Cavaniola’s Gourmet Cheese Shop

I love this cheese shop! Unfortunately someone forgot to post the winter hours on the website. They are closed BOTH Monday and Tuesday’s during the winter months. Wish I knew… I wouldn’t have made the drive.
So sad

Not good. We’ve been here twice, and both times we were sold desiccated cheese that was past its prime. Maybe they save the good stuff for their regular customers. I’ll do my cheese shopping at Citerella which has a better, fresher selection.

This beautiful place, a favorite of Ina Garten, is just what I wanted on my visit to Sag Harbor. Local cheeses, beautifully and knowledgeably presented, and wonderful crackers and accompaniments. The store clerk was incredibly warm and helpful. I took home more than I expected, and the wine store next door could not have been more charming.

My very first job was making sandwiches in this cheese shop– and it was the best summer of my life, from a culinary standpoint.
As a self-​proclaimed cheese expert, the cheese selection is unparalleled in the Hamptons, and very very hard to beat even in the city. They have an excellent spread of the best artisanal cheeses from America, all the classics of Europe as well as some rare and beautiful foreign specimens.
Some suggestions:
Creamy crowd pleasers: D’affinois, Brillat Savarin
Savory hard cheeses: Rolf Beeler’s Gruyère, their pecorino Gran Cru (with truffled honey!)
Goat cheese heaven: Le Lingot de Quersay, and Midnight Moon (a goat Gouda)
In addition to their superb cheeses, their quaint yet elegant shop has all the accoutrements. Quince, fresh figs, beautiful baguettes and olive bread, cured meats, olives, pâtés — a consummate collection.
It’s perfect for your beach picnic.
The staff is very knowledgeable about cheeses and pairings, and the wine store next door can help you out as well :)
The impeccable taste of the staff also contributes to their AMAZING gift baskets and cheese trays. Expertly hand-​arranged, these gifts and snacks are sure to impress.

While the selection of cheese is great and varied, that is not a very great accomplishment in the Hamptons.
The main issue I found with this store, is that once the owners turn against you, for what ever bizarre unknown reasons, you see what small town small mindedness really is.
I used to shop there very regularly, it was quite nice, I would bring my son in on a regular basis when he was six and he discovered his favorite cheese. I had a nice relationship with the cheese man — who was a failed architect of buildings and found himself as an architect of cheese. Beautiful. Till one day the owners just decided to ignore me, gone were all the good memories.
What had I done to them — nothing — nada — but for some inexplicable small town reason they had turned on me. It’s people who treat good customers badly, that have done quite a lot to destroy the old positive culture of Sag Harbor.
Probably, I just wasn’t spending enough money there weekly. So if you show up from no-​where and have a Black Card of some kind — they will love you back. No Doubt.
But free smirks for everyone included!

I couldn’t agree more with Stuart G’s review. A friend and I had the same exact experience a couple days ago. Loved the selection, smell, décor, detail but when we asked what a certain cheese was the girl behind the counter told us as she smirked. Not pleasant. Also it would be nice to see some prices.

Of course I had to visit Ina Garten’s favorite cheese shop while in the Hamptons! Their selection is superb and customer service is outstanding!
I had my husband, 1yr old so, & in-​laws with me and both girls working behind the counter we so nice. We are not, by any means, fancy… so they certainly were not sucking up!
We didn’t ask the price of things because we know ppl in the area are not concerned with such things. However I do feel like that if we did ask, the girls would be happy to oblige. We went with a qtr lb of cheddar deliciousness & a qtr lb Gorgonzola heaven… came out to less than $ 20. I’d say that’s pretty good considering we got an outstanding product & sampled the crap out of their cheeses. I even told the girl we have a really good fig spread at home & she busted out an awesome sample for us without hesitation.

EVERY WONDERFUL THING THAT HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT THIS SHOP, IS TRUE. However, if you are looking for friendly and helpful staff and a cozy experience, forget it.
One visiting has to ask all the questions. The selection is, yes, superior, but there is not one sign explaining anything, including price in the joint. When one asks, one receives a terse response, such as, «it is sheep from the Pyrenees.»
OK, I guess I should know what that means, They are generous with samples, but no communication. It is an odd experience. More as though one is bothering them, than they are glad one is there. Again great selection, but service is uninspired. To be clear, I am there often, I only enjoy the experience when i return home to eat.
Now, best secret there… The marinated feta!!! ask for it and they begrudgingly will serve it to you. Don’t expect any eye contact or clever repartee or friendly chatter. Just the best cheese selection!!!

Well, when I am in Sag Harbor for the weekend, I come to this place once just a day. The Cheese selection is fantastic, and the cheesemonger has always something new for your to try, mostly local cheeses ! made with raw milk ! They also do chicken pies, sandwiches, cold and hot, salami and rillettes, among other things. Michael, we love your gourmet cheese market !

We live locally year round and we love it, I want to have a bed in the back for our second home!

What can I say? This is the best cheese shop in North America. I shop all over the country when I can and have never been so impressed. They know their Cheese and it’s not expensive. Michael was a pleasure to do business with, so helpful.

Great selection of cheese. Most I’ve never heard of. Very knowledgeable staff. They let you try before you buy which endures you’ll leave happy. I was lucky enough to visit on a Saturday when they also have wine tastings in the wine shop. The guy in there was great! I told him my likes and dislikes and I went home with two bottles that were exactly what I wanted.

I love cheese.
the smellier…
the stronger…
the moldier…
the sharper…
the even smellier…
the even moldier…
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Siltons… roqueforts…YES!!!
PENICILLIN!!!
With that said, I went to the south fork this afternoon with my awesome friend Justina, with plans to head to the Channing Daughters winery and then have Art give us a personal tour of the Mecox bay dairy farm followed by a visit to tate’s bake shop in southampton. However, the lady at Channing Daughter’s told us about this lovely cheese shop in Sag Harbor which was no more than an 8 – 10 min drive from the winery so we took a detour NORTH to Sag Harbor and BOY was it an awesome and worthwhile detour! We arrive to this beautiful little cheese shop with a great assortment of specialty chutneys in jars, gourmet specialties etc and then the most amazing part… the entire cheese display behind the counter…
I was in heaven…
It turns out, the lady working there was the SISTER of the lady at the channing daughter’s winery (obviously, the recommendation: P…gotta keep it in the family huh?). My friend Justina and I spent almost 45 minutes trying several different types of cheeses… probably 12 – 15 types and we ended up on 2 sheep’s milk soft french cheeses along with a really sharp blue, paired with a lovely sourdough baguette and some chocolate bars to go…
They really know their cheeses here… I promise you, you will NOT be disappointed. Well worth the visit, and the drive… I will be returning back here very soon…
It’s a cheese shop
It’s Sag Harbor
expect to pay a few bucks. :)
**************BTW — INA GARTEN AKA THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA SHOPS HERE… INSTANT WIN FOR ME!********************

Almost the platonic ideal of a cheese shop, if such a thing exists. Not cheap, but that comes with the territory. I’m not one of those people who can talk knowledgeably and at length about the relative merits of various cheeses, but I’m happy to shop at a store run by people who do just that, and I appreciate their expertise. Does it really deserve five stars? Well, if you want to buy – or, God help you, talk – cheese on the South Fork, this is the place to do it.