A view of the bar constructed from old tobacco warehouse shutters and the stairs to the mezzanine
The Cookery is a culinary incubator that has been open for little more than a year, and its commercial kitchen for rent by the hour has made a great transformation in the Triangle food scene. Food entrepreneurs, ranging from caterers to bakers to food trucks, produce their products in the facility, and have been filling locals’ bellies with dumplings, pizza, nut butters, donuts and even traditional English clotted cream.
The Cookery's newest expansion, the Front Room, is an event space that will host a wide range of food-focused community events, private dinners and receptions, and, its most anticipated concept, the Southeast's first-ever revolving series of pop-up restaurants, which will feature chefs from restaurants nationwide.
"We are overwhelmed by the positive feedback from our members, the food community and event industry professionals," says Rochelle Johnson, owner of The Cookery. "Catering companies are already recommending the Front Room for wedding receptions and daytime business seminars, and events for 2013 are already being booked. We aim to offer this space not only as a beautiful setting for any event, but also to set a high bar for quality food and culinary-focused events."
The construction progress, which many neighbors have observed on West Chapel Hill Street, has been months in the making, but will soon be complete by early September. The latest installations include a newly-windowed building facade, a rolling glass garage door that opens to the patio, a mezzanine and a hefty giant skillet hanging from the building's northeast corner. Upcoming installations include a 17-foot bar constructed from old tobacco warehouse shutters and a handmade metal mezzanine and stair railing.
On Saturday, September 15, from noon-3pm, The Cookery hosts a "Culinary Spectacle for All Ages" - its grand opening of the Front Room that aims to raise funds to remodel the kitchen in the Durham Crisis Response Center's Emergency Shelter. The Triangle's top chefs, local breweries and Cookery member food trucks will all be in attendance. For details about the event, click here.
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