Final 'Our Southampton' Book Brings More Stories, Recipes

The new book, “The Third of Us: Our Southampton Part 3: More Family Stories & Food Traditions,” doesn’t put on airs. If looking for celebrity gossip or tales of the idle rich in the Hamptons, then you may have to keep looking. If seeking to discover homey cooking and life from old-town Southampton, then “The Third of Us” is for you.

The self-published book includes stories and family recipes from around 69 individuals or couples ensconced in Southampton living. Each account has a photo, a story and a recipe. Among those included in the book are Liz and Bob Skinner, Jack Rist, Noel Hare, Tim Burke and others.

The book was written by Nina Kennedy and Jacqueline S. Scerbinski. The two women are creative types who wanted to do a project together. Ideas that stuck them most revolved around food, they both said. Soon, the idea to combine family recipes with family stories turned into their first book, “Our Southampton: Family Stories and Food Traditions.”

Released in 2008, the book featured around 63 individuals or couples who make Southampton their home. Local such as , John Westerhoff, Jr. and Colleen and Bill Frankenbach populated the book.

Kennedy and Scerbinski recalled they started out interested in recipes but story after story captivated them until the emphasis switched. “Hearing the stories turned out to be my favorite part,” Kennedy said.

Multiple requests to be included led to a second book, “More of Us: Our Southampton Part 2.” Released in 2009, the book expanded to around 69 individuals (or couples) featured in chapters. 

Making the list were Emil Norsic Sr., Elizabeth and Dick Haile, Constance Hattrick Butler and Emily Halsey. The book included “insider stories” of special interest like “Horse Racing in Southampton Village,” “Milk and Scotch” and “Confessions of a Petal Pusher.”

The latest book, released this summer, has the same number of chapters but mixes it up to include entire families and business owners.

All of the books aim to capture the year-round community and the essence of what it’s like to live in Southampton, Scerbinski said. The two Southampton women sought to capture what could not be found in the crowds, but, rather, in generations of families remembering simple moments that mean much to them, she said.

“These are real people who make it possible for life out here,” Scerbinksi said.

Her husband, Jack, has ties to Southampton that go back to the early 1900s when the family emigrated from Poland, she said. The couple moved to Southampton in 1991 to live full time, she said. Kennedy and her husband, Jim, moved to Southampton fulltime in the mid-'90s after weekending in
Southampton for years, Kennedy said.

The books were a great way for neighbors to get to know neighbors, Scerbinski said. “It really grew the community.”

Last week, the pair hosted a “thank you” party for those included in the books at , the former Polish Hall. “The Third of Us” will be the final book in the "Our Southampton" series, Kennedy said.

True to its roots, the book can be only purchased in local Southampton shops including , , and others. The book is $19.95 and published by Sixsyllables, Southampton.