EatSeattle Contributor
Independent retailer and cooking class venue inspire a hungry clientele of aspiring cooks, serious food enthusiasts and home entertainers
Bellevue, Wash. – Whisk, a new cooking class venue, tabletop and kitchenware store has debuted on Old Bellevue’s Main Street. Averaging 10 cooking classes per week, Whisk offers top notch cooking class instructors and highly curated kitchenware, bakeware, barware, cutlery, tabletop and entertainment goods, and more.
Owners and longtime Bellevue residents Ann and Don Perinchief bring 75 collective years of retail and corporate experience and their personal interest and excitement for cooking and entertaining friends and family. In Whisk, the couple forged their skills and passions into a unique, customer service-oriented marketplace for culinary enthusiasts.
“Whisk came to life when we were looking for cooking classes on the Eastside and came up relatively empty-handed,” Ann Perinchief said. “The conception of Whisk was the perfect opportunity to provide a broad spectrum of cooking classes while also realizing our lifelong dream of a tabletop and kitchenware store.”
Clean, modern, spacious and beautifully appointed, the retail features four eye-catching chandeliers made of 136 whisks (by Harold’s Lighting) descending from lofty ceilings. On the tabletop and entertainment side of the shop, three large monsoon wood tables (from Jamieson Furniture) offer contemporary and modern tabletop and entertainment goods perfect for home but great for gift-giving. Notable brands include Simon Pierce, Andrew Pierce, Peugeot, Laguiole and hand made and signed Ellen Evans pieces as well as Silver from St James and finds from the flee market in Paris.
The cookware side, also shown on three custom-made tables, is focused on functionality with high-end collections of select brands not likely to be found elsewhere, especially in the number of options at Whisk. This carefully edited product mix is focused on better and best-in-class retail and unique finds. Look for Rösle, Le Creuset, Mauviel, and Emile Henry, as well as hard-to-find Northwest brands, such as Finex Cast Iron from Portland, Or.
Through a 9-foot by 9-foot multi-paned window, a glimpse into Whisk’s adjacent teaching kitchen space beckons. The Perinchiefs enlisted a small army of professional chefs, many being alums or current staff of well-known Seattle and Eastside restaurants, to lead a broad array of cooking classes in a space that’s appointed for any cook’s fantasy. Here, a 30-foot island checkered with five Blue Star ranges allows each set of students their own workspaces with plenty of room for hands-on involvement and engagement with the chef-instructor.
Among its regional resident chefs from well-known professional kitchens:
- Barbara Sowatsky – A Chicago native where extended Italian family Sunday dinners stretched for hours, Sowatsky ditched an engineering career to attend the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. She went on to work with Nancy Oaks, Alice Waters, Martin Yan and Jacques Pepin. At Whisk, Sowatsky focuses greatly on technique for foundational cooking.
- Aaron Tekulve – a Montana native and Art Institute of Seattle graduate, Tekulve’s experience runs deep. A recent contestant on Chopped, he has also served as sous chef at Lark, apprentice of Lauren Thompson, chef de cuisine at Cafe Juanita, and Chef de Partie at Canlis. As chef-owner of private dining company, Surrell Dinners, Aaron specializes in Modern American food steeped in tradition, which he showcases at his classes at Whisk.
- Iole Aguero – With her family roots and travels to southern Italy, Aguero helps students make rave-worthy, authentic Italian meals using basic ingredients and proven techniques.
Cookbook authors, other notable chefs and guest chefs also entertain guests at Whisk. Cooking classes specifically for kids, dinner party-planning, baking, regional cuisine, gluten-free and more that appeal to all levels of kitchen experience are offered throughout the week, mornings and/or evenings. In addition to pre-scheduled classes, Whisk is able to create custom events forcorporate team-building events, bridal showers/bachelorette gatherings, large family events, birthday parties and social clubs.
Whisk is an independent retailer with a curated selection of kitchenware, bakeware, barware, and unique tabletop serving pieces for everyday entertaining. Whisk is also a venue for cooking classes with a talented team of chefs. Whisk is for everyone – from aspiring cooks to those who love to entertain and want to refine their cooking skills, as well as serious food enthusiasts. Find Whisk at 10385 Main St. at the corner of Main Street and Bellevue Way in Bellevue, Wash. Complimentary parking is available at The Meyden building. For more information or class reservations, contact (425) 922-9575 or visit www.whiskcooks.com.