What, When, Where: Stock Culinary Goods

By Lisa Harrison

Providence is fast getting a reputation as a city for the food (and drink) obsessed. If you need proof, it was recently ranked the top destination in the country for “Food/Drink/Restaurants†in Travel and Leisure‘s “America’s Favorite Cities†poll.

So it’s fitting that a population’s unabashed love of all things food, from fried chicken to foie gras, would result in the opening of a retail store dedicated to sourcing the best products to outfit home kitchens and decorate dining tables.

Enter Jan Faust Dane, proprietor of Stock Culinary Goods, which opened on Hope Street last month. Faust Dane, an avid cook who was most recently the “food forager†for the Ocean House in Westerly, calls Stock her “dream store–a place where people who love to cook and entertain can gather … and find inspiration.â€

Photos by Jan Faust Dane

Stock is a haven for avid foodies, hip hostesses and casual cooks alike.

Already much talked about by the local chef community and home cooks alike, Stock has a thoughtfully curated selection of kitchen tools and housewares, hard-to-find gadgets, even antiques and one-of-a-kind vintage treasures. Last time we were in, we spotted gorgeous Rhode Island-made copper pots, hand-turned rolling pins from Vermont, Chemex coffee makers, Revol tagines, a stack of must-read vintage cookbooks…. And the list goes on and on.

The copper pots are locally made.

Bar carts display unique and hard-to-find items.

All you need to unearth your inner mixologist.

Retail is only one (albeit major) component of the shop. In the spirit of creating a culinary-minded community, a place to mingle, share recipes and ideas, Stock will host tastings and samplings, socials, even food-themed movie nights.

Faust Dane reminds us that good stock is the foundation for good cooking. If her new venture is any indication, she’s well on her way to building a space that stirs us to gather, shop, cook and entertain. Stock Culinary Goods, 756 Hope Street, Providence, RI, (401) 521-0101.