KDHamptons

KDHamptons: How long have you been living in the Hamptons? Why do you love it so much?

Leyla Marchetto: My husband [Navy Beach partner and GM Franklin Ferguson] and I moved out to Montauk a few years ago when we began the renovations of Navy Beach together with our friends and partners Frank & Kristina Davis. I grew up in Greenwich Village and would have never thought that I’d be living in Montauk year-round right now. But I love it. It’s very calming to see and hear the ocean all the time.
​

KDH:  Please describe your Hamptons home, and decorating style?

LM: Any sense of decorating I may have comes from my mom, for sure. She has amazing [and sensible] taste and I am constantly calling on her for guidance. We actually closed on a house here in September and have been renovating with our friend [and contractor] Chris Behan since then, so we’re in the midst of that project at the moment. It’s an upside down 70’s house (originally built by a local fisherman) that we’re updating and making into a year-round beach house. There will be a lot of whites and grey and natural wood colors throughout the house—giving it a shabby-chic-serene feel. The main living space is big and open with a fireplace in the center and an open kitchen with all the accoutrements for Franklin’s cooking. There’s also a nice sized deck that faces south & east so we get a lot of light and can hear the ocean.
​
KDH:  Do you have a strict routine to stay in shape when you are around so much delicious food?

LM: Ha! Unfortunately keeping to a routine for more than a week or so if tough for me, so I try to mix it up as much as possible. In the warmer months, I love being outside, so I try to ride my bike and paddle board as much as I can. Then whenever I can get motivated enough I’ll get to yoga—either at Love or Sangha in Montauk, or occasionally at Yoga Shanti in Sag Harbor. I also take walks on the beach with our puppy Mochi as much as I can. At the moment the only work outs I’m getting are from the renovations on the house!
​
KDH: Okay, if we force you to pick a favorite restaurant other than Navy Beach, which would you choose?

LM: Well, I’m kind of biased here, and I’d honestly have to say I could eat the tuna sashimi salad at Navy Beach every day. I also love the sushi at Westlake Clam & Chowder House.
​
KDH: Will you share your perfect day in detail with KDHamptons readers?

LM: I’m a morning person, so lets say I’d wake up at 7am and take our dog Mochi for a walk on the beach. Then I’d get a coffee at Montauk Bake Shoppe or Coffee Tauk [depending on what kind of a mood I’m in] and breakfast at home [oatmeal or toast usually]. After that I’d head home to do a little work on the computer before heading over to Navy Beach for a while. In the afternoon I’d go for a bikeride or a paddleboard or a yoga class, and then head back to Navy Beach before sunset. Unless I’m staying up for a special occasion I go to bed pretty early so I’d crawl in bed by 9 and read for an hour and then shut the lights out.
​
KDH: Do you ever eat dinner at home? Do you cook~ what is your best dish?

LM: In season, I don’t eat home that much. As you can imagine, I tend to eat at Navy Beach quite a lot! But in the off-season, “we” cook at home a ton. Franklin is the chef at home, but once in a while I get involved too. I usually stick to making salads, pasta and risotto. Sometimes I get the urge to bake something sweet, but it never seems to turn out right—I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that you can’t really “wing” baking…
​
KDH: Do you have a “best kept secret” destination in the Hamptons to share with  us?

LM: Nothing major yet, but when we have the time we’ll take a drive over to the Fish Farm in Amagansett to pick up fresh seafood and goodies from their little market. It’s a nice drive and a destination that’s never jammed or annoyingly crowded.

KDH: What are your plans for the holidays? Travel or staying out East?

LM: Since we’re moving into our new house in mid-December, we’ll be spending Thanksgiving in Boston with Franklin’s family, and then our first Christmas in Montauk. We have the perfect spot in our new living room for the tree. I can’t wait to unpack our tree decorations that have been in storage for a while now.

KDH: Which is your favorite season in the Hamptons and why?

LM: Fall is amazing out here—the weather is great and the crowds are gone. I usually tell people that ask me when to come to Navy Beach to come in June or September.
KDH:  If you could have anyone at one of your restaurants [dead or alive] who would you invite?

LM: At Da Silvano [pictured left] I can’t even name all of the amazing artists, actors and other VIPS that have been there since my dad opened it in 1975… I remember waiting up late to meet Tina Turner and Tom Cruise when I was really young! Thus far we’ve been thrilled to have some well known celebrities dine at Navy Beach. I’d be pretty star-strucked [or royal-strucked?!] if Prince William and Princess Kate walked in the door next season. It would be pretty awesome if we could have served Steve Jobs a marganegra.

KDH: Do you have a favorite book or author?

LM: I have to admit I don’t have a favorite book or author. I bought a Kindle about a year ago and starting flying through all kinds of books. Then, this year I started reading them on my iPad and must have read ten books in the last six weeks or so. I have really enjoyed Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom, and Ken Follett’s Fall of Giants. I also love Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs.