Cool culinary finds

Zach Pinerio’s Chappaquiddick Wood Co.

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Chappaquiddick, our island off our Island, is home to Chappaquiddick Wood Co. and Zach Pinerio, who grew up spending summers fishing and hacking around Chappy with his three brothers.

After attending the University of Vermont, Pinerio worked as a finish carpenter in Vermont, followed by a six-month stint crafting bowls with Andrew Pierce in Woodstock, Vt. But the Island was calling, and he jumped at the chance to return to the Vineyard to work as a property manager at the Chappy Beach Club. He moved back full-time, and soon started Chappaquiddick Wood Co.

At CWCo Pinerio creates exquisite bowls and hardwood products (serving utensils, coasters, cutting boards) using whole trees from all parts of Martha’s Vineyard. Over the course of a few months, Pinerio will fell a tree, mill it, core it to create his bowls and boards; then dry, sand, and finish them to produce truly local wood products. Pinerio loves the idea of the history of these trees — some of which may have been here when there were still whaling captains in Edgartown.

“The most interesting wood here,” he says, “is sugar maple. When I mill it, honeybees will land on it and coat themselves in the sawdust. During the drying process, it smells like a candy shop.” 

All of his products are finished with food and allergy-safe walnut oil and are intended to be used and shared daily. Pinerio’s bowls are available at the Carnegie, Nell Boutique, and Rosewater Market, all in Edgartown, or find your heirloom bowl on his website: chappaquiddickwoodcompany.com.

This article is from Edible Vineyard Fall 2019, Dishing: Cool culinary finds.