Columbia losing kitchen retail and cooking school store

The Capital City’s Charleston Cooks!, a cooking supply and culinary store, is closing June 28.

Along with Whole Foods, the kitchen retail store and cooking school was one of the first stores to arrive in October 2012 at the Cross Hill Market site along Devine Street. Charleston Cooks! was part of the Charleston-based Maverick Southern Kitchens group.

Storewide discounts have begun in Columbia, said store manager Erin Eisele. Scheduled cooking classes will continue until the closing date, she said.

With the closing of the locally owned Mary & Martha’s kitchen store in Forest Acres last year, only Gourmet Shop in Five Ponts and Williams-Sonoma in Columbiana will remain as dedicated kitchen retail shops for home cooks.

The Charleston Cooks! locations in Greenville and Charleston will remain open.

Charleston Cooks! sells name brand kitchen items such as Le Crueset and Lodge as well as local products like Bittermilk cocktail compounds from Charleston and popular cookbooks. The store also has a professional kitchen installed for cooking classes and private dining events.

The recently sold Maverick Southern Kitchens owned not only three kitchen stores but the restaurants Slightly North of Broad in Charleston, High Cotton in Greenville and Charleston and Old Village Post House in Mount Pleasant.

This story was originally published June 2, 2015 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Columbia losing kitchen retail and cooking school store."