The way Sag Harbor makes me feel is the reason I gravitate toward that town as I approach my favorite restaurant. The village has a relaxed mood, shaped by the harbor, the yachts, the old Hamptons character, and people who are comfortable in the lifestyle they have built. When you walk through Sag Harbor, you can feel that people value their work, their privacy, their families, and the life they have cultivated. There is a cultured feeling amongst the community. You see beautiful yachts docked nearby, yet the feeling of the town is relaxed, beachy, and understated.  There is a cultured feeling amongst the community.

The people are accomplished, but they are dressed for ease, privacy, conversation, and enjoyment, yet still refined. That combination sets the tone for the people who come to Tutto il Giorno. The restaurant naturally becomes a place where like-minded people meet to enjoy where they are, who they are with, and the life around them.

Because of the people, the harbor, and the mood of Sag Harbor, the restaurant is my ideal place to go and be amongst what I enjoy.  This quietly refined feeling is mirrored in many of the decisions we make at Thompson Ferrier. We do not overbrand our candles because we believe they should integrate into your home and stand out very quietly. 

The interior architecture of Tutto il Giorno in Sag Harbor is one of the reasons I love it. The restaurant feels casual, and dining here is like dining in a beach style lifestyle kitchen / dining room but so unique to a Hampton feeling. While I am dining, I know the Donna Karen store is all around me making it feel unusually unique. It feels like a restaurant and part boutique, with an Urban Zen lifestyle atmosphere under the same roof. The wood-carved bowls, linen textiles, pillows, banquettes, communal tables, and artisanal objects make the room feel more like a private living room than a restaurant. That is what I love about it. The architecture feels beach casual, but still refined, so you never feel like the room stuffy. It makes me feel at home, as if I am sitting in my own private dining room, surrounded by objects, textures, people, food, and conversation that all belong together.

This is very close to how I think about Thompson Ferrier. Craftsmanship should feel comfortable, personal, and quietly present in the room. Our Gold Buddha Candle in Palo Santo carries that same feeling of stillness, self-awareness, and warmth, where the object becomes décor and begins to shift the energy of the space through fragrance. In the same way Tutto il Giorno makes me aware of the room, the people, and the moment I am in, the Buddha candle creates a quiet ritual that brings you back to yourself.

I truly enjoy having dinner at the bar at Tutto il Giorno. I enjoy the feeling of dining in a refined restaurant while still feeling casual, with the fireplace in the background, a very accommodating bartender, and the room moving around me in a relaxed way. The bar gives me a different kind of evening because it allows me to be part of the restaurant, rather than sitting separately from it.

There are two very different experiences: eating at a table and eating at the bar. At a table, I may want privacy, especially if I am having dinner with my wife and we want our own quiet moment. At the bar, the experience becomes more communal. If I strike up a conversation, especially in Sag Harbor, I know there is a good chance the conversation will be interesting, challenging, and worth having.

That is one of the reasons I love it. Many times, I have found myself speaking with other business owners, exchanging ideas about how to run a business, what branding really means, what customers respond to, and how much discipline it takes to build something with consistency. Naturally, I talk about Thompson Ferrier in those conversations because our philosophy is built around the same idea: creating something with care, restraint, beauty, and enough substance that the customer feels the quality before anyone must explain it.

Let me guide you through my night. To begin, a Tanqueray martini, straight up, extra olives. That is my order every time. It's simple, refreshing, and an excellent opener.

For your starter, get the Finocchio; trust me. Fennel, peaches, baked ricotta, pumpkin seeds, a little lemon dressing. It is bright and fresh, and it tastes like Sag Harbor in the summer. A complex dish, but when done well... unmatched.
Then for your main, the Branzino Acqua Pazza. Branzino poached in a tomato, celery, and olive oil broth with spinach. This is the one. It comes out of the kitchen of Chef Agostino Petrosino, and you can taste how much thought is behind something that looks this simple. It is coastal and warm and Southern Italian.

And that is exactly why I love it, because it is how I think about what we make. A dish, like a fragrance, should have a reason for every note. Nothing accidental or filler. When it is done right, you stop noticing the parts. You just know it is good.

Donna Karan's presence is felt throughout Tutto il Giorno. The restaurant, the store, the clothing, the objects, the textures, and the casual way everything sits together all speak the same language, and it speaks to me. What I love is that it feels like a home in the Hamptons. This is not a metropolitan home. This is a Hamptons home, with linen, wood, natural tones, sculptural pieces, soft clothing, and objects for the home. Everything feels brand conscious, which I feel in my heart because branding is a very big part of Thompson Ferrier, and doing it subtly is what I appreciate about Donna Karan. She does a spectacular job selecting materials, tones, textures, and objects, then organizing them in a way that feels clearly connected to her and her brand. You can have dinner, look around, touch a fabric, notice a bowl, admire an object, and feel that the entire space was created for a person who appreciates comfort, travel, privacy, and taste.

That is what makes the experience personal to me. It reminds me that a brand does not always need to speak loudly to be understood. At Thompson Ferrier, I think about that constantly. The candle, the fragrance, the vessel, the box, and the way it enters someone's home all have to speak the same language, quietly and clearly.

I go to Tutto il Giorno for the same reason I care about everything we make. It is a place with a point of view, built by people who understand that the details are the whole thing. That is the feeling we chase at Thompson Ferrier, and it is only a few miles from that table in Sag Harbor.

So, if you love fragrance the way I do, come find us. Make an appointment by emailing raffi@thompsonferrier.com or DM us on Instagram, and stop by our warehouse in Westhampton Beach to smell your favorite fragrances in person. Pick your own candle. See where it all begins. We are not a storefront. We are where the story starts.

Until next time,
— Raffi