Eventually, every meal must end — even a feast that has kept going for 47 years. And for La Cuisine, the longtime cookery shop in Old Town’s grand finale was sweet indeed.
“What we thought would be a month-long process … lasted three days,” said owner Nancy Pollard. “We did not expect it.”
Nor did Pollard and her team of “Cuisinettes” — devoted La Cuisine employees — expect the gaggle of longtime customers who waited outside 323 Cameron Street for their turn to enter the shop to reminisce, say goodbye — and pick up some deals.
“From what I understand, there was a line out the door and it was freezing — and the people apparently … were all trading stories about cooking and how much they loved the store. It was kind of like a little community of people who had been coming to our shop for a long time,” Pollard said. “It was all very positive, even though it was like 19 degrees. And of course we never saw any of this because we couldn’t see beyond the sea of people in our 700-square-foot (space).”
Over the years, La Cuisine developed a following for being one of the top choices for home cooks who were looking for high-quality materials at a fair price. From cast iron to cookbooks, copper pots to new knives, the shop was small but mighty, a tour de force for anyone looking to restock their kitchen — or treat themselves.
“I’m still answering letters from people who wrote really, really lovely things,” Pollard said.
With the shop in good shape financially and all her ducks in a row, Pollard knew it would be a good time to close things down on a high note.
“I was ready to retire,” she said. And as her family continued to expand, including two grandsons, “I really wanted to spend more time with them.”
As for what’s next for the Cameron Street space, Pollard says there’s no news to report at the moment. Perhaps she will open its doors for a pop-up store here and there, or donate the space to a group for political-campaign purposes. Regardless, she and her husband will continue to live right above what was her lifeblood for so many years.
“We’re staying,” Pollard said, “except when I visit my grandsons.”
Hope Nelson owns and operates the Kitchen Recessionista blog, located at www.kitchenrecessionista.com. Email her any time at hope@kitchenrecessionista.com.