This might seem a little pointless if you’re not near Cleveland, but I promise it’s not.
Just outside downtown Cleveland is Dean Supply. It’s open to the public, but their target market is the restaurant trade. Which means not just wholesale prices for kitchen supplies, but access to stuff you won’t find at the local Williams Sonoma.
As soon as you come in the front door, you realize this is not a “consumer” store. It’s a step up from a warehouse, but you won’t find cute little scenes set up so you can see how these plates look with those glasses. Just rack after rack of variety. You need to bring your own sense of style, because they don’t do it for you.
There’s a huge selection of dishes available to order by the case.
Or pick from the nearly-as-large selection of individual plates in stock.
It’s the same with the glasses and stemware. Buy singles or cases. No four-piece sets to be seen. Like I said, the homeowners’ market is not their target.
This carries through to the food they stock. Big cans, boxes and bottles of things you didn’t know came in that size. (That’s Lou and the girls checking it out, by the way.)
The girls couldn’t believe there was a whisk taller than Ana.
So what did I go there for? The pastry cutter I’ve been looking for since I made pie crust.
Oh, and I found some heavy-duty tongs for next year’s grill season. Every time I go I find something completely unexpected that I realize I really need.
What does this all have to do with you if you’re not near Cleveland? Just this: Most of what they sell into the consumer market you’d never find in a professional kitchen. And restaurants won’t pay twice as much to have a celebrity chef’s name imprinted on the bottom. Which means you should check your local yellow pages for “restaurant supply”. If it doesn’t say “Open to the public” in the ad, give them a call and ask.
But leave the credit cards at home. If you’re like me, you’ll be like a kid in a candy store.
Want more like this? For more recipes like this, that you can hold right in your hands, and write on, take notes, tear pages out if you want (Gosh, you're tough on books, aren't you?) you might be interested in How To Cook Like Your Grandmother, 2nd edition, Illustrated. Or to learn your way around the kitchen, check out Starting From Scratch: The Owner's Manual for Your Kitchen.
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26 Comments
In the southern suburbs of Chicago, the one I have frequented over the years is Lippert’s. It’s just north of the 80/294 interchange, a block or two east of Halsted. It’s not as fancy as the pics of the place you went to, but there are lots of great buys there too. I can even get the sno-cone syrup for my son’s machine there by the gallon.
~ PJ
But . . . what does one USE a whisk of that size FOR?
Wow. Having delivered for a restaurant supply warehouse, I have to admit that this one is really nice.
The one I worked for scary – like a 300 lb commercial range might fall on you at any time scary.
Anon, I’ve seen the annual food/kitchen convention in Chicago on the Food Network several times. I’d love to come visit for that. And besides, Chicago is so much bigger than Cleveland I’m sure that are some great places there.
Kristin, have you ever seen them do kettle corn at a fair? I’ve been in a few kitchens that had kettles that looked pretty similar. Soup for 1,000.
Steve, I think you left out a “0″ on the weight of that range.
I didn’t include any pics of the ranges and cooling equipment because I try to stay out of those aisles. Every time I go down them I start telling myself that a six-burner stove really wouldn’t be overkill … and if I put an addition on the back of the house I could do that nice walk-in fridge I’ve always wanted …
I’ve been looking for a pastry cutter just like that! My search continues… (because I’m too cheap to order something so small online)
I would love to live near a place like this! But then again, its best that I don’t
.
We have a Cash and Carry that’s similar to this, except it only has the food section. There’s huge barrels of ice cream, enormous cans of a variety of foods. It’s awesome! But wow, I really like the look of all that other stuff too. What an amazing whisk.
I’ve had dreams of places like that…
I had no idea you were a Clevelander. I’ve been looking for a new restaurant supply store since my fave one in Parma closed. Thanks!!!
April, that’s exactly what I did. I hate paying more for shipping that for the thing I’m buying.
Jewel, luckily it’s just far enough away that I won’t go just because I don’t have anything better to do.
Stephanie, if I want the bulk food I’ll go to the GFS.
Bob … you need a hobby.
Frantic, are you talking about the one at the top of … was it State? Or maybe Broadview? Right by Brookpark. I haven’t been there in a while. I always wanted to get some of the “previously owned” stuff that came out of restaurants. Eight-burner ranges for under $1,000. (But where the hell would I put it? Bah, details.)
So, Drew, did you get yourself a really large stainless steel bowl yet? Thanksgiving is almost here and you’ll need it for tossing the stuffing ingredients!
B, I’ve found reasonably large containers for $15, and ridiculously large containers for $6. I’m trying to find a happy medium.
Not my favorite pastry cutter. You are better off with one that doesn't have the solid sides. I found mine at Macy's of all places, as W&S only had the kind you bought.
oh my!! I could get into some serious trouble in that store! btw…my daughter stumbled upon your blog while trying to get a recipe for pita bread yesterday. She made yours and it was delish! In fact I am having some for breakfast this morning. thanks for sharing the great recipe.
Katie, I’ll be trying mine for the first time in a week or so, getting ready for Thanksgiving. I’ll let you know what I think.
Hip Chick, glad you liked it. And thanks for the reminder, I need to make some more.
Great site. I just got a pressure cooker. What book would you recommend?
Pecos, the books I worked from were really old. (Like pre-1900s old.) They were using different equipment, and possibly didn’t know as much as we do today about food safety. So I can’t really give you a good book recommendation. (Besides which, I doubt you’d be able to find them in your local bookstore.)
For an online resource, it’s hard to beat the National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia.
Drew,
You’re are correct. Those types of places are fantastic… and tough on the wallet. A couple of years ago I found a similar store here in the Chicagoland area and have to make a trip there every couple of months, even if it is just to browse. Of course, like you, I always stumble upon some item that I determine I simply cannot live without. You can check out the place at this address: http://www.schweppeinc.com
Terry, I just checked their site. Looks a lot like Dean.
Pecos Blue… What kind of pressure cooker did you buy? A canner? My family has canned forever and we use the Ball Blue Book of Preserving Food and the Kerr Home Canning & Freezing Book. Did you notice they are from the JAR companies? Who better to trust than from the jars you’re using…
DH keeps me on a leash in restaurant supply stores. There’s always this doodad or that knife or this bowl that I just HAVE to have. LOL
He doesn’t bother me in places like W/S because those places are over-priced and don’t have the great professional bits and pieces like the supply stores.
Nancy, you’re right about W/S and the other home kitchen places. Super-expensive, and really not professional grade anyway.
I’ve got a personal rule, that works as well for kitchen gadgets as it does for hardware (like drills, hammers, etc.): If it has the word “Professional series” stamped on the side, you’d never see a professional using it.
That looks like a great store. I wish I had something like that in my area. Do they have a site you can order from? Hope you found everything you needed.
yes they do: http://www.deansupplyco.com/
I hate to ask…. but am I missing something here? All I see is the title, photo and comments. Was/Is there more to this post?
Thanks for pointing it out. This one got broken when I moved from Blogger. It should be correct now.
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