A former Broadway stage manager who built a charcuterie business on Block Island is now bringing that same build-your-own cheese board concept to downtown Northport, with a storefront called Rind targeted to open around Thanksgiving. Kaleigh Bernier spent nearly a year hunting for the right downtown spot before settling on plans for a shop stocked with local and international cheeses, cured meats, and specialty items.
Bernier's path to cheese-shop ownership began far from a retail counter. As reported by Greater Long Island, she founded Block Island Charcuterie after relocating to Block Island, Rhode Island, and still works as a substitute Broadway stage manager, currently picking up shifts on The Lost Boys and & Juliet.
Block Island Charcuterie launched in 2021 and grew into a business serving weddings, private parties, and other events, the Greater Long Island report notes. She had already built customized boards and grazing displays for weddings and private parties.
A Theater-World Connection Brought Her to Northport
Bernier met her fiancé, Nick Graci, in theater school, and it's his hometown that shaped her choice of location. Graci is a Northport native and St. Anthony's High School alumnus who worked on video teams for Broadway productions including Dear Evan Hansen, Oklahoma!, The Sound Inside, and Anastasia, per the Greater Long Island report. He now runs NorthStream, a Long Island-based video production company.
Bernier said she wanted to bring a piece of her Block Island home to her new home, explaining that Block Island itself lacked easy access to cheese and charcuterie staples, the report states. Rind will feature a build-your-own charcuterie bar along with grab-and-go boards designed for picnics, parties, and gatherings, and Bernier plans to offer customized boards and grazing tables for larger celebrations. She's also considering a cheese-of-the-month subscription club and future classes, according to the same account.
Permits and Partnerships Before the Doors Open
Getting Rind open by Thanksgiving means navigating permits, planning, and construction, and the timeline depends on more than just interior buildout.
Bernier also hopes to build relationships with other Northport businesses, including boat charter operators and Sand City Brewing Co., for potential food-and-drink pairings. The brewery, located at 60 Main Street, took its name as a tribute to Northport's late 1800s industrial era, when locally mined sand was shipped to Manhattan for city construction, according to Sand City Brewing Co.
Fitting Into a Walkable, Waterfront Main Street
Northport's compact downtown makes it a natural fit for a grab-and-go cheese shop. Officially incorporated in 1894 and once known as Great Cow Harbor, the Village of Northport is unique among Huntington's villages as the only incorporated village with a centralized downtown commercial district along Main Street, per a filing with New York State; the village has nearly 7,500 residents and preserves its 19th-century architectural charm.
That Main Street runs down to a village-operated public dock offering seasonal dockmaster service, electric hookups, and pump-out stations right next to Cow Harbor Park, according to Northport Waterfront Homes. Bernier has envisioned customers taking boards to the waterfront or on boats. Rind's planned grab-and-go boards are intended for informal meals and gatherings.
For Bernier, the new shop will put her cheese-board concept in downtown Northport.
