The path from kitchen to dining room is generally a direct route, which may explain why Among Friends, 821 Chestnut Court, Winnetka (847-441-9970), blends tabletop items with a healthy selection of cooking gear.
Kathleen Willoughby and business partners Julia and John Stibolt opened the store last fall.
In selecting the store’s diverse inventory, Willoughby draws on expertise developed during a retail display career with Macy’s and Ralph Lauren as well as coursework at The Culinary School of Kendall College in Evanston. She makes a point of stocking limited availability and one-of-a-kind items.
“We have made this an all-around lifestyle store–how you would want to entertain,” Willoughby said. “It’s all about being with friends and family.”
The store stocks the German-made Rosle line of stainless-steel kitchen utensils, from a dishwasher-safe rubber spatula and left-handed swivel peeler to a sleek asparagus and trout slicer. Prices range from $11 to $60. The utensils are displayed on the company’s “Open Kitchen” system of hooks, holders and racks, also sold at the store.
Visuals play an important role in determining the store’s inventory of cookbooks; looking at eye-catching photos in many of the newer cookbooks can convey interesting lifestyle information, Willoughby says, as well as showing how a dish is supposed to look.
In addition to kitchenware and tabletop items, Among Friends offers gourmet jellies, mustards and marinades, and creates custom invitations to order.
