Meet a Mom: Gabrielle | Sayville Patchogue Moms

Gabrielle, mom and owner of a new cocktail bar, Hunter & Thief, coming to LI soon! 

How many kids do you have and what are their ages?

 I have a son named Wolfgang Attenborough he is 3.5 years old and when he was born we sent a birth announcement to Sir David Attenborough and he replied it’s hanging above Wolfgangs bed currently. He’s currently enrolled in the little farmers preschool program at Suffolk county farm and having the absolute time of his life. He’s got 3 stray cats that he feeds every day outside meow meow, meow meow, and black cat. He’s the most genuinely kind and loving tiny human.

What do you wish most for your son?

 I wish that he’ll always have that free spirit and lust for life and that no one ever dims that for him, he has such a joy for life it’s really incredible. He most definitely dances to the best of his own drum so I hope that never changes. 

Why did you decide to launch your business?

My husband is 3x best cocktail winner on Long Island so it definitely seemed like the logical move professionally to open a cocktail bar but it also came out of a need to fill a void for people like ourselves. We needed somewhere to go for date night that wasn’t dragging ourselves all the way into the city while hiring a babysitter all night long. To bring something a little different  new and exciting to Long Island. 

What are three words you would use to describe your business & why?

LOVE LOVE LOVE because what is anything without love. We are grateful to be a part of community so incredibly giving as Lindenhurst and just want to share that gratitude always. Never forgetting my family settled here from Germany back in the 1930’s and spent generations in food service so it’s coming full circle. And all the same principles I try and teach my son about kindness and empathy and sharing with those who have less than you are really the crux of our business ethos.

 

Tell us more about your business.

We are a modern cocktail bar taking influences from places like the explorers club in nyc sagamore hill out in oyster bay which funny enough Wolfgang took his first steps at. And throwing a modern finish on it. Our fireplace was built with bricks over 100 years old from a house in Babylon and we’ve got church pews sourced locally from a church in Islip as our main seating. Keeping it local and repurposing history. Heirlooms are so important and sometimes there is no place to celebrate things so we made a place.

 

What motivates you?

My driving force in life is my son and the ability to be able to provide with every possible opportunity in this life. To be able to take him places and share experiences is what it’s all about. Sometimes you forget they’re seeing the world for the 1st time and how lucky we are to be there for it. 

 

What is the best mom advice you can give?

 Get in the picture. Doesn’t matter what you look like just get in the picture cause when you’re gone all they will have are pictures and we as mothers are always taking them seldom in them. GET IN THE PICTURE.

 

Define motherhood in your own words. 

Motherhood is a vicious cycle of feeling guilty for the things you do and feeling guilty for the things you don’t do. I wasn’t really prepared for the mental toll of motherhood and the work life balance. Sometimes it feels like a thankless job and you struggle and sometimes it feels like the most magical time in existence but it all comes down to achieving some kind of balance and not beating yourself up because if you do the very best you can that’s all they need and it’s enough.

 

How have your notions of what it means to be a woman changed over your lifetime?

 I feel like it wasn’t until now my mid 30’s that I really came into my own power. You spend a lot of your youth looking for validation and reassurance to generate self worth but after the birth of my son and a few birthdays I finally figured out who I am as a woman and a mother and that was a very powerful realization, made possible in part to the crystal light work I’ve done this past year with Jackie bertuglia @crystallightbed simply cannot recommended that process enough I’d scream it from the rooftops if I could. Someone recently said something to me about how we spend so much time worrying and raising our kids that we forget to even enjoy that time so I really try my best to stay present and appreciate every moment. 

Follow Hunter & Thief on IG to learn more about updates and when they will be opening!

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