Food, music and custard pie

If you like to cook, chances are you also enjoy listening to music. When you’re in the kitchen, music can be inspiring, energizing and uplifting. For myself, whether I’m making soup, preparing dinner, baking or canning - music helps to clear the mind, keep spirits high and my energy up for all the tasks at hand.  Staying positive and relaxed becomes especially important when making a time-consuming dish or a complicated recipe.

At Cook Culture, we have a standing joke that if we hear U2 or Coldplay one more time… well, there’s a lot of sharp or blunt objects around that could be used in harmful ways. But kidding aside, Coldplay’s A Rush of Blood to the Head is a cooking stable both in the store and at home.

At the end of a day the store’s owner, Jed, is known for putting on Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven before a cooking class. The epic song has a magical way of transporting a person away from work and brings a sense of focus and youthful energy that lasts long after the eight-minute track is over. And, have you heard Custard Pie, the opening track to Led Zeppelin's sixth album, Physical Graffiti? Chef Cosmo Meens does a wicked air-guitar solo with his Miyabi knife.

Elton John is another store favorite - it keeps customers and staff happy alike. Customers can often be heard singing along to Tiny Dancer, Candle in the Wind or Don't Go Breaking My Heart while perusing the shelves. Elton John’s music is universally known and catchy, perfect to sing or hum along to while in the kitchen.

Since music is food for the soul, the upbeat rhythm of the soulful Lou Rawls is a big part of our day and experience here at Cook Culture. Soul music is uplifting and fun and keeps your feet moving through every step of cooking – from chopping to sautéing, seasoning to serving.