On a warm Monday morning, Scottish Bakehouse owner Daniele Dominick sits in her comfortable Oak Bluffs living room reading to her 17-month-old son Rocco who is snuggled in her lap.

A surge of new restaurants in Edgartown and Oak Bluffs have filled new niches to expand offerings outside the norm, from gluten-free pizza to a whiskey bar.

They weren’t on the farm, out at sea, behind the line or in their home kitchens.

For the first time, Island authors Susie Middleton, Catherine Walthers, Melinda Fager, Jessica B. Harris and Robert Lionette all had lunch together. And they did so with 70 other people.

Justin Melnick, executive chef at the Terrace at the Charlotte Inn in Edgartown, has put together a summer sommelier series, inviting some of New England’s top wine experts to share their knowledge with restaurant guests during dinner.

On Monday, July 14, forget the beach for a few hours and head to Lola’s Southern Seafood for a special five-course lunch tasting with recipes from six different Island chefs.

The Grey Barn Farm in Chilmark started with just three cows. Now there are 25 Dutch Belted ladies grazing the fields, as well as pigs and chickens.