NEWS CENTER

Unlike the fictitious Betty Crocker, Dr. Butterworth really does exist. And her tamarind chutney really is Nepalese. Barbara Butterworth, a l2th generation North Forker, was a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal in the 60’s and spent more than twenty years in that Himalayan land. Nepal is home to both Mt. Everest and the Tamarindus Indica, a tree whose pulp is the principal flavor in the chutney recipe given to Barbara by a Nepalese friend.

When Barbara made the chutney for friends in grad school in the 70s, her classmates raved, and suggested she market it. But, like Major Grey, Barbara needed that special something before her chutney could go pro. The answer was that “Ph. D. touch.“ In celebration of her Stanford doctorate, Dr. Butterworth’s Nepalese Chutney made its debut as a scholarship fundraiser for the Palo Alto school where Barbara was principal. It instantly became a coveted hostess gift.

lt’s along way from Nepal and San Francisco to New Suffolk and the Peconic Bay, but what can we say? When Barbara and her husband retired to New Suffolk, a new cause awaited. The New Suffolk Waterfront, a 3.4 acre site in this North Fork hamlet, boasts panoramic views and a small marina. In 2005, New Suffolk friends and neighbors formed the New Suffolk Waterfront Fund to preserve this precious landscape, and after raising $1.5 million in donations/grants, secured a $1.5 million loan, which enabled us to purchase the property from the Peconic Land Trust in 2010. Ever since, we’ve been presenting fundraising activities and events to pay off the loan. Then Barbara made some chutney for a potluck supper and guess What? Friends and neighbors raved! So she agreed to let us market Dr. Butterworth’s Nepalese Chutney! Now you too can bring that “Ph. D. touch” to your table, transforming any meal into an educated feast, while you help us save the New Suffolk Waterfront, one jar of chutney at a time.