The Culinary Arts are Alive and Well in Door County

Observers of popular culture note that busy families prefer to eat out rather than cook in, and for many of them dining in means a carryout or a microwaved frozen entrée. Despite this discouraging culinary trend, the Cook Book Kitchen Store has been a Door County fixture since 1976. And not only has the shop survived, but recently it has expanded its space.

First located in Ephraim, the store moved to the Sister Bay Country Walk Shops in 2006 after the mother-daughter team Karen Schwartz and Jen Riley purchased the business.

“The opportunity to buy presented itself in 2004,” Schwartz recalled. “I enjoy cooking and liked the challenge.”

She and her husband had moved to Door County from Brookfield in 1992 and were operating a different business next to the original store.

“I was looking to move up here from Milwaukee with my own daughter,” Riley said, “and we did it, we jumped right in!”

Despite the perception that people no longer cook, “We hear extremely positive comments from our regular customers,” Schwartz said, “commenting on our new addition.‘I love this space!’ they say. ‘It’s wonderful in here!’”

“One of our regulars,” Riley added, “said, ‘Your store used to be a 10. Now it’s a 12!’”

“‘You are a destination spot in Door County!’ one customer told us,” Schwartz added. “It’s nice to hear such positive remarks, reassuring and energizing!”

Until this May, the Cook Book Kitchen Store occupied a double unit in the shopping complex that is anchored by the Piggly Wiggly Grocery Store. After taking over the space vacated by a next-door business, “Now technically we have three units!” Riley said. The expansion not only allowed the owners to spread out their present inventory, but to add new lines as well.

While the name of the business emphasizes the cookbook section (the largest north of Green Bay, the owners boast), the store offers areas that cater to almost any food or beverage preparation need, including bar and entertainment, outdoor grilling, linens, paper products, cast-iron and other cookware, cutlery, coffee servers and teapots, bakeware, and cooking for kids. And the store can provide nearly any kitchen gadget an imaginative cook might require.

Shoppers often come looking for unique items they have seen on television cooking shows, Riley said. One popular request is for an almond cake pan, she added, a narrow rectangular piece of European bakeware that creates a decorative ridged top to the inverted cake.

Butter Bells are modern takes on traditional French butter-keepers, domed devices with small water reservoirs that provide a seal, allowing butter to be safely stored at room temperature for a spreadable consistency.

Non-traditional but popular are the ceramic knives and Melamine cooking tools. Because Door County is a vacation area, unbreakable Melamine trays, dishes and tumblers are favorites of those owning sailboats and rental properties.

Visitors to the store will recognize quality brands such as Lodge cast iron, Chicago Metallic bakeware, and Caspari paper products.

The additional retail space has allowed the business to expand the cookbook collection, add a handmade pottery display and introduce a canning section.

After nearly a decade in a kitchen store, Schwartz and Riley have noted a number of trends that explain their continued success with the business. While modern cooks can easily search recipes online, “People with health issues, gluten intolerance, diabetes,” Riley explained, “look for specific cookbooks.”

People like the tactile sense of cookbooks in their hands, Schwartz added. “It feels good! They like to read cookbooks.”

Cooking store clientele demographics have changed, the women find. More young people are cooking, as are men in households. Cooking shows on TV have inspired cooking, Riley said.

“With the economy, I think people entertain at home more,” Schwartz said.

“And if people have a condo up here,” Riley added, “they cook more often.”

“And then people need to stock their second homes!” Schwartz noted.

One important trend that supports a cooking store is the desire to go green, she said. “People look at things differently,” as they can eat more healthily if they garden and cook from scratch. And despite modern convenience foods, people continue to preserve their own produce.

The women agree that the kitchen store business is satisfying because they enjoy seeing their customers. They like the utility of the business, the ever-changing merchandise, and the challenge of jumping into retail and making it a success.

Cooking in Door County is alive and well.

Cook Book Kitchen Store, located at 10590 Country Walk Drive, is open at 10 am daily from May through October, and from Thursday through Monday in the winter. For more information visit cookbookdoorcounty.com, or contact the store at [email protected] or 920.854.2269.