The Brightwaters Market opens with organic, gluten-free menu

The Brightwaters Market dominates the village’s central intersection with a double-height entryway. Big and bright, with scores of menu options and a sparkling open kitchen, the month-old market-cafe looks like the culmination of a long career in food service.

In reality, it represents a leap of faith for an ambitious first-time food-service owner who decided to bet on herself.

A veteran of Checkers burger chain and Costco, Danielle Strafford-Mobarak had spent the last few years cooking for private clients who appreciated both her skill in the kitchen and her commitment to nutritious eating. A cascade of health problems had inspired her to explore foods that were organic, minimally processed, vegan and seed-oil and gluten-free. (Not every item at Brightwaters Market is vegan or gluten-free, but customers on special diets will have no trouble finding satisfaction.)

Before too long, Strafford-Mobarak was outgrowing her home kitchen in Bay Shore and, about two years ago, realized that "it was time to get a real place or stop doing this."

It was when she checked out a long-vacant former hardware store in Brightwaters that she had her "Goldilocks moment: I walked in and I knew — this is just right," she said.

The space was an empty shell; Strafford-Mobarak had to install everything from the floor to the ceiling and everything in between. And the investment was sizable but, she said, "Money is money. If it didn’t work, I could pay it off. But if I didn’t try, it would be the biggest regret of my life."

No matter how beneficial, nothing winds up on the menu that doesn’t taste great. I don’t think I’ve had a tastier wrap than the vegan gluten-free one here, made from sweet potato, cassava flour, coconut oil (all organic) and salt. Sandwiches come on house-baked sourdough or whole-grain gluten free bread. Wraps and sandwiches range from $10.99 to $18.99.

Fillings include three excellent salads — egg (local farm), tuna (line caught), chicken (organic, cooked in house) — bound only by avocado-oil-based mayonnaise. (Chopped celery, which creeps into far too many salads, is offered as a mix-in.) There’s also nitrate-free ham, sliced turkey, avocado mash and various traditional and vegan cheeses. There are soups ($14.99 for 16 ounces), salads ($16.50 to $17.99), bowls ($19.99 to $22.99) anchored by quinoa or brown rice and pastas ($14.99) with pesto or butter-tomato sauce. The ingredients of every item are clearly noted.

The tempting sweets counter is the domain of Exquisite Bakes, a specialty bakery owned by Jessica Zebe. Like Strafford-Mobarak, Zebe is committed to producing cakes, pies, muffins, cookies and brownies that everyone can enjoy. Because she eschews all artificial dyes, her rainbow cookies suggest a muted sunrise, and her "fairy cookies" are pebbled with soft, pastel sprinkles.

Because there’s no other grocery in Brightwaters, Strafford-Mobarak stocks essentials like milk, olive oil and free-range eggs (from Grodski Farm in Riverhead). She also devotes some of the sun-filled dining room to shelves displaying the work of local artisans and purveyors.

The Brightwaters Market, 348 N. Windsor Ave., Brightwaters, 631-450-4071, thebrightwatersmarket.com. Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., daily.