When general merchandise manager Bea Goldberg joined Jungle Jim’s 10 years ago to revamp the section, she cut celebrity chef cooking lines from Mario Batali, Rachael Ray, Tyler Florence and Emeril Lagasse because she thought they lacked quality. Today Goldberg sources products that aren’t carried by nearby Kohl’s, Wal-Mart and Target stores. Merchandising the section to complement the retailer’s “state of the art” cooking school” sets us apart from everybody else,” she said.
Photo By Ashley Kroninger
The Fairfield store’s “Wall of Gadgets” boasts more than 1,000 tools from OXO, RSVP, Fox Run and Norpro. The most frequently requested is the handheld Microplane grater made popular by television cooking shows. “It’s probably one of the best-selling items that the Food Network uses,” said Goldberg.
Photo by Ashley Kroninger
Grill pans, and juicers from Breville and Hurom, are a hit with Jungle Jim’s health-conscious shoppers, while those looking to save time are investing in pressure cookers, which cook in two-thirds less time, according to Goldberg. The method is so popular that Jungle Jim’s cooking school features pressure-cooking classes.
Photo by Ashley Kroninger
Jungle Jim’s Cincinnati location’s cutlery selection includes brands like Shun, Wüsthof and top-selling Santoku Japanese chef knives that are popular with professional chefs and viewers of Food Network cooking shows, according to Goldberg.
Photo by Mike Eiseman
Customers who take a class at the Cooking School at Jungle Jim’s, and culinary students who study elsewhere, get 10% off on Gourmet Galeria products. This is the only discount that can be obtained from day-to-day. Twice yearly, the Gourmet Galerias host customer appreciation events where a dozen vendors demo their products and prices are marked down 10%. These take place two weeks prior to Thanksgiving and Christmas. “The last two weeks before Christmas is when people really get involved in buying the majority of the high-end [inventory],” said Goldberg.
Photo By Ashley Kroninger