Last week I was invited to the opening of Kitchen and Market, a brand new specialty grocery store and meal kit service in the heart of our Downtown Seattle, located just steps from the “original” Starbucks in Pike Place Market. In the last year and a half, because we haven’t gone out to any restaurants, I have cooked more meals than I have ever thought possible and my creativity in the kitchen is not what it used to be. So this is totally the type of place I need: a place that has groceries if I want specific things, ready made kits if I don’t want to make everything and interesting household products grouped in thoughtful ways in a bright and cheery store in a place about a 15 minute drive from my house.
Kitchen and Market is great for Seattle families who need help with making meals
Stephanie King, the owner and founder of Kitchen and Market summed up my feelings about cooking and her goals for Kitchen and Market when she said: “I want people to have fun making dinner because sometimes frankly it’s not.” And as I went around the store picking out things from Kitchen and Market on a gorgeous Tuesday night, it was fun. I spotted recognizable products like King Arthur Flour, Molly Moon’s ice cream, and Ritter Sport chocolates, locally made L’avant collective soaps, Smith Brothers milks and hundreds of Kitchen and Market store branded items too. I thought about the busy night we had ahead with lessons and driving to soccer practice and what I was going to make for dinner and seeing all the options made my fate far less daunting.
And Kitchen and Market would be a great place to stop for Seattle Family Travelers too
If I was traveling and staying in an Airbnb in Downtown Seattle, I would probably pick up a few things for dinner one night. There are lots of ready to take salads, soups and desserts and even fresh baked bread to go along with all these things. When we travel with kids we usually eat a few meals in our hotel room and it’s nice sometimes to eat food like this that feels more homemade than typical restaurant food. And because Kitchen and Market is right in Pike Place, it’s easy to grab a few items at the store and pick up other things from other market stops as well.
And what do my kids say about the food we’ve tried from Kitchen and Market?
So far my kids really enjoyed the chicken tenders. We baked them in the oven and didn’t even put oil on them and my kids really enjoyed the flavors. They also liked the fresh pasta (I think we went with bucatini) and we tried “Mom’s Tomato Sauce” on top and served it with the salad and potato bread. I actually made these things right after stopping by the Kitchen and Market opening event and before my kids came home from one lesson so we could enjoy dinner together before they headed off to another class. This definitely made my life easier on a night that is usually extremely busy.
Another night recently, we also enjoyed a really delicious chickpea soup with baked potatoes. One of my guys used the chickpea soup ON his baked potato like a chili and thought it was a really great combination. I normally would have chosen a tomato or chicken noodle soup but a staff member had told us that this was their favorite so we tried it and enjoyed it. I love when people who work at places are knowledgeable about their products and can recommend things like this that help us expand our flavor palates as well. I was also sent home with a goody bag that had the ingredients to make an apple galette and a simple recipe-it probably took me 10 minutes to put together and clean up and about 30 minutes to bake a lovely, hot dessert that made my house smell wonderful and my family smile.
I still have a tray of ready-to-make pain au chocolates in my freezer that we’ll hopefully try this weekend. And then I’ll pop in next week and probably pick up a few things when I head to Pike Place Market again. I’m also looking forward to it.
Kitchen and Market already seems like it’s going to be a staple in our lives and already dinner and cooking is feeling a little more fun again too.
(PS if you’re looking for more about our Seattle Adventures with kids or just more about Terumi and this blog based in the Pacific Northwest you can check out the About Me page or find me on Instagram. Also Kitchen and Market just got a new neighbor in 2023-Hellenika Culture Creamery is a new frozen yogurt spot in Pike Place Market too.)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)