The Cooks Larder

We weren’t the only ones excited about visiting The Cooks Larder that day.

Little did we realise how much of a magnet this ‘local’ is for the Northern Beaches community. People are drawn to it not only for their amazing food and coffee, but also for their organic and healthy food philosophy that has turned The Cooks Larder into a destination for learning, appreciating and celebrating good food.

The word ‘passion’ is thrown around a lot these days, but Samantha and Dugal, owners of The Cooks Larder, actually put passion into practice, hosting regular producer dinners and cooking classes for their fiercely loyal community of regulars. And yes, their clientele is mainly made up of locals who’ve been patrons of the store since it opened 8 years ago. They’ve seen people get married, families expand and children grow up around their communal dining table, and in their cooking classes through the seasons.

Three things we like about The Cooks Larder:

As operators, they’re incredibly involved and ‘switched-on’

“You’ve got to constantly read, and be out-and-about. The dangers of being a business up here is that it’s extremely easy to become insular.” – Samantha

Samantha and Dugal have a voracious appetite for everything about food, and have made the decision to be actively involved in issues regarding producers and industry. Not only do they read any kind of local, international, print and online food publication there is, they also find the time to write their own food blog filled with recipes, musings, and beautiful photography. They also go one step further to stay informed, travelling into the city at least once a week to stay updated on current café and dining trends.

They’re passionate about their produce

Let’s just say their family road trips steer clear of the Maccas pit stop. A recent trip down the South Coast saw the family touring a dairy farm and striking up a conversation with dairy farmers about the milk pricing controversy threatening their livelihood. Samantha and Dugal also host regular producer dinners and cooking classes for their customers, fostering a community food culture by encouraging participation.

Education about fresh produce: photo courtesy of Sam Mackie

Photo courtesy of Sam Mackie

A Cooks Larder Producer Dinner: photo courtesy of Sam Mackie

They run a range of cooking classes for adults: photo courtesy of Sam Mackie

Their children's cooking classes are very popular: photo courtesy of Sam Mackie

Find out more about their cooking classes for kids and adults

The third, and BEST thing we like about The Cooks Larder: It’s a shop for the people, by the people

Customers sitting by the feature wall with eclectic decorations

The Cooks Larder is also a walk-in tribute to their Customers. Gifts and trinkets from their many loyal and devoted customers hang from the walls, or are incorporated into the shop’s design. Customers buy gifts for Samantha and Dugal all the time while travelling, including vintage egg beaters that hang on their red feature wall. One of the most precious gifts treasured by Samantha is a cookbook, published in 1846, and affectionately bestowed upon her by one of their loyal regulars, Mrs Caillard.The cookbook, having belonged to Mrs Caillard’s grandmother, contains her neat handwritten notes along the pages of every recipe.

Culinary Jottings - an 1846 published cookbook

Sam perusing the cookbook

Another gift to The Cooks Larder, from Mrs Caillard

Mrs Caillard's green metal cabinet stowed safely at the servers station

Community is what matters at the Cooks Larder. They also stock a range of Brasserie Bread loaves for sale if you’re craving your fix up in the Northern Beaches. Though you may have to fight off the staff for our caramelised garlic loaf, which so happens to be their favourite after-service snack with a glass of red wine.