Cooks-Wares

Springboro Cooking Store To Close

September 29, 2016 By Lisa Grigsby

Cooks’Wares is closing their store at The Marketplace at Settlers’ Walk in Springboro when their lease ends this fall. Owner Mary Fricke shared, ” I have reached the point in my life when downsizing to just one store is appropriate. Still, this decision came only after much thought and careful consideration.”

In an email newsletter sent earlier this week, Fricke assured us “at Settlers’ Walk, there are no changes to classes and store hours at this time. If there are changes later, we’ll give you notice well in advance. The Cooks’Wares store in The Shops at Harper’s Point in Montgomery will be open as usual, including our full selection of kitchen wares and cooking classes.

We so appreciate the support and friendship of our Settlers’ Walk customers over the past 14 years. The relationships this store has brought us are what made this decision so difficult. Many of you, our customers, have become friends. Not only are our associates like family, they are the ones you would choose if given the opportunity. Thank you all.”

Everything in stock at Cooks’Wares at The Marketplace at Settlers’ Walk is on Sale at 20% off! All sales are final. Visit the store at 756 N Main St, Springboro, OH 45066.

Thursday	10AM–8PM
Friday	10AM–8PM
Saturday	10AM–6PM
Sunday	12–5PM
Monday	10AM–8PM
Tuesday	10AM–8PM
Wednesday	10AM–8PM

Learn To Cook A Taste Of Peru

January 14, 2016 By Dayton Most Metro

If you have not been to Salar, in the Oregon District, you are missing something spectacular. Peru’s traditional dishes carry flavors from Spain, China, Italy, West Africa and Japan. Salar adds classical French technique to create a World-Fusion cuisine that blends the strong French, Peruvian, and Mediterranean influences. Executive chef Margot Blondet came to the United States from her native Peru in 2005. Her menu reflects her love for her home country, as does her generosity. Salar donates ten percent of all food purchases at the Chef’s Table to Kuychi Runa, a charitable organization that helps children living in the mountains of Peru.

10 Reasons to Take A Cooking Class

January 4, 2016 By Lisa Grigsby

Looking to learn a new skill, save money by eating out less, or trying to eat healthier? You might just benefit from taking a cooking class.

Here are 10 reasons you’ll want to sign up for a class:

1. Tasting is believing. You’ll usually have an opportunity to sample the food and experience how different dishes complement each other on a suggested menu. There may even be a wine pairing for one or all of the courses.

2. Get organized, get ready. You’ll get tips on which components of a menu can be prepared ahead for easy assembly later. Or do you wish you knew how to chop 300 carrots a minute? A cooking class can teach new techniques that can make you look and feel like a pro.

3. Try new ingredients. You may see unusual ingredients used for the first time. There’s nothing quite like opening one’s first package of frozen banana leaves to find that they unfold into three-foot wrappers perfect for steaming food. Bonus points if you sign up for a class that teaches you about pairing wines, as you’ll get to sip those all evening as well.

4. Meet the chef. Cooking classes often offer an opportunity to meet that cookbook author, Food Network star, or even local restaurant chef that you’ve long admired. And you’ll usually have an opportunity to ask questions about techniques and ingredients during the demonstration.

5. Cooking in real time. It can be difficult to estimate just how long it takes to put a dish–especially one with multiple steps or ingredients—together. Seeing a chef at work in the classroom takes away the guesswork.

6. Be an armchair chef. If you love to watch cooking shows, taking a class takes the experience up a notch. And there’s no shopping for ingredients or cleanup involved.

7. A safer kitchen. Whether you’re bringing ingredients to high temperatures to make things like seed or nut brittles or prepping foods that can cause irritation (like chiles), a good teacher will offer tips to help avoid mishaps and get great results when making, serving, and storing food.

8. Tired of dinner and a movie? A cooking class is a fun way to differentiate from your usual date night routine. Surprise your honey by signing up for a class, or make it a monthly ritual.

9. Recreate and share the experience. You’ll often have an opportunity to buy a signed and personally inscribed cookbook by your teacher—perfect for yourself or to tuck away for gifts!

10. You don’t have to wash dishes. Avid the whole, “I cooked it, you clean it” debate. In a cooking class you don’t have to flip a coin for who gets stuck with dish duty. You get the fun of cooking with none of the cleanup.

Sign up for a local cooking class at one of these places:

The DLM Culinary Center in Centerville was completely renovated in 2014 and can hold up to 64 students. They offer classes by local Chefs, as well as their own culinary team and classes sell out very quickly. Look for the classes that pair wine with food for the most fun! Special kids classes, work team building events and summer camps are also available. Registration for the winter classes opens Jan 6th and classes start at $45.

Cook’s Wares Inc, a family owned business located in Springboro at The Marketplace at Settler’s Walk offers cooking classes in their kitchen that holds about 20 people. Instructors range from local chefs, cookbook authors and and staff. Classes range from $40-70. Their January classes are open for registration, with the rest of the winter classes coming soon.

The Little City Cooking School, located in residential Oakwood is owned and operated by Chef Jo. A very intimate setting, classes hold up t0 8 guests and are taught at night and you are even encouraged to bring your own wine. Head around the house to the back entrance and down the stairs to enter the cooking studio. Classes run from $55-$70, kids classes and private events are also offered.

Also keep your eyes on restaurant websites. El Meson, Meadowlark and Salar have been know to host cooking classes.

Do You Have What It Takes To Be A “Chopped” Champion?

December 11, 2012 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

Springboro’s Cook’sWares has just announced they will be hosting a ‘Chopped Challenge‘ this winter, sponsored by Wüsthof Knives. Starting on Saturday afternoon, Jan 26th chefs will compete in a 3 course cook off, preparing an entire meal from a basket of provided ingredients.

Each cook will have access to 4 burners and 1 oven, and they will share the grill. Winners will move on to a second round on February 2nd and winners of that round will move into the finals to be held on Feb 16th. According to Joe Westvall the culinary school director, winners of each round (2) will get a Wusthof meat cleaver personally signed by Harald Wusthof, 7th generation head of Wusthof International. The Grand Prize winner will get a 7 piece Wusthof set also personally signed by Harald Wusthof.

If you think you have what it takes, you can register by calling 937-748-4540. Or perhaps you’d rather sit the judges seat. As ajudge, you will sample all the courses from each chef and vote to determine the winner.

Judging criteria will be provided. Recipes will be made available to you a few days after the class. Judges – register as you would for any class: by phone, on-line, or in person. Each event is limited to 12 judges and it will cost you $40 each to weigh in your vote.

Cooks’ Wares is located at 756 North Main Street in Springboro, just a few doors down from Dorothy Lane Market at Settlers Walk. The Springbooro location has been open for 10 years and besides offering cooking classes, they sell a full array of cooking tools, bakeware, small appliances and cookbooks.

Bake A Difference

July 11, 2012 By Dayton Most Metro Leave a Comment

Springboro’s Cooks’ Ware will host their second annual Bake-Off this Sat, July 14th to benefit Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. Founded by parents inspired by their son Liam’s battle with cancer, they were shocked to learn that the main reason over 25% of kids diagnosed with cancer do not survive is because of a lack of effective therapies. And the reason for the lack of therapies was very simple: lack of funding. They pledged to support the development of new and better treatments by giving people a simple way to get involved

Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is not about one child or one type of pediatric cancer. It is about changing the facts of pediatric cancer for the better, forever. Important statistics to know:

Cancer claims the lives of more children annually than any other disease.
46 children per day are diagnosed with cancer totaling nearly 13,000 new cases per year.
Cure rates have improved dramatically and advances in childhood cancer research has provided seminal insights into the cancer problem in general. Today, 4 out 5 children diagnosed with cancer can be cured.
While long-term goals for the pediatric cancer community will focus on securing more federal funding for childhood cancer research (more than the 1-2% of the National Cancer Institute budget that is current expended), philanthropy plays a critical and essential role in the ongoing battle against childhood cancer.

Want to help? Call the store to register and then bake up your favorite sweet treats and donate them to the big sale on Sat, July 14th at the Settler’s Walk store. If you think you make the best cookies or cupcakes enter your sweets into the Bake Off by registering by Thurs, July 12th.

Bake Off Guidelines:
Categories are Cookies and Cupcakes: enter just one or both categories.
Reserve 3 servings of each entry for the judges, you may package and donate the remaining servings from your recipe for the bake sale that benefit Cookies For Kids Cancer.
Drop off your entry no later than 8pm. Fri, July 13th at Cooks’ Wares. Judging will begin at 1pm on Sat, July 14th

Contest winners names and recipes will be published in Cooks’ Wares newsletter and prizes will be awarded in each category.

If you’re not a baker, you can still support this event by shopping the Bake Sale on Sat, July 14th.