Kent Kitchen Works: News, Events & Specials

Constructed in 1933, this Kent, Connecticut, home is swathed in period-appropriate details. But like other houses of that era, its kitchen was charming but severely confined for an entertainment-loving family of four. So the homeowners summoned Trish Namm, Allied ASID, of Kent Kitchen Works to gut and renovate the tiny L-shaped space.

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New Kitchen Design Shop in Kent

By: Maggie Behringer
10/24/2008

Trish and Jeff Namm completed the finishing touches on Kent Kitchen Works in the early hours of last Saturday morning. When they returned to open the shop for its first day of business, they were nervous about people coming. Proving that the couple had nothing to worry about, residents overwhelmed Kent's newest home improvement locale until well past the planned closing time.

The Namms have a long background both in interior design and Litchfield County. Mrs. Namm has worked with Wall Street companies, with Mr. Namm's assistance, for 20 years through HSN Design Associates, crafting luxury apartments from the ground up. With the company located in Kent, they have been able to enjoy the small town's comforts while taking advantage of New York City's proximity.

"It's designed as a living space so you can see yourself living in it," Ms. Namm said of the new business's showroom.

Kent Kitchen Works, located in Kent Green, required a bit of work to reach its present state. The space was once Kent Pharmacy and then was vacant for several year. In November 2007, the couple began designing the store's layout and framing the space. While the majority of the store is complete, the bathroom department is to be installed in the spring. Until then, the open corner will house decorative items, small appliances and kitchenware.

With an eight-page long product list, Kent Kitchen Works offers everything needed when building or remodeling a kitchen, from custom cabinets to counter tops to larger appliances, as well as a bathroom and closets. The Namms can produce a design and then either collaborate with an outside contractor or carry out the installation themselves. Whichever route a client should choose, the couple will supervise the construction.

Because the store works with such a range of products, it is able to fit a range of budgets. The Namms admitted that new house construction is certainly down given the real estate market. However, the market for remodeling, either to better sell a house or simply for the sake of updating a home, is more stable. If Saturday is any indication of Kent Kitchen Work's coming business, the Namms are looking at a very busy winter. For more information, call 860-927-4855.

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©The Kent Good Times Dispatch 2009

Levy Leads Kids in Cooking Class

By: Kathryn Boughton
02/24/2009

A group of eight young Kent children are cooking up a storm this winter under the tutelage of gifted amateur chef Rick Levy. The four-week class is meeting Saturday mornings at the new Kitchen Works outlet operated by Jeff and Trish Namm at the entrance to Kent Green.

Mr. Levy loves to cook and he loves children, so, he says, “I combined the things I love” for this class. Interest in the class was strong and 13 children vied for spots in the class. Those who could not be accommodated are asked to join in if any of the "regulars" cannot attend.

Mr. Levy said the idea first came up when his friends, the Namms, opened their store in October. The Namms had installed a working “dream kitchen” in the store and he approached them about the possibility of using the facility for a small class for children. The Namms, who Mr. Levy said here looking for ways to give back to the community, embraced the idea and went so far as to go out and buy eight stools for the young chefs to use. They also provided each young culinary whiz with an apron and a placemat to work on.

The children bring “tool boxes” containing all their own cooking implements. Mr. Levy said one focus of the classes is the correct use of the implements. At the end of the class, the Namms will present a spoon as a prize.

Mr. Levy begins each session with a trip to the neighboring IGA where they learn about shopping for ingredients. “The first trip they learned about unit pricing and how to compare different items. For instance we looked at two different boxes that had the same item and were priced the same-but I pointed out to them that one was 12 ounces and the other was only 9.5 ounces. This past week, we started to look at labels to determine how healthy the foods were.”

During their first lesson, they learned about eggs before returning to Kitchen Works to whip up all different kinds of breakfast eggs-soft and hard boiled, scrambled and sunny-side up. “What amazed me was that when I asked them the next time if they had made breakfast for their parents, they all said they had-some two or three times. The poor parents are probably getting too much cholesterol!”

This at-home cooking underscores the enthusiasm Mr. Levy sees in class. “Their minds are so open at this age. They are so eager to learn,” he said. During the second session, the youngsters whipped up some brownies and, while they were baking, Mr. Levy showed them how to make chocolate mice from cherries dipped in melted chocolate and joined to Hershey kisses for the head. Slivered pecans became the ears.

Next week the class will be dedicated to pizza-making with pepperoni being the preferred topping among the students. No final choice has been made for the fourth and final class topic.

Following the cooking the students all enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Mr. Levy said the cooking class has been sponsored by the Kent Memorial Library and that students paid $25 to cover the cost of the ingredients. He says he will wait until the end of the current session to see if all parties are interested in repeating the experience. “I will see how I feel about it, how the kids feel about it and whether the Namms are interested in doing it again," he said. "If it works out, maybe we will have a class in the spring or summer on grilling.”

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New Kitchen Idea Book: Create a Kitchen for any Style and Budget

By: Joanne Kellar / Taunton Press

Kent Kitchen Works' owners Jeff and Trish Namm has kitchens featured in this book.

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