The new Bread & Butter serves up a love letter to the North Fork

The longtime Wegert’s grocery location has been transformed

When Diana Roesch DiMenna and her family moved to the North Fork a little more than three years ago, they weren’t just looking for a new home.

They were looking for a community.

They found one in the most unexpected way.

When one of the family’s dogs disappeared on Thanksgiving Day in 2024, neighbors they had never met dropped what they were doing to help search.

“Without really being asked, people just offered up community to us,” Roesch DiMenna told Greater Long Island. “That’s one of many examples of why this community means so much to us.”

Now, the mother-daughter team — which includes Tess DiMenna, 24 — behind Bread & Butter hopes to return that kindness by creating a place where neighbors can gather over coffee, pick up dinner on the way home or simply stop in to say hello.

Located at 5087 Sound Ave. in Aquebogue, the market and café has transformed the longtime Wegert’s grocery into a bright, modern neighborhood shop while preserving the historic character locals remember.

“We weren’t trying to change anything,” Roesch DiMenna said. “We wanted to keep the historical look of the building. We wanted it to still look like it fit in the neighborhood.”

Inside, customers will find espresso drinks, pastries baked in-house, breakfast sandwiches, grab-and-go meals and locally sourced groceries. The shelves are stocked with produce from nearby farms, specialty foods, everyday essentials and gluten-free and vegan options.

“Anyone we can buy from locally and keep the business within the community, that’s our biggest priority,” Roesch DiMenna said.

That local-first philosophy extends beyond the grocery shelves.

The family plans to open an adjacent bottle shop in the coming weeks, featuring a different North Fork winery each month alongside wines from around the world and a curated selection of spirits. The rotating spotlight will give local vineyards a chance to host tastings and introduce visitors to their wines.

But for Roesch DiMenna, Bread & Butter was never just about food.

“The most important reason to stop by is to get to know us and see who we are, what we have and what we offer,” she said. “And to become part of the community that’s building around the store.”

And Tess has become the creative force behind the shop’s branding and social media, bringing the perspective of a younger generation to the family business.

“Because my mom and I are from two different generations, it actually works really well,” Tess said. “She knows things that I don’t know, and vice versa.”

The pair said they always imagined working together someday.

“We knew we would work together on something,” Tess said. “It was just a question of what project.”

Customers have already embraced the new market. Some walk through the door eager to share memories of visiting Wegert’s as children. Others stop in simply because they noticed something new along Sound Avenue.

One interaction, however, has stayed with Roesch DiMenna.

“A woman walked in, planted both of her feet and just went, ‘Wow!'” she said. “I was like, ‘Yes, that’s the response we’re looking for.'”

As more people discover Bread & Butter, the family hopes it becomes more than a stop for coffee or groceries.

“It’s about community,” Roesch DiMenna said. “You can’t have that if you’re not physically connecting.”

For the family, the market is as much a thank-you note as it is a business.

“This really is our love letter to the North Fork,” Roesch DiMenna said.

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Photos by Julianne Mosher