Gourmet 101

Get Cooking freshens up kitchens with supplies, cooking classes and even a designer showroom.

The Shop:
Get Cooking, New Market Square, 2441 North Maize Road, 316-773-7788. (Mon.–Wed., Fri.–Sat. 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m.; Thurs. 10 a.m.–8 p.m.; closed Sun.)

Atmosphere:
Get Cooking is a foodie’s paradise. Every shelf is bursting with gadgets and tasty treats. The only thing lacking is space, but that is more than made up for by big hospitality. An ever-present pot of coffee and samples of gourmet goodies encourage customers to explore.

Key People:
Mary Volkmann, owner and manager of Get Cooking, came up with the concept for the store and works as lead designer. Her husband and the store’s co-owner, Eric, a former homebuilder, now heads the kitchen installation projects.

What You’ll Find:
The moment you step into the store, you’re greeted by rows of gourmet food products designed to add flavor and cut time for cooking and entertaining. On one side of the store, bottles of marinades and finishing sauces offer mouth-watering combinations, like sweet corn tomatillo relish from Diva Delectables ($6.99). Nearby, baking mixes from the Barefoot Contessa line ($10.99–$11.99) entice even the faintest hint of a sweet tooth. All of the food items are sampled and selected by Mary at Kansas City and Dallas markets. She claims her picky taste buds as assets on buying trips, because they ensure only high-quality products make it into the store. “If it tastes processed, I will not buy it,” she explains. Around the corner, shelves of bar goodies display the kinds of hard-to-find specialty items that set the store apart from other kitchen supply stores. Among the stainless steel-topped glass cocktail shakers ($29.99) are jars of vermouth-spiked sweet onions by Sable & Rosenfeld ($5.99) and other garnishes that help to make any martini special.

Beyond the storefront, Get Cooking offers cookware for every taste and style. A grilling display stands in the middle of the store, while smaller tools hang along a wall. Pots and pans from Le Creuset sit next to stacks of colorful dishes and more cooking utensils than you probably knew existed. There are at least half a dozen styles of whisks and just as many slicers and graters. Many of these serve specific but practical purposes, such as Cuisipro’s heat-resistant flat whisk that easily fits into pesky saucepan edges when making gravy ($11). Nearly every item in the store is professional-grade, emphasizing a standard of quality. The higher quality generally means a higher price tag, but the products are made to last.

Even with all of the goodies waiting to be uncovered, the biggest surprise comes at the back of the store. Walk past the shelves, and the store turns into a full-scale model kitchen fashioned by Get Cooking’s design team. Custom kitchen planning actually makes up the majority of the business, according to the owners. The kitchen team can do a complete redesign by outfitting kitchens with new countertops, cabinets, plumbing and appliances. The store’s owners developed Ironstone countertops, which look like stone but come with a lighter price tag because they’re made primarily of porcelain. Or choose from any of the other material and fixture samples, all nicely tucked away in an alcove along one wall. Then Get Cooking helps fill your new drawers with cool gadgets. To accommodate smaller budgets, the store sells do-it-yourself countertop kits and gives free lessons about how to give ordinary cabinets that popular distressed look.

Get Cooking added one more reason to stop into New Market Square earlier this year. Every week, the store offers helpful cooking and kitchen design classes. Thursdays are all about grilling, while Fridays focus on design tips and ideas. Sample Saturdays let people bring in their countertop dimensions to get an in-store bid. So far, the events have been a hit, says Mary. Saturdays, in particular, have turned into family outings for some customers. The kids keep occupied by tasting samples while Mom and Dad imagine how their kitchen could look.

Wichita Verdict:
To sum it up in one sentence, owner Mary Vokmann describes her store this way: “It’s Williams-Sonoma meets Lowe’s.” Indeed, Get Cooking’s wide selection and top-notch quality is ideal for both gourmet chefs and gourmet wannabes. The utensils and equipment also make great gifts for newlyweds or serious cooks. If it’s kitchen-related, Get Cooking probably has it.