North Shore Sun

July 23, 2010
Written by Elizabeth Taggart

What attracted you to Wading River? Was it the duck ponds, the quaint Congregational church or Little Flower, just up the hill from that quiet little cemetery? Did you realize that horseback riding was commonplace, like the farms and farm stands named after families whose roots went back to when Wading River began? Whatever it was, you were drawn to simplicity, a less complicated place where life seemed slower, the air seemed fresher and “homespun” and “homegrown” were as much a part of the landscape as they were a desire of your heart.

The Fink family name goes back as far as Wading River itself. If your family doctor is Dr. Shah or Dr. Menon, you go to appointments in the brick building originally purchased by William, Sophie, Edward and Anna Fink. If your dentist is Dr. Jarit, you visit an office next to the original Fink farm stand where the Finks (parents and five children) sold their potatoes and vegetables, the place where you now shop for fresh meat (My Butcher).

Thomas Fink (the middle child) answered a call to carry on the family tradition, working the land he loved. After serving in Vietnam, Tom returned to Wading River, married Kathryn and farmed the family plot off Wading River Manor Road, with a stand just to the west on Route 25. Tom and Kathi had four children (Jeannette, Kristy, Sharon and David) who were to carry the torch, harvesting and selling produce from his stand. But tragedy struck in 1983 when Tom was killed in a truck accident, leaving Kathryn alone to raise the children. She held on as long as she could with the farm stand, Kathi’s Place, but had to give it up and sell most of the land to work a full-time job.

When David grew up he had his own landscaping/masonry business, but after marrying the love of his life, Michelle Vicciardo, in 2006, he realized his life calling was to farm his father’s land. Now in the process of buying back the property, David and Michelle will assume control of the farm stand. He stands poised and ready not only to carry on the family tradition, but to fulfill his dream as well, with the support, of course, of his “field of dreams.”

If you’ve passed by Fink’s Country Farm Stand recently, you’ll notice a new look that brings back an old feeling. A 1940s truck is parked outside the stand while stoned beds filled with tractors complete the farming motif. It’s the simplicity of nostalgia meeting the fulfillment of a legacy with the realization of a son returning to his roots to follow a dream. And it’s also “making your father proud.”

With a heartfelt desire to return to that simple homespun and homegrown, David and Michelle Fink will soon open Fink’s Country Farm Stand.