Lookery (The Art Of Cooking)

Cookery of Roncesvalles is the dream child of Alison Fletcher. A former marketing exec, Alison spent two decades working in the headquarters of various global brands before focusing her talents on a more local level. Alison had been pondering her next move, when a retail space along Roncesvalles Avenue became available. Longing to be her own boss, she decided to open a kitchenware boutique of her own. It wasn’t just the incredibly short commute that made the business-venture appealing.

“I have a passion for customer service, I want to really know my customers…I want to know what they like. And the majority of people who live here, want to have a personal relationship with their retail community — they want shop locally on Roncey, so it ‘s a natural win-win,” Alison explains.

She was shopping in a cookware shop when she first had her aha-moment; she knew just what to do. She set about curating a collection of kitchen gear of “enduring quality, performance excellence, and beauty” and wherever possible, items that were locally sourced and handmade. Today the shop carries hand-carved wooden spoons from Timber’s family-run wood shop in Bala, Ontario, natural fibre linens from Ten & Co. in the Junction, and delicately patterned blue and white porcelain from Art et Manufacture by Quebec’s Edith Bourgault.

“I love cooking, I love my kitchen, I love the beautiful things in my kitchen,” says Alison. She believes her customers do too.