Mary's Blog


Mary Moore	Matthew from Midtown	David from Brookhaven	Don from Decatur	NEW! Cooking School Blog!

Feedback - We would love to hear back from you. Just click this link to send us your thoughts.

Mary�s Trip to the White House (posted 6/11/10)

Pictured: Cathy Conway (Avalon Catering), Mary Moore, Barbara Petit (petit cuisine, Georgia Organics)

Last Friday, June 4, Mary Moore, founder and CEO of The Cook�s Warehouse, joined chefs from Atlanta and around the country on the South Lawn of the White House to launch the �Chefs Move to Schools� program of First Lady Michelle Obama�s �Let�s Move!� campaign.

The aim of Let�s Move! is to end childhood obesity within a generation. The Chefs Move to Schools program is an outreach opportunity for chefs around the country to adopt a local school to help solve the childhood obesity epidemic.

Moore traveled to the capital with a group of 31 chefs representing 12 U.S. chapters and Canada from Les Dames d'Escoffier International, including:

�        Virginia Willis, renowned chef and author of �Bon Appétit, Y�all�
�        Cathy Conway, owner of Avalon Catering
�        Barbara Petit, director of the local food initiative of Georgia Organics
�        Gina Hopkins and Linton Hopkins, owners of Restaurant Eugene and Holeman & Finch Public House, and
�        Former Atlantan Nathalie Dupree, now living in Charleston, SC, but still immersed in the culinary industry

Pictured: Mary Moore, Nathalie Dupree, Gina Hopkins, Barbara Petit, Marie Kelly, Cathy Conway, Virginia Willis, Toria Emas, and others.

Click Here to Read More About the Day on Next Stop - Decatur

Fun Food Facts from Shirley Corriher � Beach Grits (posted 5/28/10)

A long time customer came in the other day with a great food science question so, of course, I turned to my good friend and local food scientist Shirley Corriher.

Q.   I just returned from Rosemary Beach and the grits we make there are SO good, how can I make them the same at home? When I was a kid, we called them Beach Grits because they were so much better than grits made in Atlanta. A friend told me to add baking soda, what do you think?

A.   What baking soda does to fruits and vegetables is make cell walls soft (mushy). If you throw baking soda in the water when you are cooking green beans, the beans stay a beautiful bright green but become mushy.

Grits are corn. So, I would think that baking soda would soften corn as well as green beans. I would think that if you experiment to get just the right amount of soda, you could get beach grits here. If you put too much they will taste soapy.

Very interesting.
Best Wishes,
Shirley

Lemon Meringue Custards from our friends at Le Creuset (posted 5/10/10)

Enjoy this tangy Lemon Meringue Custards recipe served in Le Creuset's mini cocottes.

This recipe serves 4 people so why not treat yourself or a loved one to our special limited edition set of 4 cocottes. The cocottes come in a beautiful gift box and for a limited time you will receive a free hard cover cookbook containing this recipe and 24 other delicious savory and sweet recipes for you to cook in your mini cocottes.

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS
Custard:
� 3 large eggs separated
� 2 cups whole milk
� 1/2 cup sugar
� 1/4 cup flour
� 2 tbsps (1/4 stick) melted sweet butter
� Zest of 2 lemons
� Juice of 3 lemons
Meringue topping:
� 2 large egg whites
� 1/4 cup powdered sugar
� 2 pinches of salt

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 375�F.
2. Lightly butter 4 mini cocottes.
3. Gently heat the milk to its boiling point. Take it off the heat and let it cool for several minutes.
4. Carefully separate the yolks from the whites into two large mixing bowls. Put aside the whites for the moment. Whisk the yolks vigorously with the sugar, flour, melted butter, lemon zest and the lemon juice.
5. Add the cooled milk little by little, without ceasing to stir.
6. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt, until peaks form, then fold into the lemon-yolk mixture.
7. Fill each mini cocotte 2/3 full. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 32-35 minutes, uncovered or until the top is a golden brown.
8. Prepare the meringue topping: whisk the 2 egg whites with a pinch of salt till they form stiff peaks. Add little by little, the powdered sugar. Fill a piping bag 1/2 full and pipe the topping onto each cocotte. Reduce the oven temperature to 350�F and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until a lovely golden brown. Serve immediately.

Harald W�sthof knife event at The Cook's Warehouse in Atlanta (posted 12/4)

Harald W�sthof, managing partner of Ed. W�sthof Dreizackwerk, visited Ansley Mall's The Cook's Warehouse on Sunday, November 22.

He met with fans and customers during his visit. (L-R) Lois Berthaume, a customer at The Cook's Warehouse-Ansley Mall; Ronda Higgins Thornton, store sales associate; Mary S. Moore, founder and owner, The Cook's Warehouse, and Harald W�sthof.

Berthaume proudly brought in a set of W�sthof knives to show Mr. W�sthof that she received as a wedding gift 30 years ago and still uses today; he autographed the blades of the knives for her.

Mary S. Moore, founder and owner, The Cook's Warehouse with Harald W�sthof.

Cake Challenge on Good Day Atlanta Live from our Decatur Store (posted 11/27/09)

The Good Day Atlanta crew will be at our Decatur store this Tuesday morning for the great Cake Challenge. Chefs will compete to see who can create the best gingerbread house with a holiday theme. Judging will take place and the winner will be announced at the end of the show. Don't miss out on the fun, tune into FOX Good Day Atlanta this Tuesday (12/1/09) morning at 7am.

The Cook's Warehouse Ansley Mall - The Grand Opening (posted 11/20/09)

(Left to Right: Matthew Hott, Midtown Store Manager; Bill Bolling, Founder and President of the Atlanta Community Food Bank; Mary Moore, Founder and CEO The Cook's Warehouse; Yusef Sullivan, Midtown Asst. Store Manager)

Many thanks to Bill Bolling for his friendship, leadership, community service, and cutting of the ribbon at our Ansley Mall store to make the opening official!

Standing room only for Chef Lars' cooking demonstration of the Fissler pressure pan set.

Many thanks to our vendors and development team who helped make this kitchen the absolute best:

Miele USA,
RAO Design Studio,
Earth Station Architecture,
Advanced Automation,
Custom Granite Products,
International Renovations,

CaesarStone US,
Vent A Hood,
VT Industries,
Selig Enterprises
Cornerstone Bank.

The Cook's Warehouse Ansley Mall, The final touches (posted 11/13/09)

Our new knife case was installed this week!
Need cutlery, think of The Cook's Warehouse first.

Almost all of the finishing touches are complete.

We appreciate your business and your patience. See you soon!

Many thanks to our vendors and development team who helped make this kitchen the absolute best:

Miele USA,
RAO Design Studio,
Earth Station Architecture,
Advanced Automation,
Custom Granite Products,
International Renovations,

CaesarStone US,
Vent A Hood,
VT Industries,
Selig Enterprises
Cornerstone Bank.

The Cook's Warehouse Ansley Mall, Episode 10 (posted 11/6/09)

Our store front sign is up!

We love our new space and look forward to seeing you soon!

Many thanks to our vendors and development team who helped make this kitchen the absolute best:

Miele USA,
RAO Design Studio,
Earth Station Architecture,
Advanced Automation,
Custom Granite Products,
CaesarStone US,
Vent A Hood,
VT Industries,
Selig Enterprises
Cornerstone Bank.

The Cook's Warehouse Ansley Mall, Episode 9 (posted 10/19/09)

A BIG thank you to our development and construction team - Miele USA, RAO Design Studio, Earth Station Architecture, Advanced Automation, Custom Granite Products, CaesarStone US, Vent A Hood, VT Industries, Selig Enterprises and Cornerstone Bank.

What a difference a day makes!

Wednesday

Thursday

The cashwrap installation - we love Viacon!

Friday

We will be open at our new Ansley Mall location on Monday, October 19th around noonish.

Taste of Atlanta - It's a Wrap (posted 10/19/09)

Taste of Atlanta � what a blast!

We were blessed with sunny skies and fantastic crowds at the 2009 Taste of Atlanta Festival. The new venue at Technology Square proved to be a great move as Atlantans flooded the streets to sample food from 80+ restaurants, expand their knowledge in various wine & beer seminars, have fun with the family on Kids Avenue, and enjoy a variety of cooking demonstrations at three separate cooking stages.

The Cook's Warehouse sponsored the main cooking stage and had the opportunity to work with great chefs such as Top Chef Finalists Carla Hall and Richard Blais, Atlanta Hawks Executive Chef Bradley Rouse, Jamika Pessoa from The Next Food Network Star, and the top two ProStart High School Teams in the state � Alpharetta and Meadowcreek. These high school culinary teams won the opportunity to teach a demonstration at this year's Taste of Atlanta on the main stage.

Pictured: (left) Wendy Allen, Carla Hall
A BIG thanks to our Cooking School Director, Wendy Allen, and team for their excellent work with this year's culinary stage.

One of the top ProStart High School teams teaching on the main culinary stage. A BIG congratulations to you all.

Our own Mary Moore hosted a �pink' themed cooking demo in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. A live auction was held at the end of Mary's demo where we raised $1,690 for the Susan G Komen for the Cure Atlanta Affiliate and the Eric R Beverly Family Foundation. Thanks to everyone who attended and stopped by the cooking stage or retail booth to say hello. We always enjoy participating in this festival and look forward to seeing everyone again in 2010!

Pictured: (left) David DiCorpo - Brookhaven Store Manager, Renee Jackson - Principal Assistant, and Warner Lawrence - Beer Guru, Decatur Store

A BIG thanks to our Brookhaven Store Manager, David DiCorpo, and team for their excellent work at our retail booth.

The Cook's Warehouse Ansley Mall, Episode 8 (posted 10/8/09)

A BIG thank you to our development and construction team - Miele USA, RAO Design Studio, Earth Station Architecture, Advanced Automation, Custom Granite Products, CaesarStone US, Vent A Hood, VTI, Selig Enterprises and Cornerstone Bank.

The steel ductwork and fire suppression systems are going in. Excellent work from our friends at RES and Peach State Fire.

The HK crew is installing the beautiful Miele cabinets with amazing craftsmanship and precision. I can't wait to cook something in our new kitchen!

Stay tuned for the move next week. We will be open this weekend at the Amsterdam Avenue store, closing Monday at 7pm and reopening in Ansley on the 18th-ish. We look forward to seeing you in our new space!

Remember that our Brookhaven and Decatur locations are still open and happy to serve you during the Midtown store move.

The Cook's Warehouse Ansley Mall, Episode 7 (posted 10/2/09)

.

A BIG thank you to our development and construction team - Miele USA, RAO Design Studio, Earth Station Architecture, Advanced Automation, Custom Granite Products, CaesarStone US, Vent A Hood, Selig Enterprises and Cornerstone Bank.

The new store front installation is almost complete!

Stay tuned for the journal of the build. We look forward to seeing you in our new space!

The Cook's Warehouse Ansley Mall, Episode 6 (posted 9/24/09)

A BIG thank you to our development and construction team - Miele USA, RAO Design Studio, Earth Station Architecture, Advanced Automation, Selig Enterprises and Cornerstone Bank.

The installation of the hoods has begun.

We have lots of natural light from the great windows across the front of the store.

Stay tuned for the journal of the build. We look forward to seeing you in our new space!

The Cook's Warehouse Ansley Mall, Episode 5 (posted 9/23/09)

A BIG thank you to our development and construction team - Miele USA, RAO Design Studio, Earth Station Architecture, Advanced Automation, Selig Enterprises and Cornerstone Bank.

The cabinets are on the way and their installation begins on October 5th!

The painting is almost complete - Buttercup.

The slat wall installation is almost complete.

Stay tuned for the journal of the build. We look forward to seeing you in our new space!

The Cook's Warehouse Ansley Mall, Episode 4 (posted 9/11/09)

A BIG thank you to our development and construction team - Miele USA, RAO Design Studio, Earth Station Architecture, Advanced Automation, Selig Enterprises and Cornerstone Bank.

The colors have been selected and the painting has begun.

The highlights have been hung and the track lights will soon follow. I'm going to try those stilts (far left) out one day!

Stay tuned for the journal of the build. We look forward to seeing you in our new space!

The Cook's Warehouse Ansley Mall, Episode 3 (posted 9/2/09)

A BIG thank you to our development and construction team - Miele USA, RAO Design Studio, Earth Station Architecture, Advanced Automation, Selig Enterprises and Cornerstone Bank.

Your Midtown store crew, at your service and excited about our new Ansley location

The walls are framed, the sheetrock is up and this week the painting has begun.

Stay tuned for the journal of the build. We look forward to seeing you in our new space!

The Cook's Warehouse Ansley Mall, Episode 2 (posted 8/27/09)

It's amazing once the concrete is poured how quickly things happen!

This week the new windows are being installed and the walls, electrical, and plumbing almost complete. Next week - sheetrock.

A BIG thank you to our development/construction team - Miele USA, RAO Design Studio, Earthstation Architects, Advanced Automation, Selig Enterprises and Cornerstone Bank

Shiny new windows

The kitchen begins to take shape

Stay tuned for the journal of the build. We look forward to seeing you in our new space!

Announcing The Cook's Warehouse Ansley Mall, Episode 1 (posted 8/20/09)

The construction and countdown have begun. We are moving our original Amsterdam Ave location to Ansley Mall in mid-October!

I will write a little each week to keep you up to date.

A BIG thank you to our development/construction team - Miele USA, RAO Design Studio, Earthstation Architects, Advanced Automation, Selig Enterprises and Cornerstone Bank.

The face lift....

Can you believe in seven weeks this will be a beautiful, bright, shiny new store?!

Stay tuned for the journal of the build. We look forward to seeing you in our new space!

Ansley Mall - here we come (posted 8/3/09)

In case you were wondering why we haven't written much in this blog recently - this is what we have been working on. Our Midtown store will be moving to a new location in Ansley Mall this fall.

I opened my first cookware store on Amsterdam Avenue in March, 1995. Since then we�ve grown from two employees to 48 team members in three locations. My original store and cooking school has outgrown its space so I took the opportunity to relocate it to in-town Atlanta�s most successful mall.

The 6,500-square-foot space at Piedmont Avenue and Monroe Drive, formerly occupied by Piccadilly Cafeteria, is already being converted to �my dream store� including:

A bright new cookware area in the front

A cooking school facility, able to accommodate more than double the participants than the previous space

Four kitchen/large appliance areas: the cooking school, beverage and refrigeration, a lifestyle kitchen and an outdoor kitchen

In this new store, we�ll be able to display more cookware and accessories than ever before including our featured brands of All-Clad, Le Creuset, Swiss Diamond, Chantal Copper Fusion, Capresso, Cuisinart, Krups, WMF, W�sthof, Shun and others.

And from our kitchens, we�ll be able to counsel customers on the correct appliance for their indoor or outdoor cooking and allow them to have real-life �test runs� before purchase,� Moore said. The professional brands available include Miele, Sub-Zero, Wolf, Bosch, Viking, Five-Star, Vent-A-Hood, AGA and others.

As much as possible, the space is being converted using LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.

We'll keep you informed about the progress on the new store. This week the construction team are breaking concrete in preparation for all our installations. Next week you will start to see our signs going up at Ansley Mall.

Food Inc. - The Review (posted 6/18/09)

�Two Thumbs Up' for Food, Inc. On Tuesday night, Wendy, our Cooking School Director, attended the Atlanta premiere of Food Inc., a documentary about our nation's food industry. The tagline for the movie is �You'll Never Look at Dinner the Same Way Again� and after seeing the movie, she certainly agrees! Her review: I like to think of myself as an informed consumer and I was shocked to learn about some of the issues highlighted in this film � genetic engineering, cloning, governmental regulations and laws, protection for farm workers, food borne illnesses, and many others issues that factor into our nation's food supply. The food that we eat is one of the most intimate choices that we make every single day, yet we know very little about how that food actually makes it to our tables.

We are a nation plagued with health problems, public health scares, and environmental issues. Many of these are rooted in our food supply chain. The bottom line is that food should be good, good for you and good for the planet. There's plenty that needs to be done to get us back to the way we should grow (and eat) food and this film provides some great insight. It's a timely and important film good for any consumer to see. I feel even more inspired to buy locally and cook my own food!

The movie opens this Friday at the Landmark/Midtown Arts Cinema in Midtown and will only stay as long as people attend so be sure and see it this weekend.

Food, Inc. Premier - Ticket Give Away at The Cook's Warehouse (posted 6/12/09)

Come by any of our stores this weekend and enter to win 1 of 20 passes to the premier of this fascinating new film.

FOOD, INC. (Magnolia Pictures)
Premier Date: June 16th at Landmark Midtown
Release Date: June 19th at Landmark Midtown

How much do we really know about the food we buy at our local supermarkets and serve to our families?
In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that's been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of e coli--the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield Farm's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising -- and often shocking truths -- about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.

BackPack In The Park (posted 6/12/09)

As a proud supporter of ForTheKidInAllOfUs we are thrilled at The Cook's Warehouse to announce a special offer for this summers 4th Annual BackPack In The Park, a back-to school benefit for Georgia's children in need.

Through July 4th, drop off a filled school backpack, following our recipe*, and receive 25% off on any single item purchase in our stores! (see exclusions**)

Last year, BackPack In The Park collected and distributed over 900 filled backpacks, enabling children to have some of the very necessary tools to begin their school year. This year's goal is 1200, and we are happy to help them reach and hopefully surpass that goal! Together, we can, as a community, commit to improving the lives of children throughout Georgia, and we are pleased to be able to make this offer to you on their behalf.

* Backpack Recipe

1 backpack

12 x No. 2 pencils

12 med. point black ballpoint pens

4 fluourescent highlighters

1 spiral notebook (100+pgs)

1 two-inch 3-ring notebook binder

1 pack 3-hole punched paper (150 sheets)

1 box crayons (24+ colors)

12" wood or plastic ruler

1 pink eraser

1 glue stick

Additional items welcome

or Gift Card of $30 or greater value

** Exceptions to 25% discount: alcohol, sale items, services, large appliances, Big Green Egg, classes and gift certificates

Ladies of Les Dames Event (posted 6/9/09)

Last night an all star cast of chefs from Les Dames d'Escoffier International (LDEI) presented an evening of recipes, techniques, stories and food at an event hosted by Mary and the Cook's Warehouse - to raise money for the Atlanta Community Foodbank.

The cavalcade of chefs comprised; Nathalie Dupree, Shirley Corriher, Rebecca Lang, Angie Mosier, Virginia Willis, Linda Harrell and Nancy Lutz.

There were 45 attendees including Suchita Vadlamani (of Good Day Atlanta on Fox 5 TV) and the international president of LDEI, Suzanne Brown and $4,200 was raised for the Food Bank. (This translates into over $23,000 of food aid that the Food Bank will be able to provide)!

What more can you want? Great food, exciting recipes, fascinating stories and interesting company all while helping a really worthwhile cause.

Taste of the Nation (posted 5/7/09)

>

This year's Taste of the Nation benefiting Share Our Strength and their effort to end childhood hunger was a huge success. Over $700,000 was raised last night at the GA Aquarium in a room filled with fabulous chefs, their food, and wine. Atlanta's Taste of the Nation event is the most successful in the country. We were proud to be a sponsor of this great event. Remember, a portion of every purchase you make goes back to our community through all of The Cook's Warehouse sponsorships and fundraising efforts. Thank you.

MayDay at Serenbe (posted 5/7/09)

On Sunday afternoon, the weather cooperated and gave us and the 6000+ attendees sunny skies and warm weather for the 4th annual MayDay at Serenbe. This was our first year participating as a vendor and what fun it was! We spent a day in the country with plenty of delicious food and drink, fun activities for families and kids, artists, eco-education opportunities, farmers, animals, live music, and more.

Our booth was between H&F Bread Co. and the Atlanta Chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier International, and we had a great time sharing samples of Xagave baked goods and catching up with friends old & new. Thanks to everyone who stopped by and said hello!

A Tribute to Edie (posted 4/30/09)

Eva 'Edie' Taylor
September 16, 1908 - April 30, 2009

Edie, my sweet great aunt, was a wonderful woman who taught me much in life. From how to clean and cook a fresh chicken to making the best, melt in your mouth cheese biscuits that our family loves (which she made and we ate thousands of over the years), she was a great cook, an inspiration, a mentor and wonderful friend. Her unconditional love and support and belief that I could accomplish anything have been a key to my success with The Cook's Warehouse.

Fun Happenings (posted 4/26/09)

Our booth at the Metro Cooking and Entertaining Show was hopping this past weekend. Steven Richards from Xagave was in town sampling some delicious carrot cake and Don's homemade cookies. All of these were made with Xagave instead of refined sugar - great taste with fewer calories, lower glycemic index, all natural plus fiber, iron and calcium. Stop by one of our stores and try some Xagave today.

Mary taught two demonstration for the GA Beef Council. Saturday's demo was Seared Steak Salad, and Sunday's was Marinated Flank Steak Spring Rolls. They were very tasty and fun to roll, lots of attendees enjoyed making their own spring roll.

Doris Koplin and her husband Beryl had a special birthday lunch for Mary and the crew. Their smoked salmon is absolutely amazing! We just had to share this photo and you can learn to make it too in their June 26th cooking class "Green Eggs and Wine", click here to register.

Our Resident BBQ Judges - the Results (posted 4/17/09)

Congratulations to Wendy Allen & Erica Leydic on completing their requirements this past weekend to become certified judges in the Memphis Barbecue Network.

The important lesson learned was that when judging, you MUST pace yourself, no matter how good the barbecue! Wendy & Erica were pretty lucky in the teams they drew for their first foray into the world of judging � they got to sample from a good mix of established veterans (Jack's Old South, Yazoo's Delta Q and Smoke Shack BBQ) as well as some teams new to the circuit (Papa Eddie and the Hoggy Bottom Boys, and The Capitalist Pigs). They have submitted their applications to judge at two upcoming events in the Atlanta area: Brenau Barbecue Championship in Gainesville GA on May 29 & 30 and the Grillin' in the Village at Stone Mountain on June 19 & 20. Come join the ladies for some of the best barbecue you'll ever taste!

Our Resident BBQ Judges (posted 4/10/09)

This past Sunday our Cooking School Director, Wendy Allen, and Brookhaven PA, Erica Leydic, officially entered the world of competition barbecue. Not as competitors, but as judges! Along with Erica's dad, they attended a training class in Jackson, GA to become trained judges with the Memphis Barbecue Netork. The MBN is the largest pork-only barbecue sanctioning organization and was founded in 2007. The MBN was founded when the Memphis in May contest organizers made the decision to focus exclusively on their MIM contest and discontinued their efforts in sanctioning other events.

Wendy & Erica learned all of the ins and outs of judging barbecue, including appearance, flavor, and tenderness. There's a lot more to it than just personal preference, though! While some things can be subjective, there are very specific criteria that must be judged according to MBN standards and defintions. Teams competing at MBN events not only have to be able to cook world class pork shoulder, ribs and whole hog for a blind tasting, but they also have to be prepared to interact with the judges for the on site aspect of the judging. After participating in a mock on site judging, the trainees came back indoors to try their hands at a blind taste test with some of the best pork ribs you can imagine!

The ladies are taking their first step towards certification this weekend in Aiken, SC at the Masters of BBQ Cookoff. Wendy & Erica will be judging in at least one category. No matter which category they are assigned, you can be sure that they will be enjoying some of the best barbecue east of the Mississippi! We'll let you know once they complete all of their requirements and are certified judges!

The High Museum Wine Auction (posted 4/3/09)

From left to right: Sam Mason of Tailor in NYC, Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene, Holeman & Finch, and H&F Bread Co. in Atl, Mary Moore of The Cook's Warehouse in Atl, Scott Boswell of Stella! and Stanley in NOLA, Sean Brock of McCrady's in Charleston, and Lincoln Stevens of A Legendary Event in Atl.

Mary was once again the roving reporter behind the scenes at the High Museum Wine Auction Gala this past Friday night. The Gala Theme was molecular gastronomy featuring the above gasto-star chefs. These amazing chefs dazzled the crowd with a multitude of dishes including ham and shrimp terrine, shattered foie gras, sous vide lamb with porcini foam, and a divinely light chocolate mousse on praline crust. The High Museum will open their DaVinci exhibit this fall bringing full circle "the genius inside" from food to wine to art.

Five chefs and 50 cooks served 620 people an incredible four course meal under the tents in Atlantic Station. Hats off to these talented chefs and Tony Conway's A Legendary Event.

Flavors Magazine Spring Cover Unveiling Party (posted 3/26/09)

Mary attended the spring 2009 cover unveiling for Flavors Magazine last night at FAB (French American Bistro).

This issue is entitled "Scrumptious". Stephen Sharp from FAB adorns the cover with recipe inside and other featured chefs include: Mary Moore - The Cook's Warehouse, Hector Santiago - Pura Vida, Joe Truex and Mihoko Obunai - Repast, Karen Hilliard - Georgia Grill, and more. Be sure to check out the spring issue of Flavors for all things Scrumptious!

For more info or to subscribe, visit Flavors Magazine website.

Visionary Dinner a Success (posted 3/13/09)

The Southface 10th Annual Visionary Dinner to kick off the Greenprints Conference was held last night in the Ocean's Ballroom at the Georgia Aquarium. Chefs Gregg Brickman, Scott Crawford, Elisa Gambino, Mary Moore, Butch Raphael , Kevin Rathbun , and Hector Santiago prepared a five course, wine-paired meal using local, sustainable ingredients. Over 450 guests enjoyed the meal, the awards ceremony, and keynote speaker Bracken Hendricks. Click here to learn more about the Visionary Dinner and Southface.

Mary prepared the Cheese Course with help from Gena Berry

Stephanie Connell from eventologie and Mary Moore in the Ocean's Ballroom kitchen

Mary's Big Adventure Continued (posted 2/20/09)

Another great picture from the Wusthof factory tour

The above image shows the remains of a sheet of metal that has had knives laser cut out of it for the Wusthof Gourmet Series. The Wusthof designer carefully programs the laser to cut out the exact shape for the knives with the least amount of waste. What is leftover goes back to the steel mill to be recycled. It is great to see the care Wusthof takes to operate efficiently and protect the environment.

Next we took the train to Geislingen, Germany to visit the WMF factory. This large campus houses 2000 of the 5500 employees worldwide. Here they plan, design, test, manufacture, ship, and perform many other functions to provide us with exceptional products. We saw all of the steps to manufacture their superior pressure cookers from sheets of metal to final inspection and boxed to deliver. We also saw them manufacturing beautiful flatware. After every 3000 pieces they rework their molds to make sure every spoon, fork and knife is perfect. Each piece is meticulously machine polished to provide the smoothest surface even in between the tines.

Above is the elegant WMF showroom which houses all they produce.

Another view of the WMF showroom.

A brisk, snowy walk up the hill from WMF to the train station for our 2 1/2 hour journey back to Frankfurt.

Mary's Big Adventure (posted 2/13/09)

This week Mary is one of six U.S. buyers being hosted by the Ambiente show in Frankfurt, Germany. The group flew in early to tour the Wusthof factory in Solingen, Germany. Wusthof is the last remaining German cutlery company that makes their knives completely from start to finish in Solingen. The steel comes from a village nearby and the 40+ steps to craft this incredible cutlery is performed in their two factories. They also have a closed water system to filter all of the metal dust from the water they use and they recycle all the left over materials from creating the knives. The night before their tour they dined at a local tavern and enjoyed sauerbraten, pig knuckles, weinerschnitzel, and freshly brewed local beers.

The stages of making a knife.

A skilled craftman hard a work.

Tonight the crew is in Geislingen and excited about touring the WMF factory in the morning. Dinner was at Olive restaurant in the hotel including fresh Lamb's lettuce with lardons and vinaigrette, filet of beef and local vegetables.
Look at the size of those snowflakes!

A Meal to Remember (posted 2/13/09)

Mary (right), this year's Treasurer of Les Dames d'Escoffier International, enjoyed an incredible Persian meal prepared by Dame Najmieh Batmanglij (middle) of DC along with Suzanne Brown (left), this year's president of LDEI and other members. First served were succulent and incredibly flavorful turkey and pistachio meatballs on a lemon grass skewer with grape and pomegranate molasses. Next was a delicious barley soup that Najmieh cooked all day. For the main course we enjoyed 48 hour marinated chicken skewers, wedding rice with almonds, pistachios, barberries and green onion and a walnut, pomegranate sauce with butternut squash. It was all fantastic! For dessert, she served homemade baklava with rose water and mint tea.

All of these recipes are in Najmieh's "From Persia to Napa" cookbook. Click here to learn more and see the wonderful offerings of Najmieh's Kitchen.

The International Gift Show in Atlanta (posted 1/15/09)

The management and buying teams for The Cook's Warehouse were at the Mart for the International Gift Show this past weekend taking great classes and finding new products to better serve you. In the weeks ahead we will be introducing you to wonderful new gadgets, bakeware, gourmet foods, and more.

AmericasMart had a number of celebrity chefs including Tyler Florence and Virginia Willis teaching seminars along with our own Mary Moore who taught "A Cut Above: The Art of Selling Cutlery" and "Bake with the Best: All Clad Ovenware".

Mary sporting one of her favorite gadgets, the onion goggles, while demonstrating how to dice an onion.

It was great fun to see that Mary has finally arrived, at least on the 8th floor of the Gift Mart West Wing - yes, she was harassed appropriately all weekend for having made it to the elevator door.

">

Congratulations to Kathie Garland, the winner of our Cooking Classes for a Year contest!! (posted 12/12/08)

Bon Appetit Y'All top in Chicago Tribune (posted 12/11/08)

Bon Appetit Y'all - written by one of our favorite instructors - Virginia Willis - was selected by the Chicago Tribune as one of their favorite cook books for the holiday season. This is what they said:

"Cookbooks make splendid gifts�not just for the wow factor when the book is unwrapped, but because they're gifts that continue to give long after the holiday decorations come down.

Every year, the Good Eating staff proffers a list of cookbooks that we think will make great holiday gifts. This year is no different, and as in years past, the books that we've selected span a variety of tastes, cooking levels and price tags.

Comfort food tends to be regional. Californians�specifically those who aspire to skinny movie-stardom�might wonder what comfort could come from a giant plate of cheese grits. But Virginia Willis' elegant "Bon Appetit, Y'all" strikes us as a crosser of comfort-food boundaries. Her classical French training adds an elegant touch to her Southern family's third-generation recipes. In addition to fried catfish fingers with country remoulade, and Meme's fried green tomatoes you get an outstanding looking boeufbourguignonne, and lovely takes on the usual Southern vegetables: fresh summer vegetable succotash with basil, green beans Provencal, slow roasted tomato confit. All very cozy without being too Kountry. "

Here is the link to the Chicago Tribune article.

Taste of Atlanta Wrap (posted 10/17/08)

This year's Taste of Atlanta was a huge success! We hosted many chefs on the main culinary stage. A BIG thanks to our amazing crew who made it all happen.

The CW Gang with Ted Allen

Mary teaching how to make fresh pasta to the Taste of Atlanta crowd

A Customer's e-mail about the new Beater Blade (posted 10/10/08)

Hey David,

I can not tell you what a life saver there Beater Blade Plus has been for me. When you first told me about it I was very skeptical about how well it would work. Well, I am here to tell you that after baking more than 50 dozen cookies in the past two days, it truly is a life saver for me as well as a huge time saver. I was able to bake more in these two days because I did not have to stop my mixer every 5 minutes to scrape down the sides of the bowl. The only time that I had to stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl was at the very end when I had to remove the batter from the bowl.

I will be back to buy more for my family that also own Kitchen Aid mixers. And for the everyone else that owns a Kitchen Aid mixer I will recommend this to the highest level.

Thank you so much for your recommendation. I just hope that everyone will enjoy all the cookies that I have been able to bake because of this.

Lance Safford

A true believer in this product.

Class Assistants of the Month - August (Posted October 3rd, 2008)

Each month we will honor the top volunter class assistants for each store. We really appreciate all that these wonderful folks do and certainly the school would not be the same without them!! Each of these great assistants will receive a Gift Certificate for purchases of merchandise in our store.

A big thanks to:

Mary Stuckey, assistant of the month for August at the Midtown location
Mary is always willing to assist with both private and public classes, even at the last minute. She arrives early and has more than once filled in at the last minute. She helps direct the other assistants and her hard work really shows. Thank you Mary. We love you!

Brenda Hill, assistant of the month for August at the Brookhaven location

Every class that we are fortunate enough to have Brenda's helping hands with is a pleasure. Everyone is greeted with her gigantic smile and contagious enthusiasm for all we do (including washing dishes and deep cleaning the kitchen!). Brenda has been assisting with us for quite some time and has become an integral part of our team, often requested by chefs and other assistants. Thank you Brenda. We love you!

Yinka Kerr, assistant of the month for August at the Decatur location
Yinka is a super star in the kitchen. She is always ready to jump right in to whatever needs to be done. Whether it's preping recipes before class, helping others find their way around the kitchen, ensuring everything is in it's place, or coming in at the last minute for a special event, public or private class, Yinka is always reliable. Thank you Yinka. We love you!

Meet Cookie! (Posted September 26th 2008)

Don and the Decatur team did a fantasic job building "Cookie". She's our Cook's Warehouse Scarecrow that will stand guard in the Atlanta Botanical Garden this October. Be sure to visit this year's Scarecrows in the Garden exhibit. Cookie will look forward to seeing you.

Janet Zimmerman is Published in "Best Food Writing 2008" (Posted 9/19/08)

Congratulations to Janet Zimmerman, our Midtown Cooking School Lead, who wrote an article for the literary magazine of the eGullet Society. Her article is going to be reprinted in
"Best Food Writing 2008" due out late October or early November.

It is truly a pleasure and a gift to work with such talented people!

CoCo Smith Takes Top Prize! (Posted 9/19/08)

Congratulations to Gregg Smith, our Buyer, and his dog CoCo for winning the pet photo contest sponsored by Z Cafe.

He will receive one studio portrait session with Parker Smith Photography compliments of Parker Smith.

Mary Gives Keynote Address at Kitchen Resource 2008 Conference (Posted 9/19/08)

Mary spoke to a large crowd of Kitchen Resource top retailers this week in Salt Lake City. Kitchen Resource is the exclusive distributor of Bosch mixers, Nutrimill, L'Equip, Cloer, B/R/K Germany and Bamix. All fantastic brands which can be purchased at The Cook's Warehouse.

Hunger Action Month (posted 9/12/08)

Learn what you can do to fight hunger today!

30 Ways in 30 Days to Help Fight Hunger

This September, the Atlanta Community Food Bank will be one of 205 food banks across the nation participating in the first-ever Hunger Action Month. Here in Atlanta, we've got "30 Ways in 30 Days" you can get involved!

Join us in the fight against hunger.
Please visit Atlanta Community Food Bank to find out what you can do to help.

Results from our 11th Annual Sherlock's Golf Tournament (posted 9/4/08)

Mary, Doug and friends playing in the 11th Annual Sherlock's Golf Tournament

Over the past ten years Sherlock's Wine Merchant has raised over $75,000 for the African American Golf Foundation led by Ed Oden.

This year 26 foursomes participated and as always it was one of the hottest days of the year.
All of the proceeds from the tournament go towards equipment and facilities for the AAGF program.
The years winning score was 55 and as you might have guessed, that wasn't Mary and Doug's team.

What a shot! Hey, is that a golf ball still on the tee?

Mary Joins The Carter Center Board of Councilors (posted 8/21/08)

Mary was asked to be on The Carter Center Board of Councilors Class of 2010. She will serve a three

year term from 2008 - 2010. At the first meeting all of the new members had an opportunity to meet

former President Carter and have a picture taken. She is very honored to be a part of this group!

Former President Jimmy Carter and Mary Moore, Founder and CEO of The Cook's Warehouse

Farewell and Best of Luck to a Fantastic Chef and Friend - Michael Tuohy (posted 8/14/08)

Tuesday night was a great farewell tribute for Chef Michael Touhy, founder and as of the 12th former chef and owner of Woodfire Grill, who is returning to California. Chef Touhy orginally from the San Francisco Bay-area is one of the founders and great supporters of the farm-to-table movement in Georgia. His passion, spirit, kindness, and delicious food will be greatly missed in Atlanta. He is moving to Sacramento to be Executive Chef of Grange Restaurant in the boutique Citizen Hotel. We wish him all the best!

From left to right, Virginia Willis, Mary Moore, Michael Touhy, Athalie White at Woodfire Grill

Dinner Dare with Chef Virginia Willis (posted 8/14/08)

On August 14th, local chef and cookbook author Virginia Willis will be featured in Dinner Dare, a new series on EveningEdge.com. Each chef who takes the "dare" is challenged with preparing a complete meal for themselves or their families that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less. Visit Eveningedge.com/dinnerdare this Thursday, August 14, for the recipes for Virginia's 30 minute meal, photos of her work, a short tip video, and even Virginia herself, who will be available for Q&A in a message board for a full week. Come with questions!

Dinner Dare is a monthly series, and will be featuring other local chefs, such as Scott Peacock and Anne Quatrano. At EveningEdge.com, it's all about solving the dinner dilemma, a challenge many of us face every night. With chefs like this on our side, we can-- and will-- prevail!

Recap of Backpack in the Park by For the Kid in All of Us (posted 8/14/08)

This year's Backpack in the Park had 761 attendees who donated 912 backpacks filled with school supplies -- all up 30% from last year.

For the Kid in All of Us is donating over 400 backpacks each to Dobbs Elementary and Hightower Elementary as well as over 100 to Chris Kids. Most of the backpacks will be delivered this week!

We're very proud of David DiCorpo, our Brookhaven Store Manager, for his volunteer efforts with Backpack in the Park by For the Kid in All of Us.

Video Shoot at Midtown (posted 8/6/08)

The Cook's Warehouse Midtown kitchen was turned into a studio this past Friday. Comotion Films shot a sequence of demonstration videos for our website. Mary demonstrated nine different products from Cuisinart and Waring. The videos will be on-line for you to view in a couple of weeks. Below are a few pictures from the day's adventure.

The ice cream and margarita look good enough to eat! But don't do it, it's fake!

The production crew works on the lighting, props, sound, and all the other details that make the shot perfect

Mary works with the camera man during a dry run ensuring the shot is just right

Kid's Camp Winners - Week Three (posted 7/31/08)

A BIG congrats to our winners of the Kid's Camp Week Three "Iron Chef" competition.

Eric, Maxwell, Jake and Addison - Way to GO guys!!

A BIG thank you to our judges,

Christian Balbierer of Chocolate Pink Café, and Meghan Foley of Good Eats/Be Square Productions

A BIG thank you to our Kid's Camp Sponsor, WMF of America

And the BIGGEST thanks of all to our fabulous Chef Carlinand all the kids who enjoyed camp this year!!

We Welcome a New Member of the Cook's and Sherlock's Family - Cal Maske (posted 7/23/08)

We are proud to introduce you to our newest family member, Charles "Cal" Alexander Maske. Born on July 10th at 12:57pm Cal is a healthy, happy baby. His parents Craig, General Manager of Sherlock's and partner in our Decatur store, and Terrie and big sister Lillie are also thrilled with their new addition to the family. We wish them all the best!

Virginia Willis on Martha Stewart (posted 7/23/08)

Atlanta's own Virginia Willis, author of Bon Appétit Y'All, is making her second appearance on The Martha Stewart Show tomorrow, Thursday, July 24th. Be sure to tune in or set your Tivo!

July Market Review (posted 7/17/08)

The Gift Show in Atlanta this month was exciting and productive. We found more new items to make your culinary adventures fun and efficient. We'll be introducing them to you through our eblast and newsletter as they arrive in the stores.

We will also be introducing our own line of soaps, dish detergents, kitchen cleansers, and candles that are all natural and in recyclable containers. We are very excited to be able to bring you such high quality cleaners for your home.

Tyler Florence taught a class in the Gourmet section of the gift show. Two of my favorite customers, Veneta and Geneva Hilton (aka The Twins), were there for his demonstration. I'd like to wish a very Happy 80th to these great gals!! I am convinced that their love of fresh, natural and local foods is a big key to their incredible health and success. They even mill their own grain to make amazing breads. They are truly an inspiration.

Another great birthday gal, Wendy, our Cooking School Director, got a special Happy Birthday picture with Tyler! We hope to have him visiting our stores this fall for a book signing. Stay tuned.

A TWISTED THANK YOU from your Midtown manager (posted 7/11/08)

As many of you know, my home took a direct hit from the tornado that ravaged downtown Atlanta in March. Thankfully we were not home (we were in Chicago drinking green beer for St. Patrick�s Day), but we were missing a ceiling and part of a roof when we returned. It has taken a couple of months, but we are finally back into our house!

We took this opportunity to remodel our kitchen with granite countertops, new flooring, and several Bosch appliances (I�ve been selling appliances for several years, and my new dishwasher, washer, and dryer are AMAZINGLY quiet!).

It has been a very interesting episode in my life, but I want to thank all of our customers and associates for their continued support and well wishes through this process. We couldn�t have gotten though it without you all.

Sincerely, Matthew Hott, Midtown Manger

The Cook's Warehouse Green Team (posted 7/3/08)

Pictured from left to right
Matthew Hott, Midtown Store Manager, on his snappy new scooter
Monica Sinclair, Web Administrator, in her sassy new Smart Car
Gregg Smith, buyer, on his red hot scooter that looks like a motorcycle

Kid's Summer Camp Week One Winners! (posted 7/1/08)

"The Spice Girls" team of Hannah, Mali, Sally and Sarah were the winners of the week two Iron Chef competition. Congratulations Gals!!

A big thank you to our sponsor WMF for supplying wonderful prizes.

The winning team's dessert pictured below. Aren't these kids incredible!

Kid's Summer Camp Week One Winners! (posted 6/19/08)

The dynamic foursome of Ryan, Elijah, Matt and Michael were the winners of the week one Iron Chef competition. Congratulations Guys!!

A big thank you to our sponsor WMF for supplying wonderful prizes.

The winning team's salad pictured below. All of the kids are SO talented!!