Our Story

Amber Waves began by way of apprenticeship that forged a friendship, inspiring a dream to feed the local community.

It all began in 2008 when Amanda Merrow and Katie Baldwin met in an apprenticeship program helmed by poet farmer Scott Chaskey. After a year with their hands plunged in the Amagansett soil they fell in love with the work and the place; they couldn’t imagine doing anything else, so they started scheming. Their plan was to utilize the newly-conserved farmland behind the iconic Amagansett Farmers Market, and in 2009 they were awarded a three-year lease on those seven acres. Their new farm was just a mile from the ocean. Enamored with its unique location, and the water’s influence on the soil and terroir, the rich flavor it imparted in the grains, they named their newly acquired dream Amber Waves Farm.

In those early days, Katie and Amanda personally talked to everyone who came through, showed them what they were doing, and encouraged them to be a part of it. As their community grew, they became inundated with emotional stories from visitors who were moved by the intimate relationship they had developed with the farm. The experiences shared a common thread: Amber Waves was a place where people felt at home, inspired, and empowered.

After nearly a decade as tenants, in 2016 Amanda and Katie led Amber Waves to become the official owners of the farmland with which they had fallen in love in 2009.

They were aided by a passionate community of members, neighbors, and donors who joined together to help them secure the future of the farm, and the collective of visionary women who came before them. It began in 1954 with Pat Struk, who devoted decades of her life to growing the Amagansett Farmers Market from its humble beginnings to a legendary East End mainstay. It continued in 2008 with Maggie de Cuevas, the farmland’s ultimate protector, ensuring its agricultural use in perpetuity. It lives on with Amanda and Katie, who reunited the farmstand with the farmland after years of separation, launching the next chapter of Amber Waves’ role as an institution in the community. 

After achieving the long-coveted milestone of property ownership, Katie and Amanda reopened the Amagansett Farmers Market in 2017 as the Amber Waves Market. They infused it with their own produce, artisanal foods from local purveyors, and a full-service kitchen that serves up meals with field-to-plate ingredients harvested just a few steps away.

Now, more than 30 acres across a patchwork of fields in Amagansett and East Hampton, Amber Waves embarks on its 16th season with unlimited potential, on track to become one of the premier educational farm operations in the country. It has grown from a team of two to dozens of farmers, educators, cooks, and market staff; hosts a CSA membership of more than 300 families, leads engaging workshops and programming for children and adults, and features a flourishing market and kitchen in a signature location right on Main Street.