive for a wine-tasting dinner centered around eight rare French bottles.
Affatato calls this “The Appellation Association.” At these dinners, he shows off his wine knowledge and connections for an exclusive few, including his ability to source rare bottles like a 1995 Château La Fleur-Pétrus or a St.-Émilion Grand Cru Classé.
For $280 per ticket (drinks and tip included), guests get to taste eight bottles of French wine, along with a multicourse dinner prepared by his employee and trained private chef, Jess Kalish, an alumna of the French Culinary Institute, whose clientele has reportedly included Billy Joel.
Kalish is adamant that the food is only there to support the wine. “You kind of need bold flavors to hold up to the wine.”
More dinners to come
Each dinner kicks off with a Champagne reception. At the most recent dinner, which was Pomerol-themed, guests mingled over Daniel Boulud smoked salmon tartines topped with marinated fennel, dill and horseradish cream before settling down for dinner.
The menu featured toasts topped with roasted squash and caramelized onion and local mushroom toasts, Greek-style lamb meatballs with tzatziki, and filet mignon. They finished the night with coffee and a slice of Dolce Lemon Ricotta, an Italian cheesecake-style cheese, for dessert.
The Appellation Association dinners are difficult to book — the upcoming May 9 Pomerol dinner and May 16 2000 Bordeaux dinners are already sold out. But Affatato said more dinners are being planned for the 2026 season.