KDHamptons

KDHamptons: How long have you been coming to the Hamptons and why do you love it so much?

Cristina Cuomo: I have been coming to the Hamptons since I was born. My hamlet is Southampton where I learned to ride a bike and swim in the tumultuous Atlantic Ocean—it is part of the fabric of my being. There isn’t a day when I am in Southampton that I don’t go by the beach. I am a country girl. The Hamptons is a pristine rendition of ‘country.’ I come out every weekend of the year. I have three children now and I want them to have the same experience minus the ticks my mother used to pick off me after a day in the woods.

KDH: Can you describe your Southampton home, and decorating style for KDH readers?
CC: My Hamptons home is a traditional style with eclectic meets modern décor. I love a soft color palate and have touches of Madeline Weinrib’s ikat fabrics strewn throughout the house to reflect a more bohemian sensibility.

KDH: You are always perfectly put together, do you have a Hamptons “fashion uniform”? What has become your favorite accessory this summer?
CC: By day, I wear T-shirts or Calypso shirts, shorts and flip-flops or bathing suits and sarongs. I get most of my gear from my favorite stores, 25 Park in Bridgehampton and J. Crew and Haute Hippie in Southampton. By night, if I am not wearing jeans, I wear a sundress and my Louboutin or Stubbs & Wootton espadrilles. My favorite accessories are my Sydney Evan’s ‘Love’ necklace and my Martin Katz diamond microband wedding band, both of which I never take off.

KDH: What is your favorite restaurant for date night with your husband? Do you have a favorite dish that you always order?  Favorite family restaurant?
CC: I love the new Tutto il Giorno in Southampton. I always get the zucchini florettes stuffed with ricotta and fried in olive oil—they are so delicate and delicious.
A great family restaurant where we stop at on our boat is the Canal Café in Hampton Bays. They have delicious guacamole and chips and the kids love their fried codfish. Shelter Island’s Sunset Beach is a great weekday stopover where we feast on tuna tartar, shaved artichoke salad, and the best thin and crispy French fries with mayo.

KDH: What is the greatest part about your glamorous job at Plum?

CC: The greatest part about my job is working with amazing writers and photographers and putting the pieces of a pie together to create a solid magazine that everyone seems to be enjoying. Of course, being in the Hamptons all summer long is a privilege. I move my family out here for the season, but I take day trips for meetings in the city during the week.

KDH: How is Plum Hamptons different than the other Hamptons print magazines?
CC: Plum Hamptons is a more literary driven magazine than any other local magazines. It has national appeal while being inspired by this idyllic place. It reflects the reader’s substantive content. It’s the beach read that you don’t leave at the beach.

KDH: Who would be your dream cover girl/ guy for Plum Hamptons?
CC: My dream cover guy is Chris Martin from Coldplay because he is one of the most talented musicians of my generation. Christy Turlington Burns was my dream cover get and we had her on our June launch issue, which was incredible. She is a quintessential, low key, and not to mention, stunning Hamptonite.

KDH: Do you have a favorite summer read? All-time favorite book?
CC: My favorite summer read at the moment is Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run. It changed the way I run from heel-toe to toe-heel; a more organic form of running and I haven’t looked back since. It is a great tale of a hidden tribe in the Mexican Copper Canyon, as well as a story of achievement and perseverance. I also love classics like Hemingway’s Nick Adams stories and Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

KDH: Do you have a summer 2011 mantra?
CC: Don’t put off tomorrow what you can do today—from my favorite children’s books, Frog and Toad’s Adventures.

KDH: Whom do you admire most?
CC: I admire mothers who devote all their time to child-rearing the most. It is the most challenging job of all as kids can really try your patience.

KDH: How do you seemingly “do it all” ? A magazine, television show, husband, family…can you share a couple tips for busy KDH readers?
CC: I do it all haphazardly, but happily.

KDH: Please describe your perfect day in detail~ even if it’s a dream day that you don’t get to do very often!

CC: A perfect day begins by sleeping in—anything past 7:30 is grand. I love to eat—so a long, leisurely breakfast is essential. An all American one of eggs—fried, soft-boiled with salt, or scrambled with a dash of curry, whole wheat toast, bacon. Next I spin it all off with my fitness guru, Stacey Griffith, at her Soul Cycle class in Bridgehampton. The rest of a perfect day involves not having to reply to one email or return one phone call. Lots and lots of outdoor and ocean time with my children is a perfect day which ends with a perfect meal—fresh local fish that my husband has just caught, coupled with fresh lettuce and fresh vegetables from our garden. And, an even more perfect day would be a day when my kids listen to every instruction. But that day will never come.

* photos of Cristina & family courtesy of legendary photographer Arthur Elgort of Southampton.