James Beard-Nominated Chefs Bring Shelter Island's 18 Bay to Jamesport Manor Inn

Chefs Elizabeth Ranzetti and Adam Kopels, James Beard Award-nominated restaurant owners, are relocating their Shelter Island restaurant 18 Bay to the historic Jamesport Manor Inn. Their new location is set to open in early October at 370 Manor Lane.

Ranzetti told the Riverhead Town Board that the couple is eager to debut the restaurant. Known for their Italian, farm-to-table menus, the chefs want the Jamesport location to highlight the North Fork’s nature and farming traditions.

“We plan on planting as much as we can for the restaurant, utilizing the vastness of the property to grow as many gardens to support the restaurant as possible,” Ranzetti said. “We’re really excited to be here.”

For Ranzetti and Kopels, the name 18 Bay carries history.

“We started out at 18 Bayville Avenue in Bayville, and we always kept the name,” Ranzetti explained. That sense of tradition, they said, connects their journey from Bayville to Shelter Island, and now to Jamesport.

The couple built their reputation on Shelter Island with weekly changing four-course menus that emphasized freshness, seasonal, and creativity. Diners can expect meals that reflect the best of the local farms and waters, often created with what was harvested that very week.

Their James Beard Award nomination placed them among the top chefs in the country.

Town officials praised the couple for their national recognition.

“I’m not sure if the general public understands the magnitude of being recognized by James Beard. That’s the ultimate in the restaurant business,” one board member said. “You’re really doing something special to be recognized by them, and I can’t wait for you to open your doors.”

Their attorney, Kimberly Judd, told the board that the restaurant will keep its 80 seat size. Though there will be differently seating their customers then the previous owners.

They are hoping to utilize the second floor of the manor.

Judd also emphasized that the restaurant will remain focused strictly on dining. “They’re not looking to do any catering,” she said. That statement was intended to ease concerns from neighbors, who had previously argued with former operators of the property over large weddings, parties and noisy late night gatherings.

Instead, the couple hopes to create an intimate and  relaxed atmosphere centered on food.

With its 80-seat capacity, fine dining rooms and on-site gardens, 18 Bay will continue its tradition of menus “tied to the land.” Herbs and vegetables will be grown directly on the property to reinforce that connection between the kitchen and the land it draws from.

Residents and town officials see the arrival of 18 Bay as an opportunity to restore one of Jamesport’s most recognizable landmarks with owners committed to local agriculture and the community.

For many, the historic Jamesport Manor Inn has long been a gathering place and this new chapter is being welcomed as a positive shift.

“It’s a privilege to steward the property and grow as much as we can and make a really great dinner,” Ranzetti said.

The hearing will remain open for additional community input until Sept. 26.

If all goes according to plan the restaurant will welcome its first diners in October. Officially beginning a new era for fine dining on the North Fork.