Hello Friends!
As a neighborhood favorite restaurant, this last year we've been on our toes pivoting all over the place with no end in sight, but we've finally landed on the pivot to end all pivots! The best pivot yet! We are ready to transform what used to be our tiny sweet dining room into a culinary bookstore and we're asking you to join us in support!
As a bookstore (with a kitchen attached!), we will offer cookbooks, kitchen memoirs, and other food related titles. We'll also host author events, book signings, chef demonstrations and most excitingly, a program of classes inspired by our favorite cookbooks. I'll bring my professional culinary perspective to the table and we'll approach the recipes together. I can't think of a better way to build community around food.
Don't worry, we're not getting rid of all the amazing things we already offer, we're just diversifying our business and coming up with our dream solution for cooking and engaging with the community.
We'll still offer your favorite baked goods like baby cakes, chocolate chunk cookies, and berry galettes, just in the afternoon. We'll continue with pantry staples like bake at home biscuits, green mac, and bone broth. We'll still be your stop for the best small producer wines curated by our amazing friend Dana Frank. Newly, we'll begin offering a selection of our favorite vintage and new kitchenwares to make your experience even more functional and charming. But that's not all.
Finally, you'll forget all about brunch when you see our afternoon menu. We we'll be open from noon-6pm and will serve European inspired bar food; simple+elegant+quick, natural wine pours and vermouth cocktails. We'll continue with outdoor seating through the Fall, and looking toward the future we're designing seats in our open kitchen so you can sit at our hidden bar-inside-a-bookstore.
We've set up the accounts, studied the cookbooks, and worked with designers to visualize this dream, and now we're raising money to bring that vision to life. Your monetary contribution and reward purchase will allow us to buy inventory, make modest renovations to the space, and have some working capital to get the business running. Please join us in being part of building Portland's culinary bookstore, plus afternoon bakeshop, natural wine shop, vintage kitchenware store, and secret bar!
Thank you in advance for trusting us to make this most delightful store a reality and thank you for showing us how much you love what we do by supporting us through the pandemic. We feel it and are so ready to embark on this culinary adventure with you.
Love,
Robin Wheelright
Chef Owner
Vivienne Kitchen & Pantry
