The secret is out. Black Sheep, a “picnic to pantry” specialty food shop and take-out operation is the place to be at lunchtime in Edgartown. With gourmet salads, paninis, crackle breads, fresh cheeses and more, it’s a one-stop pre-beach, picnic or party shop.

Chef Judy Klumick has been at the helm in the kitchen for going on three seasons, and with a little help from owner Mark Venette and manager Patty Canha, she is the force behind the wildly popular off-season Black Sheep Luncheonette.

“It’s a food truck-style menu, and it changes every day,” Judy said of the sit-down, only-while-supplies-last lunchtime service. (Hint: show up early if you want a noodle bowl!) “It’s fun because I don’t cook out of a book, I just use my imagination and then I put it on a plate. Basically I can look in a fridge and see what I have, and keep it to what people aren’t expecting.”

Judy is inspired by ethnic cuisines – she lists Mexican and Asian as favorites – and has been working in and around Island kitchens for decades. “I’m in my 35th year of doing this professionally – though I don’t call it a profession,” she said.

After starting as a baker at Morning Glory Farm, Judy gradually moved into the kitchen, where she pioneered the take-home dinner options and revamped the popular salad bar. “When I was hired I saw a lot of stuff getting composted,” she remembered. “I started making salsas and gazpachos, the dips and spreads. I kind of inched my way in.”

Judy did a brief stint working front-of-house at a few Island restaurants, but the pull of the kitchen quickly lured her back in. When Venette, who had been running Black Sheep as a fromagerie and wine bar, approached her about joining his team and expanding his kitchen offerings, Judy was excited to jump on board. From the beginning the partnership was a solid one, with prepared foods leading to a full-service catering menu and the beloved luncheonette.

During the summer months, the luncheonette takes a back seat to the shop’s busy take-out and catering business. No stranger to feeding a crowd, Klumick was happy to share her famous corn, tomato and arugula salad recipe, perfect for an open house, potluck or swarms of hungry relatives descending on your summer table.