Starr’s sense of excellence when it came to the quality of ingredients, wine, and service was unparalleled. Boggs never went to culinary school; he was taught by his grandmother the old-fashioned way in her Southern Virginia kitchen with good old southern hospitality. Starr Boggs Restaurant became the most sought-after reservation for over 40 years in the Westhampton Beach community. Starr Boggs crabcakes, meatballs and Sunday gravy, lobster mac & cheese with Virginia ham, Starr Cut (extra thick) prime steaks and swordfish became legendary. Starr was a legend, and he was one of my mentors along with Tom Dillon, the legendary Chef owner of Siro’s in Saratoga.
Starr and Tom taught me the concept of the slow food movement 30 years before it became fashionable. Harvesting fresh produce in the morning and sourcing fresh fish caught the same day it was served. The prime meats were properly aged and cut to order.
The most important lesson was the concept of “The Bite,” chef speak for a single bite that represented the chef’s vision of taste and presentation. It was a never-ending symphony of flavors and quality ingredients sourced from around the world, put together to perfectly compliment and balance in a harmonious dance upon your palate. It was taken to the next level when “The Bite” was pared with amazing wines and fantastical mixology concoctions.
Starr transformed off-premise catering throughout the entire East Coast from DC to Boston, because we created the first modern “field kitchen” with restaurant quality food service equipment that expanded catering menus to achieve restaurant quality. This became the start of my career journey into the party rental world of special events. As my mentor, Starr helped me create a new product service philosophy and charted a new course and a new career for me, which inspired me to become one of the most successful party rental sales executives in the United States.
An old Eskimo proverb I once read states, “Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through, and shines down upon us, to let us know they are happy”. With this in mind, I find the theme of this year’s East End for Hospice Gala, “A Night Under the Stars”, held Saturday, June 25, 2022, to be especially well-timed. Starr Boggs is the Honorary Chairperson, in loving memory. Elegant Affairs, an amazing catering company outfitted the affair, and Something Different Party Rental provided the party rental equipment. It was spectacular.
Elegant Affairs is also launching a new special events venue located at 230 Elm Street in Southampton, NY. They are restoring the venue to its original use, as a community center and catering venue, once known as “The Polish Hall.”
Starr was not only a mentor and friend to me, but he was like the pied piper that attracted the best of the best of the best within the Eastern Long Island hospitality industry as friends. We all loved Starr.
Some of greatest chefs in the Hamptons worked with Starr, including Cheryl Stair, Chef/Owner of The Art of Eating, one of the best catering companies on Long Island, based out of Bridgehampton. Another world class chef and great friend of Starr is Tim Trill, the Executive Chef of the Westhampton Country Club.Trill honored Starr with a celebration of Starr’s iconic recipes following his memorial service on April 26th, at St. Marks Episcopal Church in Westhampton. The list continues with Beth D ’Alessio, owner of Beth’s Café in Quogue, Christian and Alain, owners of The Stone Creek Inn and Janet O’Brien Caterers and Events. Another making the list is culinary “purist” Tom Rutyna, one of the top private chefs and culinary artists in the Hamptons. Starr was and is “The GOAT” as a Chef in The Hamptons.
Starr sold his restaurant to one of the most dynamic hospitality companies on Long Island three weeks before he passed. The Rooted Hospitality Group is the group behind Cowfish and Rumba. David and Rachel Hersh, the owners of The Rooted Hospitality Group, are both located in Hampton Bays on the waterfront of Shinnecock Bay with unbelievable views. They also own Fauna, the new name of Starr Boggs Restaurant, their newest prime restaurant, and a sister restaurant to Flora, also based out of Westhampton.
There are deep threads of connectivity to the history of Cowfish, Starr Boggs, Tom Dillon, Tom Rutyna, and myself. Starr and Tom Dillon were best friends; and both my mentors and both; equally amazing in the kitchen and in life. Tom Dillon was the owner of the Indian Cove (now Cowfish) and that’s where I met Starr. The Indian Cove, the most beautiful restaurant architecturally in the Hamptons, was built by Roger and Skip Tollefson. Tom Rutyna was the Executive Chef and I worked under Tom as a line cook, “back in the day.”
My favorite story about the Indian Cove was a lesson I learned from Tom Dillon about appreciation and service excellence. It was the story of “Alejandro’s Table”. Alejandro was the dishwasher, and to Tom, he was the key to when he got to go home after long days and nights at the restaurant. Tom could not leave until the kitchen was cleaned and sanitized. Tom decided to honor Alejandro and placed a table for two in a special private dining area on the property with the best view, and every night Alejandro invited his wife to a private dinning experience. Tom required the entire staff to serve Alejandro — waiters, bartenders, chefs, and hosts were all to serve the dishwasher, as the most important guest and most valuable employee of the entire organization. The authentic truth to this concept was that to Tom, Alejandro was the MVP of the organization. The path to the highest level of service to the guest, was to serve the lowest level of the kitchen brigade with excellence.
Starr was the same way. Tony Catanazaro, one of Starr’s best friends, said, “He was so real, no pretense, no bull. He was genuine, and he was a flawless judge of character. We took care of Starr, and he took care of us. People loved helping him. It was uncanny. Everybody loved him. I’ve lost my best friend.”
Starr and Tom Dillon taught me that it was not what you do that makes you successful, it’s who you are. I am who I am because of them; they mentored and inspired me to be a leader within the hospitality industry.
Post-pandemic it is more important than ever to follow their example, to do the right thing, in the right way. There is a new definition of wellness today and a new definition of collaboration, and when they are combined, we achieve a new definition of prosperity — not for individuals but for all. I say with love, thank you Starr Boggs, and thank you Tom Dillon, two of the greatest chefs and people of all time.
