'Merci!': Village Cheese Shop Spotlighted On French Television Network

MATTITUCK, NY — An international audience will soon get a taste of a well-loved North Fork cheese shop's offerings.

Michael Affatato, owner of the Village Cheese Shop on Love Lane in Mattituck, announced on social media Friday that plans were in place for M6, the third most-watched television network in the French-speaking world, to film at the business for their "66 Minutes" segment, which will air on May 14.

Affatato invited customers, residents and friends to join in for the filming. "We'd love to have a full house, he said. "Multiple millions of viewers in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Quebec, Luxembourg, etc., will be viewing this. If you have any Francophone friends, bring them; that would be a bonus. Merci!" he wrote on Facebook.

The filming was nothing short of "magnifique," Affatato said.

M6 came to film "thanks to our friend Emilie deMarchelier, who was the first interview of their segment, 'The French on Long Island,'" Affatato said.

He added that technically speaking, he qualifies, as he has dual nationality/citizenship; his French passport was acquired in 2000.

"The cameraman and interviewer asked me to 'tell the story', which will be shareable via a link. I will furnish the link after it airs. The crew stayed for an hour; I never spoke so much French at such a high speed in my life! It was a lot of fun, and the vibe was wonderful," he said.