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Vanessa Leggard

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In Beyond the East End Event

Black Joy Lit Up Westbury

In Beyond the East End Event 5 Mins Read

Some nights feel like events. Others feel like moments, and The PowHer Dining Experience hosted by Black Women of Long Island (BWLI) was the kind of Westbury event that felt like something bigger than a schedule or a flyer.

Westbury was glowing as a room filled with beautiful Black women gathered inside Post 270 Westbury, a new restaurant quickly becoming part of the Long Island cultural conversation. The atmosphere was fun, elevated, and welcoming, reflecting exactly why BWLI events resonate so deeply with Black women across Long Island.

It felt like Black joy in real time at this Black women networking event on Long Island, and that matters.

Founder BWLI Judith Jacques & Vanessa Leggard

A full-circle BWLI moment

The first time I was introduced to Black Women of Long Island, it was at a Hamptons event, one of the summer gatherings BWLI is known for out east. Their presence in the Hamptons has long represented connection, culture, and intentional community-building for Black women.

Seeing BWLI bring that same Hamptons energy to Westbury felt like a full-circle moment. Different season, different zip code, same mission of empowerment, visibility, and sisterhood across Long Island.

photo credit: Photography by Kurt, LLC

It was a reminder that Black women community spaces on Long Island are not tied to geography. They move where they are needed.

A room built on presence, not performance

What stood out most at this BWLI PowHer Dining Experience was how effortless the room felt. Black women did not have to explain themselves, shrink themselves, or perform for anyone.

Entrepreneurs, educators, creatives, and corporate leaders filled the room, representing the diversity and strength of Black women leadership on Long Island. The energy reflected ease, confidence, and mutual respect.

photo credit: Photography by Kurt, LLC

At its core, Black Women of Long Island continues to prove that joy, rest, and connection are not extras. They are essential.

First impressions of Post 270 Westbury

Let’s talk about the venue itself. Post 270 Westbury is visually striking, with a beautiful bar, warm lighting, and a layout that works well for social gatherings and networking events.

The cocktails at Post 270 were well crafted and flavorful, helping set the tone early for conversation and connection. The bar area, in particular, worked perfectly for mingling during this Westbury networking event.

You could actually hear each other talk, which is rare and refreshing in many Long Island restaurants hosting large events.

Judith Jacques & Karine Jean-Pierre, photo credit: Photography by Kurt, LLC

A thoughtful note on the dining experience

The food experience at Post 270 Westbury felt well suited to a large-scale event, which is understandable given the size and pace of the evening. The cocktails and atmosphere truly carried the night.

I would be interested in returning to Post 270 restaurant in Westbury during a quieter service to experience the menu in a more intimate dining setting. New venues take time to find their rhythm, and this space shows genuine promise.

photo creditL Photography by Kurt, LLC

The conversation that shifted the room

The evening moved from celebration to reflection during a powerful conversation with Karine Jean-Pierre, centered around her book, Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines, a timely read discussed at this BWLI event.

The Pow Her Dining Experience, photo Photography by Kurt, LLC

As the former White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre spoke candidly about stepping into positions of power that were never designed for Black women and navigating political spaces shaped by pressure and expectation.

Her words brought stillness to the room, reinforcing why Black women leadership conversations on Long Island matter now more than ever.

Vanessa L & Karine Jean-Pierre

Leadership, pressure, and real talk

Karine Jean-Pierre shared that Independent was not the book she originally planned to write, but one shaped by what she witnessed after leaving the White House. She spoke openly about Black women being under attack and communities feeling targeted.

She reminded the audience that as White House Press Secretary, she was never speaking for herself, but for the President of the United States. That reality mirrors what many Black women experience in leadership roles across Long Island and beyond.

Her honesty resonated deeply with the Black Women of Long Island community in the room.

Marjorie Mesidor, Judith Jacques, Olena Nicks, Karine Jean-Pierre, Photo: Photography by Kurt, LLC

Why nights like this matter

Events like The PowHer Dining Experience highlight why in-person community spaces remain essential for Black women on Long Island.

This was not about optics or social media moments. It was about listening, connecting, and exhaling together in a space created by BWLI with intention.

Black women do not always get to rest in public spaces, and this Westbury BWLI event allowed that pause.

My takeaway

Westbury showed up, and Black Women of Long Island showed out. Post 270 Westbury provided a stylish new backdrop for an evening rooted in conversation, leadership, and connection.

This night was not about perfection. It was about presence, purpose, and community.

270 Post Restaurant, BWLI Pow Her event 2026, Photo: Photography by Kurt, LLC

Would I return to Post restaurant Westbury? Yes.
Would I recommend it for cocktails and conversation? Absolutely.
Would I be curious to experience it during a more intimate dining service? Definitely.

Because sometimes the real story at a Long Island Black women event is not just what is on the plate, but who is in the room.

And that part was beautiful.

Hamptons Mouthpiece
Real talk. Real people. Real moments.

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In Community News

Reading Revival: Why Reading Is Cool Again

In Community News 3 Mins Read

Sag Harbor and Bridgehampton have always been reading towns. We are a community that loves stories, ideas, and conversations that stretch longer than expected. From library corners to beach chairs, reading has always been part of our culture. That is why the Reading Revival it’s a movement feels like a natural fit here.

Somewhere along the way, reading got labeled as homework instead of joy. Kids stopped reading for fun. Adults stopped reading because life got busy. Seniors kept reading because they know better, but even they will tell you it takes intention to stay engaged. That is exactly where Reading Revival comes in. It is not a one-off campaign. It is a movement to bring reading back into everyday life.

Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreation Center is leading Reading Revival on the East End, and their goal is refreshingly simple: make reading feel good again. Reading builds confidence. Reading creates access. Reading opens doors. When someone struggles with reading, it affects far more than school. When someone feels confident as a reader, it changes how they move through the world.

Reading Revival it’s a movement is designed for everyone. Kids, teens, adults, and seniors. The reluctant reader. The audiobook fan. The manga obsessed teen. The parent who stopped reading years ago. The grandparent who still reads the paper every morning because it keeps the mind sharp. This movement does not judge how you read. It just asks that you read.

The Center is encouraging our community to make reading part of daily life again. Not just in classrooms, but at home, at the library, in coffee shops, at the beach, and in waiting rooms. Reading in the wild. Reading before bed. Reading together. Reading Revival it’s a movement is about reconnecting reading to real life.

Here is the real talk. Literacy is not just academic. It affects confidence, independence, and opportunity. Reading is foundational. Communities that invest in literacy build stronger futures for children and help adults and seniors stay engaged and empowered. Reading Revival recognizes that reading is not optional for a healthy community. It is essential.

Reading Revival invites everyone to participate. Share what you are reading. Pass along a book. Read with a child. Visit your local library. Take ten minutes a day to read again, not because you have to, but because it matters, because it connects us, because reading is culture.

Hamptons Mouthpiece is proud to support Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreation Center as Reading Revival unfolds throughout 2026. Expect creativity, community stories, and reminders that books still have power. If you have been waiting for a reason to start reading again, this is it.

Join us – The Reading Revival: It’s a Movement.

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In Community News

Southold Chicken Farm Controversy

In Community News 6 Mins Read

Why the Southold Chicken Farm Controversy Has Residents Speaking Out

Real Talk. Real People. Southold knows farming. But the growing Southold chicken farm controversy has forced residents to confront where farming belongs in a changing community. Agriculture is woven into this town’s history, economy, and identity. What Southold is not used to is waking up to find that a 6,000 chicken commercial egg operation is being proposed in the middle of a historic, residential neighborhood that includes affordable housing built by the community itself.

That is exactly what is unfolding on Ackerly Pond Lane, at the center of the Southold chicken farm controversy, where a quiet 15.9-acre property has suddenly become ground zero for a debate that goes far beyond chickens, eggs, or farming in general.

The proposal at the heart of the Southold chicken farm controversy comes from Grant Callahan, an NYU real estate student graduating this spring, who has applied to the Southold Town Planning Board to open Rejuvenate Farms, a pasture-raised egg operation housing up to 6,000 hens.

On paper, the pitch is sustainable agriculture. On the ground, neighbors are asking whether this proposal fits the place it is being asked to occupy.

The Pushback Was Immediate

When the Planning Board opened the public hearing on the Southold chicken farm controversy, the room filled quickly, not with people opposed to farming, but with residents raising serious questions about location, scale, and long-term impact.

Concerns raised by the community included:

  • Odors from manure generated by thousands of birds
  • Increased flies, rodents, and other pests
  • Risks to groundwater and air quality
  • Noise and daily operational disruptions
  • Impacts on quality of life and property values

These concerns are not abstract. Six thousand chickens produce a significant amount of waste. Even well-managed operations create impacts, and those impacts intensify when placed close to homes.

This Is Not Just Any Neighborhood

Ackerly Pond Lane is not isolated farmland far from residential life. It is surrounded by homes, families, historic affordable housing community, Colonial Village, that exists because Southold made a deliberate choice to keep working people here.

This land reflects years of community planning, not accidental development. It represents decisions about housing, density, and livability that residents fought to preserve. That context matters. So when a commercial-scale poultry operation is proposed here, residents are asking a fair and necessary question. Why this location?

Water Changes Everything in the Southold Chicken Farm Controversy

Clean water is already one of the most fragile resources on the North Fork. Many residents rely on private wells and shallow aquifers. Once groundwater is contaminated, there is no quick or easy fix. Large poultry operations are known to carry risks related to nitrate pollution, bacteria, and runoff from manure, especially during heavy rain events. Even with best practices, failures and oversights happen.

Residents are asking questions that demand clear answers:

  • How will groundwater be protected over time?
  • How often will nearby wells be tested, and by whom?
  • Who is financially responsible if contamination occurs?
  • Will this operation be permitted to access the public water system?

Good intentions do not protect aquifers. Enforceable safeguards do.

Where Suffolk County Water Comes In During the Southold Chicken Farm Controversy

This debate does not exist in a vacuum. Suffolk County has been grappling with water quality and supply issues for years, particularly on the East End.

The Suffolk County Water Authority has pursued plans to expand public water infrastructure on the North Fork, including proposed pipeline extensions into areas that have long relied on private wells. These efforts have sparked debate among residents and local officials over system capacity, growth pressure, and long-term environmental impact. That makes one question especially important.

If a large commercial poultry operation is approved in a residential area, will it be allowed to draw from a public water system that is already under strain? Residents are not only concerned about today. They are concerned about precedent.

What Local Politicians Have Said, and Not Said, About the Southold Chicken Farm Controversy

So far, no elected official has issued a formal public endorsement or rejection of the proposed chicken farm. That silence, however, does not mean water concerns are new or insignificant.

County and town officials have spent years acknowledging the vulnerability of Long Island’s aquifer system. They have debated nitrogen pollution, septic system failures, and the long-term sustainability of drinking water across Suffolk County. Those same unresolved concerns are now at the center of this proposal.

Residents are watching closely to see whether local and county leaders will apply the same caution they have voiced in broader water debates to a specific project that could affect a residential neighborhood and surrounding farmland.

Even the Vineyards Are Pushing Back

This is not only a residential concern. Local vineyards have also raised objections, including Sparkling Pointe Vineyards and Winery.

In a letter submitted to the Planning Board, Sparkling Pointe cited concerns about odor impacts from a large poultry operation and how those impacts could affect visitors, outdoor experiences, nearby schools, and surrounding businesses.

When one agricultural operation raises concerns about another, the issue shifts from emotion to compatibility, environmental balance, and economic impact.

Right to Farm Does Not Mean Right to Ignore Context

Southold’s Right to Farm law exists to protect agriculture from unreasonable interference. It was never intended to override thoughtful land use planning or dismiss legitimate community impact.

The law allows farming. It does not require the town to treat every location as appropriate for every scale of operation.

Protecting agriculture and protecting neighborhoods should work together.

What the Community Is Really Saying

Strip away assumptions and labels, and the message from residents is consistent:

  • We support farming.
  • We support sustainability.
  • We support local food.
  • We do not support placing a large commercial poultry operation in the middle of a residential, historic, affordable housing community.

That is not anti-farm. That is pro-community.

The Decision Ahead

The Planning Board’s decision will shape more than a single application. It will signal whether Southold prioritizes clean water, environmental protection, and community trust, or whether technical compliance alone is enough. Once a precedent is set, it is difficult to reverse. This debate is not just about chickens. It is about land use, water, and the future of the community.

Real Talk. Real People.

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In Local Government & Planning

The Southampton $25 Million Parking Lot

In Local Government & Planning 5 Mins Read
https://www.prweb.com/releases/a-horizon-of-your-own-rare-ocean-to-bay-estate-on-southamptons-iconic-meadow-lane-hits-market-for-27-million-302464639.html

A $25 Million Parking Lot?

Real Talk, Real People. Let’s talk about the $25 million parking lot. Yes. Parking lot. Southampton Town just voted unanimously to spend $25.8 million to buy a single estate at 1950 Meadow Lane, bulldoze an 8,000-square-foot mansion, remove the pool, and turn one of the most expensive pieces of land in the country into Southampton public beach access and parking.

Cover Image: Photo courtesey Tim Davis, The Corcoran Group, https://timdavishamptons.com/

AI-generated, Meadow Lane proposed

If your first reaction was disbelief, you are not alone, because teachers are commuting an hour or more each way, and nurses are living with roommates well into adulthood. Young families are leaving the East End altogether, and organizations like the Town of Southampton Housing Authority (TSHA) are working overtime to stretch limited housing resources to meet very real needs. So the question everyone is asking makes sense: How does Southampton public beach access help the people who actually live here actually live here?

The Biggest Misunderstanding

The most common reaction sounds like this. Why don’t they use that $25 million to build housing? Here is the frustrating truth. They legally cannot. The Meadow Lane purchase is being funded by the Community Preservation Fund (CPF). This fund is paid for by a 2 percent real estate transfer tax and was created by New York State law for one specific purpose. Preservation.

CPF money is designed to stop development, not create it. It protects drinking water, open space, wetlands, farmland, and shoreline access. It cannot be used to build apartments, condos, or affordable housing. So when Southampton buys this Meadow Lane property, it is not choosing a parking lot instead of housing. It is using CPF exactly as the law requires, to secure land and protect Southampton public beach access for future generations

Why This Property Was Chosen

This was not a random piece of land. Meadow Lane, often called Billionaire’s Row, is one of the most exclusive stretches of oceanfront property in the country. For decades, it has effectively been off-limits to the general public, lined with private estates, security gates, and manicured hedges separating residents from the Atlantic Ocean.

The Town has made it clear that this purchase was about more than land. It was about access. This acquisition creates the only Town-managed Southampton public ocean access point within Southampton Village. That matters. Not symbolically, but practically.

Ocean access on the East End is limited, increasingly privatized, and under constant pressure. When access disappears, it rarely comes back. The Town viewed this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure permanent Southampton public beach access on a shoreline that has steadily slipped behind gates and driveways. The parking lot is not the goal: Access is.

The Town’s position is simple. The ocean should not belong only to those who can afford a mansion on Meadow Lane. Southampton public beach access should belong to everyone who lives here, works here, and pays taxes here.

Preservation Does Not House People

Here is where the conversation shifts. Preservation does not put a roof over anyone’s head. While CPF keeps land undeveloped, the housing crisis continues to squeeze the people who make the Hamptons function year-round. This is where the Community Housing Fund (CHF) comes in.

Approved by voters in 2022, CHF is funded by a separate 0.5 percent transfer tax and is dedicated exclusively to housing. Affordable housing. Workforce housing. Senior housing.

It does not have CPF-level money yet. But it is finally moving from policy to action.

What Is Actually Happening With Housing

In late 2025, Southampton passed new Housing Overlay District laws that allow qualifying affordable housing projects to bypass years of zoning delays.

Affordable condos at The Enclave in Westhampton are now accepting applications. Households earning under roughly $174,000 for one to two people may qualify to buy.

The Town is also offering Plus One grants of up to $125,000 to homeowners who build accessory apartments and rent them at fair prices to local workers. This is not a cure-all. But it is a movement.

Why This Matters to TSHA

This is where policy becomes personal. TSHA serves seniors on fixed incomes, working families, people with disabilities, and residents who have lived here their entire lives. When housing options disappear, TSHA feels it immediately. Waitlists grow. Transitions stall. Families remain stuck because there is nowhere affordable to move next. CHF matters to TSHA because every new affordable unit, every ADU, and every housing option outside the authority helps relieve pressure inside it. CPF does not solve housing. But CHF strengthens the ecosystem TSHA relies on to serve the community.

This Is Not Parking Versus People

This is not about a parking lot versus housing. It is about whether Southampton can preserve land, preserve Southampton public beach access, and preserve community at the same time. Sometimes the messaging fails. Sometimes the timing feels off. But disengagement is the real risk.

Your Town. Your Voice.

The most important meeting this month is Tuesday, February 24 at 6:00 PM, the Southampton Town Board evening session.

This is when working residents are meant to be heard. You can attend in person, participate virtually, or submit written comments for the official record. You do not need to be a policy expert. You just need to be honest. This is your town. These are your funds. These are your neighbors. Real talk. Real people.

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In Mental Wellness

Real Talk: Loving What You See in the Mirror

In Mental Wellness 5 Mins Read

The Moment My Self-Love Journey Began

Back in 2012, my friend Tara posted a status on Facebook called “Favorite things about me.” It was funny, bold, honest, and so unapologetically her that I could not stop smiling. It made me think about how rarely we pause to acknowledge the parts of ourselves we actually love. That moment was one of the first times I started paying attention to my own self-love journey. At that time, the world felt very focused on perfection. Filters and editing were becoming normalized, magazines were already retouching everything, and beauty standards were operating at full speed. It was exhausting.

Tara passed away during COVID in 2021, and I miss her every single day. Her voice, her humor, her energy, and the way she always spoke her truth. I am grateful I had her in my life, and I still feel her influence in the way I approach honesty and vulnerability.

Over the years, I have written about various aspects of my own self-love journey, including how I learned to prioritize myself. You can read more about that here: Putting Me First, How my wellness journey began and where it’s headed. 

If you can look in the mirror and like what you see, truly like it, that is a blessing. And you should never let anyone convince you otherwise.

My Real Talk Backstory

For years, I struggled to like what I saw in the mirror. When I was younger, I was in an accident, and both of my feet suffered third-degree burns. For my entire childhood and early adulthood, I lived terrified that someone would notice. Men talk about women’s feet the way people talk about wine. Detailed, judgmental, and full of rules. It got in my head. I convinced myself I could never be seen as beautiful. I dated to fill an emptiness I did not know how to sit with. My self-esteem lived in the basement, and my self-love journey had not even begun.

Then one day, working at Mrs. Fields Cookies in Bloomingdale’s, a co-worker said to me, “You are so pretty. No one is looking at your feet.” It sounds simple, but that sentence cracked something open. The hardest thing I have ever done in my life was not motherhood, moving, career changes, or taking risks. It was the first day I wore shoes without stockings. That was the day I walked into the world without trying to hide. No pointing, no whispering, no falling apart. Just me. I did not know it at the time, but that moment was the first real step in my self-love journey.

From that moment on, I stopped letting other people’s opinions direct my life. If someone talks about me now, that is their hobby. I like me, and that is enough. Learning to hold that truth was part of my self-love journey, too.

I believe God gives us all a plan. Mine was to learn empathy through imperfection. I do not judge people for what they look like or what they are missing. I want to know their gifts and their heart. I am not a saint. If you are wearing something ridiculous, I may judge that, but that can be fixed. My self-love journey taught me that what matters most lives far beyond appearances.

So Tara, here is my list. My favorite things about me:

• I love my body from my head to my toes
• I love my feet because they carried me through life when they easily could not have
• I love my smile, my voice, and my lips
• I embrace my voluptuous breasts (I might prefer one size down, so I did)
• I love my laugh
• I love my ability to love
• I love that I try to be a good friend
• I love my daughters and my husband
• I love my mind
• I love my sense of humor
• I love my ability to forgive
• I love that I am opinionated
• I love that I talk a lot
• I love wearing sexy dresses
• I love that I love without conditions
• I love helping people; it makes me happy
• I love that my family loves me unconditionally
• I love cooking for the people I care about

Are there areas I can improve? Of course. Staying in shape is about health now, not perfection. But my life is full of blessings. I wake up every day grateful. I thank God for my daughters and my husband, who is my rock and my number one fan.

If there is one thing I learned from Tara, it is that life is too short not to love who you are. Too short to shrink. Too short to wait for permission. Too short not to tell the truth about what makes you special.

To anyone reading, I invite you to make a list of your favorite things about yourself. Start small if you need to. Loving yourself, or even just liking yourself, can change how you move through the world.

Real talk. You deserve that.

Special thanks to my friend Tara Sharp for the inspiration. I love you, and I miss you.

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