News brief: Cook’s Kitchen opens

Owner Chris Cook of the newly opened Cook’s Kitchen said he opened this restaurant because of his grandmother and neighborhood.

“His grandmother taught him to cook,” Cook said. “I grew up in the very same neighborhood as the restaurant.”

This place is rich in history as it’s built right where the old Phoenix Hotel was located! They opened about two months ago and have a certain menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The owner also owns the Italian meat market called Lajo’s.

Manager Mike Richie of Lajo’s gave some insight to the history of these palaces.

“The original owners of Lajo’s were John and Julie Laura,” said Richie. “They operated from 1962 up until October of 2020.”

After October, it was sold to  Jen and Chris Cook. Around two months ago, Cook decided to open, Cooks Kitchen to serve delicious Italian food. While walking into the restaurant, patrons are greeted with a bunch of incredibly old newspaper clippings of the old Phoenix Hotel. These include stories about its opening and the three fires.

Hopefully, Cook’s Kitchen will be around as long as it’s sister place, Lajo’s, providing amazing combinations of food and fresh meat daily!