Since he sold his last restaurant 13 years ago, Cary Neff does what he wants: He’s a private chef for a family and does high-end, off-premises catering.
Two years ago, he turned his hobby — collecting and restoring cooking equipment — into a small business called C.M. Neff Cook Sup. Co., an old-fashioned cooking-supply store in a brick building off the corner of 13th and McKean Streets near his South Philadelphia home.
Neff packed the small shop, all of 500 square feet, with all manner of cookware, blenders, pots, pans, coffeemakers, bar supplies, pantry items, small wares — some new in boxes, others brought back to life — with such services as knife-sharpening, KitchenAid appliance repairs, and cast-iron restoration. He also doles out free advice.
Neff ran out of room at Cook Supply Co. pretty much the day it opened. A few months ago, he found another storefront, twice the size and three blocks away — not to replace the original store, but to build on it.
Both the new store, at 1612 E. Passyunk Ave., and the original shop, at 1340 S. 13th St., are browser’s paradises.
The original shop, which Neff calls “the Pantry,” is a hybrid of corner market and specialty store. If you need a head of garlic, a lemon, a lime, or an onion, you can find it there, along with tinned fish, different kinds of salts, oils, and vinegars, and French chocolates – from the practical to the indulgent. Why choose kewpie mayo, when there’s yuzu mayo right beside it? He offers cheeses, bulk dried cherries and vanilla beans, loaves of Mighty Bread, small-batch baked goods from neighborhood bakers on weekends, and gift baskets assembled from the shop’s inventory. It’s open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday to Sunday.
While you chat, you can pick up a shot of espresso or order made-on-demand gelato from the Solato machine. Neff combines them for affogatos.
There are also kitchen supplies, but the bulk of the inventory can be found at the similarly jam-packed new location on Passyunk Avenue, which has a chef’s counter for classes and demonstrations in the back. Neff bounces between locations.
This store, open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, caters more directly to working chefs and serious home cooks. Here, carbon steel pans and heavy-gauge mixing spoons share space with vintage glassware, pro tools, and one-of-a-kind finds. “Let’s say the avid cook wants to come in and buy a mixing spoon,” Neff said. “We have the lower grade, inexpensive stainless steel, and then we have a heavy gauge that professionals are looking for.”
The classroom programming includes pasta workshops, cocktail demos, and Halloween cupcake making.
Though he tips his hat to South Philly kitchen-supply store Fante’s — “Fante’s is the OG,” he said. “They’re the benchmark” — Neff says his goal is to complement rather than compete. “We’ll have a lot of the same things, but we add vintage pieces, homey, fun gifty items,” he said. “People come in and they’re just like, ‘Whoa,’ kind of blown away.”
For Neff, who built his reputation in restaurants, the turn toward retail has been rewarding. “You see that satisfaction you get from helping somebody, and they’re just like, ‘Yeah, that’s exactly what I wanted. That’s what I needed,’” he said. “That’s a good vibe.”