In early 2024, Jeremy and Allie La Valle Umansky announced their plans to open Larder Supply, a multi-faceted culinary hub in Hingetown, just steps away from their popular delicatessen and bakery, Larder (1455 W. 29th St., 216-912-8203). The plan was to marry a heavy retail component with a steady lineup of culinary classes, events and services.
But now, thanks to steep import duties, many of those retail products have become cost prohibitive.
“We had to re-hash what the vision of the business would be,” explains Jeremy. “Instead of being driven primarily by retail, we will be more driven by the classes and events and engagement aspect as we build up our inventory and realize the full vision.”
To start, the Umanskys will shelve most of the Japanese kitchen knives, European cooking and baking equipment and other imported culinary products. Instead, they will go all in on the culinary education events. Larder Supply will be the place to go for events and classes covering fermentation, miso making, meat curing, animal butchery, cocktail making and more.
“All of the classes that we have traditionally done at Larder will be moved to Larder Supply,” he adds. “We’re going to be bringing some really fun gastronomic professionals into town for events – on top of all the culinary classes.”
In the works is a miso workshop with Rich Shih, Umansky’s co-author of “Koji Alchemy.” James Beard Award-winning author Danny Childs, who penned “Slow Drinks,” will teach an upcoming mixology session.
Those classes will be joined by services such as knife sharpening, culinary equipment repair and recipe consulting.
Umansky had always planned to offer a selection of upcycled and restored kitchen equipment that he has amassed over his many years in the industry. That “Larder Line” will consist of items such as rehabbed cooking knives, restored cast-iron cookware and other vintage tools and equipment.
“Stuff that has already been around for 50 or 100 years that we feel we can get another 50 out of,” says Umansky.
This Sunday, the shop will host its first public event, a knife-sharpening open house. Knives will be sharpened while you wait for a fixed price of $7 per blade regardless of size or style.
When they arrive, visitors will find a cozy space that feels like a natural extension of Larder. The Umanskys once again worked with Christopher Maurer of Redhouse Studios to achieve a consistent look and feel. Many of the building supplies, such as the mix-and-match wood flooring, were reclaimed and repurposed.
Check the Larder and Larder Supply social media pages to keep abreast of upcoming events.
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