One of the first things you notice when you walk into Cook’s World, located at 2179 Monroe Avenue in Rochester, is that the staff knows most of their customers by their first names and interests.
Chris and his employees know customers by their first names
The friendly atmosphere has been part of the Cook’s World tradition since George F. Wiedemer launched the gourmet kitchen and cookware store in 1978, then called “Gourmet Galley.”
Today, the business is owned by Chris Wiedemer and two of his brothers, although Chris handles the day-to-day operations.
Located in a house that was once part of a dairy farm, each cozy room is chock full of cookware, kitchen utensils and gifts, sure to tempt even the most well-equiped cook!
“We try to carry things that our local competitors don’t, and we build rapport with all of our customers. Everyone who works here shares a passion for cooking, so we know our products well and share our knowledge.”
Gifts for all occasions, with free gift wrapping!
“We also gift wrap for free. Well, I don’t – I’m all thumbs,” he laughed, glancing at a gift an employee had done a beautiful job of wrapping for his wife. “But everyone else does.”
“We carry the better-to-best quality products such as All Clad, Calphlon, Cuisinart, Le Creuset, Wusthof Trident, J.A. Henckels…. Products you can’t find at just any store.”
Find a broad selection of name brand cookware
In addition, Cooks World also carries cook books, chef apparel and aprons, and specialty food items.
“We love carrying local gourmet food products, and they’re very popular,” Chris shared. “We carry specialty items from Arbor Hill, Doug Ross and Onion Creek Farms spices, and Hedonist Artisan Chocolates . Many of the items sold in the store are also available online.
When I left Cook’s World, employees were about to celebrate Ellie’s 70th birthday. The customers all know Ellie, since she is one of the Managers and has been a part of the Cooks World “family” since 1981.
After seeing how caring everyone at Cooks World is about each other, it’s no surprise that it translates to custmer relationships and that they have been in business for so long.
The Finger Lakes Travel Maven 
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