LEXINGTON — Kim Sterry’s gourmet food shop may be in a new location, but she jokes that she’s already running out of room.
A wave of customers and friends crammed into the new-and-improved Kimmy’s Cucina Wednesday for a grand reopening celebration.
The business has relocated to 275 E. Main Street in Lexington.
“This expansion is exciting because we were crowded in our last place,” Sterry said. “If you were in there, you know we needed more space.”
Sterry said she and her husband Roger considered several locations. They selected the former Los Jarritos building due to its onsite kitchen and visibility on Lexington’s main thoroughfare.
“People say (the building) is bad luck,” Kim told Richland Source in January.
“But the owners of the building are doing a lot of work to give it a facelift and we’re excited to move over for the street visibility and kitchen.”
Roger Sterry said the building now has a new roof, windows, walls, lights and flooring.
“We had to basically gut the place and start from scratch,” he said. “It’s been a lot of 14-hour days, but I’m glad that we are finally in and I’m proud of Kimmy.”
Lexington Councilman Keith Bacin said he’s watched “bunches of tenants” move in and out of the space, but the renovations and enthusiasm of the public make him optimistic about the future.
“When you look at this, this is rooted and this is going to be here today for a long, long time,” he said.
Bacin said he’s excited that the Sterrys kept their business in Lexington.
“We aren’t just a bedroom community. We’re a community of small businesses,” he said. “That’s what weaves us together.
“To see them reinvest in our community, that’s the best part of it.”
Kimmy’s Cucina offers homemade and curated products, local meats and cooking classes
Kimmy’s Cucina started as a food blog. Sterry later began selling meal kits and opened the original storefront on Mill Street in 2021.
In addition to range of curated products, Kimmy’s Cucina sells Kim’s homemade meatballs, lasagna, pasta and sauces.
The Sterrys said space will allow Kim to expand her “Kimmy’s Own” brand to include other homemade products.
“I’ll do chicken salads, pasta salads and soups in the winter,” she said. “We’ll vary our lasagnas and even do some to-go hot meals that people can take home.”
Shoppers can also pick from a wide variety of food stuffs like dried pastas, risottos, jams and jellies, olive oils, vinegars, seasonings, spices and salsas. Homemade Italian cookies are available for sale, as well as locally-sourced meats from Eichorn Family Farms.
Non-edible items include pasta machines, kitchen essentials, cookware.
The Sterrys say everything in the store is carefully selected for its quality — from the items on the shelves to the ingredients in Kim’s homemade products.
“We grew up on the East Coast, so a lot of our products come from that area,” Kim said.
“Pure, organic, just nice products. We loves the simplicity of products, things that don’t have a lot of ingredients in there.”
The Sterrys said their new location will also have more space for cooking classes, which both Kim and Roger teach. Upcoming offerings include “The Romance of Risotto,” “All Things Polenta” and “7 Minute Sauces.”
“A lot of people think cooking is difficult, so when you show them it’s not as intimidating as you think, it can be really fun,” Kim said.
Kimmy’s Cucina is open Tuesday through Saturday. The shop opens at 11 a.m. and is open until 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Fridays, 6 p.m. on Thursdays and 3 p.m. on Saturdays.