Greater East End coverage is funded in part by The Watershed Kitchen & Inn — a warm, stylish North Fork destination in S. Jamesport featuring elevated comfort food, craft cocktails and beautiful boutique accommodations.
The couple behind the Watershed Kitchen & Inn in South Jamesport are opening a second restaurant, bringing their internationally inflected, community-first hospitality concept to the heart of downtown Riverhead.
Husband and wife team Patricia and James Mangiacapre plan to open Abigayle’s in the historic Preston House building at 428 E. Main St. The three-floor space was most recently home to Myles on Main, which was opened in August 2024 and closed last fall.
Before that, the Preston House restaurant held court there for several years. The building itself dates to 1905 and was originally home to Henry H. Preston, the first salaried sheriff of Suffolk County.
The restaurant’s name belongs to an adorable Yorkie brought into the relationship by Patricia. James, by his own admission, has failed to maintain any credible distance from the pooch.
“I swore it was not my dog,” he quipped. “Yet, I’m the one that runs this dog to the vet. I’m the one that carries her in my little pouch everywhere I go.
“So, she is my dog — because my dog is getting a whole restaurant named after her,” James Mangiacapre added, smiling.
The couple have operated the Watershed Kitchen & Inn — a boutique hotel and restaurant located at 46 Front St. — since signing their lease during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the six years since, they got engaged at the Watershed, married, moved near the North Fork and, by their telling, fell irreversibly in love with the community around them.
“Every year, it gave us a little bit something more,” Patricia Mangiacapre said. “New friends, neighbors that became friends. It allowed us to grow our business into what we wanted it to be.”
The Watershed won’t change a thing as Abigayle’s is added to the couple’s restaurant portfolio; James Mangiacapre is also a part-owner, with a close friend, of a toys and collectibles shop, Time Warp Relic Warehouse, in Lake Grove.
After taking a long hard look at where to dive into to their next hospitality opportunity, the Mangiacapres were ultimately drawn to The Preston House building.
“A second restaurant was always in the works,” James Mangiacapre said. “This opportunity just arrived at the right time.”
The building that will house Abigayle’s has been restored by developer Joe Petrocelli. He also co-founded the Long Island Aquarium directly next door and was named master developer of Riverhead’s planned town square.
James Mangiacapre said Petrocelli’s investment in the area made the opportunity feel right.
“When we sat down with Mr. Petrocelli and his team, I think one thing that gave us an opportunity to be part of this experience is that they saw that we are a family restaurant,” he said. “You’re not going to see four different managers and GMs passing through. You see the owners, boots to the ground, working the space.”
Three-floor restaurant experience
Abigayle’s will span three floors.
The main floor is going to seat about 62 with a bar and outdoor porch dining. The second floor, which will seat just over 52 diners, is earmarked for parties and private events, it’s wheelchair accessible via the hotel elevator. A basement cocktail lounge — think late-night bites, craft cocktails and a low-lit city-lounge atmosphere — is slated as a second phase after the grand opening.
The plan is for Abigayle’s to deploy a soft-opening phase during June and July, before fully opening in September. A grand opening event is in the works for around Labor Day.
Lumber and Salt, the same outfit that worked on the Watershed, is taking on the interior design and branding at Abigayle’s.
The new restaurant’s menu will carry forward the international kitchen concept that defines Watershed, drawing on Patricia’s Dominican heritage, James’ Italian background and the work of Jorge Aparacio, who has served as Watershed’s chef for about five years.
Aparacio will help develop Abigayle’s menu alongside a kitchen team specifically dedicated to the establishment.
Top: Patricia and James Mangiacapre at The Watershed Kitchen & Inn bar (Satin Widrow).
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