Spark on the Scene: Openings, Closings, Who’s Showing, Who’s Making Sparks | 03.05.26

See what’s trending this week—what’s opening, what’s closing, who’s showing, who’s making sparks.

Food Scene

Bye Bye Barbetta
After 120 years, the curtain has fallen on the Theater District institution Barbetta, which served its final course Friday, Feb. 27.

“It left such an impact on people,” said Suzanna Gardijan, Barbetta’s private events manager for 38 years. “Everybody came back tonight just to say goodbye… a lot of people were crying, telling us how much Barbetta meant to them.” Opened in 1906, the restaurant was renowned for its Northern Italian cuisine, seasonal flower arrangements, and as a gathering spot for Broadway stars, politicians, and generations of theatergoers.

Hello Hampton Chutney, NYC
Hamptons favorite Hampton Chutney Co. is back in Manhattan with a 2,786-square-foot spot at 740 Broadway in NoHo (Astor Place).

After closing its SoHo and Upper West Side locations in 2021, the Amagansett-born eatery is serving South Indian-inspired dosas—grilled chicken with goat cheese, smoked turkey—and house-made chutneys. Family-run and quietly reopened as of early 2026, it’s a must-try for NYC food insiders.

Fresno Squared
Fresno Restaurant, a mainstay of the East Hampton dining scene for more than two decades, is coming to Sag Harbor.

Owner Michael Nolan confirmed the news Monday, responding to circulating rumors. Fresno’s cozy original location at 11 Fresno Drive has long been a favorite tucked between Railroad Avenue and Gingerbread Lane.

Place your bets on where Fresno II lands in Sag.

Theater Scene

Hamptons resident Cynthia Nixon will direct a one-night-only benefit reading of Jane Chambers’ Last Summer at Bluefish Cove on March 23 at Classic Stage Company’s Lynn F. Angelson Theater.

The 1980 Off-Broadway play follows eight queer women sharing a life-changing summer at a beach house (which Hamptons hamlet remains a mystery). The reading features Molly Bernard, Rachel Crowl, Moses Ingram, Louisa Jacobson, Hari Nef, Dascha Polanco, Sarin Monae West, and Amalia Yoo.

Sparkmakers

Justin Timberlake Blocks Release of Drunk Driving Footage

Attorneys for pop star Justin Timberlake scored a temporary restraining order Thursday to stop Sag Harbor police from releasing body camera footage of his June 2024 DUI arrest, Newsday reports.

Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Joseph Farneti gave the village until April 9 to justify why the footage should go public. Meanwhile, the video stays under wraps.

Timberlake, who sued the village earlier this week, called the footage an “acutely vulnerable” look at him during the arrest, arguing that releasing it would cause “severe and irreparable harm” to his privacy and reputation.

The eight-hour video reportedly includes the traffic stop, field sobriety tests, arrest, and post-arrest detention. Timberlake had pleaded not guilty to DWI but accepted a plea for a lesser, noncriminal charge, resulting in community service, fines, and a public safety announcement.

Don Lemon: Milestones and Headlines
Former CNN anchor and Sag Harbor resident Don Lemon has had a headline-making few weeks. He recently turned 60 and took home four NAACP Image Awards, including Outstanding Host for The Don Lemon Show.

The wins came at the 57th NAACP Image Awards, which honor achievement across entertainment, news, culture, and digital media—a career high even amid challenges. In February, Lemon pleaded not guilty to federal civil rights charges tied to his coverage of an anti-immigration enforcement protest in a St. Paul, Minnesota church. Lemon maintains he was there strictly as a journalist.

Sarah Wetenhall: Raising the Bar from East Hampton to Palm Beach
Sarah Wetenhall, owner of the Hedges Inn in East Hampton, is making waves at The Colony in Palm Beach. Forbes Travel Guide recently named it the “Best Luxury Collaboration of the Year” at The Summit in Monaco—a nod to nearly a decade of thoughtful growth since the Wetenhalls purchased the hotel in 2016.

Noted Forbes: “What began as a vision for a reimagined Palm Beach landmark has become far more than just a place to stay. The Colony gives guests an insider’s welcome to the island – lifting the veil of Palm Beach and delivering an experience rooted in tradition, confidently current, and refreshingly unpretentious.”

Wetenhall called it, “An extraordinary honor for our Pink Paradise.”

Meanwhile, renovations have been underway at the Wetenhall’s new-ish property, the Hedges Inn in East Hampton, which drew crowds last summer at Swifty’s.

Art Scene

Speaking of Palm Beach, the place is buzzing with Hamptons talent (we’re not jealous… because, you know, spring is around the corner. Sort of). At the Holiday House Wellington Designer Showhouse, featuring 20+ designers and two stunning Farrell Estates delivering major “wow factor,” Hamptons artists Oscar Molina (Southampton) and Lucy Cookson (Amagansett) are turning heads while helping raise money to fight breast cancer.

Molina, set to represent El Salvador at the 61st Venice Biennale 2026, has been touring with his Children of the World sculptures. In Wellington at Holiday House, he has installed sculptures from his Arabian Herd series.

Cookson, inspired by the sea, brings her vibrant watercolors to life from studios on Gardiner’s Bay and in Kauai.

Angela LaGreca

Editor, Co-Founder/Publisher

Angela LaGreca, Editor-in-chief and co-Founder/Publisher of Spark Hamptons, is a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, producer, writer and comedian/host. Her TV credits include NBC’s “Today,” ABC’s “The View,” and, most recently, the primetime cable news program “Cuomo” on NewsNation. On the East End, she was the Creative Director at LTV, VP Features/Events/Photo Editor at Dan’s Papers, and has performed at Guild Hall, Bay Street Theater and the WHBPAC. Her publishing career began at Modern Photography, where she was managing editor. LaGreca lives in Manhattan and East Hampton and can be reached at angelatvmedia@gmail.com and angela@sparkhamptons.com .