Rich and I met Doug and Dianne Langeland, publishers of Edible Cape Cod, a magazine dedicated to celebrating the abundance of local foods, on a day cruise to Nantucket a few years back. Our friend Ali scored the winning bid on the trip at a fund-raising auction and invited us, along with the Langelands, and Todd and Beth Marcus, owners of Cape Cod Beer, to join her and her partner, Tommy, aboard a classic Trumpy yacht owned and captained by director Dan Adams. It was an early September day that could not have been more beautiful…clear blue skies, warm sunshine, and smooth sailing. Doug and Dianne brought champagne, and Beth and Todd, a growler of Cape Cod beer, of course. We opted for wine.
It was a convivial group, to be sure, made even more so by the liquid refreshments. We drank champagne on the way over, and beer on the return trip. Wine accompanied lunch, which was served onboard the vessel by the ship’s crew while docked at the marina in Nantucket, after which we all dispersed for various adventures in town. The day was magical, and fast friendships were formed as a result.
We were all fairly new business owners on Cape Cod at the time. Doug and Dianne had recently launched Edible Cape Cod, and Todd and Beth started Cape Cod Beer around the same time we opened the High Pointe Inn. Tommy and Alice had just returned to the Lamb and Lion Inn after transitioning their former inn in upstate New York to its new owners. Amazingly enough, we are all still here, each successful in our own way and supportive of each other in so many ways.
For example, our good friend, Tommy Dott, author extraordinaire and fellow innkeeper who writes for Edible Cape Cod, published an article in the Spring 2020 edition of the magazine that showcases the High Pointe Inn and other B&Bs on Cape Cod who support the “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” movement. In it he describes how many of us have embraced the concept of culinary tourism and made a concerted effort to integrate all things local into our ever-expanding menu of guest services, whether it be an authentic Cape Cod adventure like shell fishing, or simply taking advantage of the local farmers’ markets held throughout the Cape during the growing season to flavor our breakfast offerings. Featured in the article is Rich’s Hangtown Fry recipe, an off-beat but delicious omelet filled with, among other things, fried oysters. It might be an acquired taste for some, but for a lover of the bivalve, it is the breakfast of champions.
Tommy was honored recently by Edible Cape Cod as a “local hero” for his contributions to the magazine, many of which shed light on the unsung heroes and humble entrepreneurs all over Cape Cod that help make it such a remarkable place to live and work, as well as visit. At the function held at the Naked Oyster and hosted by Doug and Dianne, we bumped into Beth Marcus, drinking of course, an IPA from Cape Cod Beer. We reminisced about our voyage to Nantucket that fateful day, and how far we had all come. Assembled as we were to honor our local heroes, I felt honored to be among the hardworking farmers, restauranteurs, brewers, confectioners, authors, and innkeepers that work so hard to create something honest and unadulterated for those of us who are lucky enough to live and work here on Cape Cod, and those who have the good fortune to visit.
