Downtown Ottawa’s most adorable kitchen store, the Pot & Pantry, is now open and I was lucky enough to take a sneak peek (and shop) during the pre-opening celebration on Thursday.
More than a kitchen store, the Pot & Pantry stocks a wide variety of fine kitchenware, barware, gourmet foods and drink that will excite chefs and amateur cooks alike. On Thursday night, I filled the role of amateur cook while my sister shopped in the role of chef.
The store itself is bright and inviting, with a healthy dose of fun. They clearly had their future clientele in mind when they dreamed up the pineapple wallpaper behind the cash that now serves as the perfect backdrop for when you need to Instagram your finds.
As we explored the stocked shelves for well over an hour, it was clear we were going to be coming back again. While the store’s footprint is small, there is so much artfully packed on the shelves that there is always something new to discover, yet it doesn’t feel cluttered.
Not to mention, unique. It was one of Pot & Pantry owner Robin Coull’s goals to bring in items that were not only hard-to-find, but also new-to-Ottawa.
In one space you may find a terrarium, marble mortar and pestle, stamped ceramics and absolutely drool worthy Sainte Marie hand woven baskets from Montreal.
In another, Dillars bitters, wooden muddlers, a mason jar cocktail shaker and unique simple syrups in flavours like chai and lavender.
And in yet another, there are Laguiole knives, Amola salts, marble cutting boards and gorgeous Tunisian cotton hand towels.
However, like any good Ottawa foodie, Coull is also featuring Ottawa-made favourites from the Lowertown Canning Company, Top Shelf Preserves, Cardamom & Cloves and of course, caramel from her own creation, Morsel.
With all this choice and the holidays right around the corner, we were relieved when Coull gave us her own expert suggestion for what to buy the picky chef on your list – can you guess which ones?
European imported Laguiole steak knives, Tunisian tea towels and of course, the adorable and versatile tasselled Sainte Marie baskets.
The Grand Opening took place November 19 from 10am – 6pm and November 20th from 11am – 5pm. There were plenty of opportunities to chat, see and sample.
And in case you were wondering, we made out like bandits.
