HOW IT WORKS!

Welcome to our most unusual self-serve store, Alice’s Kitchen; we’re delighted you’ve stopped by!

* We are located at 48 Trouble St. in Cummington, MA., though if you’re using a GPS system to find us, search for Alice’s Kitchen rather than 48 Trouble St. (or plug in 38 Trouble St. and go a bit farther) or you may be mis-led.  Park in the driveway (unless you’re attending a large event when parking is one driveway up the hill in a field). 

* Please be aware that during spring and heavy rains the path to the kitchen may be muddy, and during the winter it very well may be icy.  Prepare accordingly!  If you know what you’d like, feel free to give a call; if I’m home I’ll be happy to pack up an order for you and carry it to your car. 

* We are open Sundays through Wednesdays, 8-8, though other days and times might be possible.

* Enter the kitchen from the ramp at the front of our home. 

* Behind the entry door is our small selection of some of my favorite cooking ingredients and groceries.

* Walk to your right beyond the grocery shelves.  On the wooden shelves to the right is our selection of non-perishable items such as our house-made jams, pancake mixes, granolas, porridge, beverage mixes, and other items.  You will also find a grand selection of fine chocolates from around the world.  Be in touch if you’d like to arrange to taste some of the bars.  There is also a display of beeswax candles from Sunbeam Candles, a wonderful off-the-grid company in Ithaca, NY who shares our commitment to environmental considerations in all business decisions.

* The large metal door to the right of the wooden shelves will bring you into the walk-in fridge.  Don’t worry; you won’t get trapped inside!  Go on in, browse, and push the door firmly to exit.  Retail foods available to customers are on the shelves to the right. We have several choices of exquisite cheeses (be in touch if you’d like to sample!) and produce (our own, other local fruits & vegetables, and special items from farther afield).  You will sometimes find prepared foods such as chai and other beverages and fresh salads.  There is often a selection of the foods we’ve prepared for the freezer that we have not yet frozen. 

* Across from the walk-in fridge is the 2-door glass fronted freezer.  The category of foods for each shelf is on a tag on the edges of the door frames.  We have a wide selection of soups, main dishes & sides, our famous wood-fired pizzas, desserts, breakfast items, burgers (all house made), and condiments.  The choices vary daily, depending on what I’ve made and what folks have purchased.   

* Foods are packaged in returnable glass containers or compostable (in a home compost pile) non-GMO cellophane bags. Please return the clean, dry glass containers at your earliest convenience, to help support our commitment to minimizing the waste produced by our business.

* There is a calculator on the small wooden table to the left of the freezer.  There is scrap paper clipped to the walk-in fridge door if you need to write as you calculate.  There is an envelope on the walk-in fridge door for payment.  We accept cash, checks to Alice’s Kitchen, or IOUs (for IOUs, leave a note in the envelope with what you purchased, your name, and phone #; leave a note when you’ve paid the IOU).  No need to write what you’ve purchased; just leave your payment.  Tax is included, where applicable.  There are bags beneath the little hand sink next to the fridge, and boxes across the kitchen next to the big oven; help yourself.  If there’s something you’d like and you can’t afford it, please pay what you can and leave a note in the payment envelope explaining this.  We’ll cover the balance due, but please leave a note (anonymous if you’d like) and let us know.   And feel free to pay extra as a donation (leave a note so we know) to help cover the costs of feeding people in our community. 

* Thanks for spending time in our small but mighty store!