Upscale kitchenware shop inspired by cookbook author Ina Garten opens in Bluffton
A new specialty kitchenware shop in Bluffton is a little off the beaten path, but those who take the time to seek out Cassandra’s Kitchen may find treasure at the end of their hunt.
The business started as an online-only retail site in 2008 with a singular idea: It would be a source for all things Ina Garten, the celebrity chef and cookbook author.
Cassandra Schultz’s mother, who was Garten’s assistant for decades, had long heard from fans who wanted to purchase serving dishes and table linens they saw the chef use on the Food Network’s “Barefoot Contessa” or in her cookbooks. Her most recent is “Modern Comfort Food: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook,” which was published last year.
“When the books come out, that’s where people see things,” Schultz said. “They want that plate that she uses, or the napkins.”
Those items often aren’t easy to find because Garten spots them at thrift stores or in her travels in Europe, so Schultz saw the opportunity for a business sourcing them.
“We started with things that Ina specifically uses herself, like the peppermill and plastic containers. She uses mostly white serveware,” Schultz said. “As time has gone on, we’ve been able to add things that look like things Ina might use.”
The Bluffton store’s inventory and its website — most of the business is still online — includes autographed copies of Garten’s cookbooks, along with the specific brands of salt and vanilla extract that the chef prefers.
One wall contains solid white Pillivuyt porcelain serving pieces. Another is home to an artful arrangement of Hotel Silver and Simon Pearce crystal. A farmhouse table in the center of the roughly 500-square-foot store is set with solid white dinnerware, seagrass placemats, an array of blue and white linens, pillar candles in hurricane vases, and Laguiole flatware.
There are more utilitarian items as well, like the specific clear plastic containers Garten uses to store chicken stock, and half sheet pans with lids. A display next to the cash register features wooden spoons in multiple sizes.
The store’s inventory is tightly focused on simple, classic and high-quality pieces.
“We don’t sell a lot of gadgets and gimmicks,” Schultz explained.
Location in Bluffton
Schultz, who moved to Bluffton with her family in January 2020 after her husband Eric accepted a job as director of golf at Colleton River, operated the business with her friend Cindy Parsons of Westchester County, New York, as an online retail site for more than a decade.
“We had everything in a warehouse and had a shipping manager, but I knew I wanted to move everything down here,” Schultz said. Finding a location in Bluffton that had a warehouse plus space for a retail store seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up, even if the shop doesn’t get as much foot traffic as it would in a busier retail center.
The store is located at 258 Red Cedar St., Unit 17. It’s at the back of the shopping center that is also home to Lot 9 Brewing and Safelite Auto Glass.
“We are trying to get the word out that we are around the back,” Schultz said.
If you go
What: Cassandra’s Kitchen
Where: 258 Red Cedar St., Unit 17, in Bluffton
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday
Website: cassandraskitchen.com
Facebook: facebook.com/CassandrasKitchen
Phone: 843-815-3500
This story was originally published June 7, 2021 at 4:30 AM.
