I was sixteen the first time I visited Judy's original Cole Valley location on Carl Street. She…read moredubbed me "the Quiche Girl" after I bought my third tart pan in as many visits. Over the decades that followed, George and I made pilgrimages to her 2,500-square-foot treasure trove on Divisadero Street, emerging with German cheesecake pans, oyster plates, Taylor & Ng mugs, French Santa chocolate molds, madeleine pans, brioche pans, butter dishes, Revere Ware, Elsie the Cow creamers, French bread pans, manual nut grinders, and so much more. I wandered those cramped aisles with the reverence of a museum-goer. The appeal wasn't just the merchandise; it was Judy's encyclopedic knowledge of her inventory. She could identify makers, explain histories, and reveal hidden details that no internet search could provide. Cookin' was a place where you discovered what you didn't know you were searching for. Where cranky wisdom and culinary history collided in narrow aisles. Where a former English professor built something unreplicable: a shrine to cast iron, copper, and the conviction that older things are often better. Judy is a San Francisco original, and Cookin' represented a disappearing breed of specialty shop: impractical, idiosyncratic, and irreplaceable. For those of us who found the perfect brioche pan or vintage oyster plates within those cluttered walls, this closure marks the end of an era. Thank you, Judy, for decades of cranky brilliance. You and that jam-packed shop of wonders will be deeply missed.

my heart is missing a piece now that cookin is closed. years of going there and mystified at it's…read morecontents. Judy is the quintessential collector, traveler..with a bastion of knowledge. hanging out there and listening to her (if you were lucky enough) was tantamount to a worldly adventure, without leaving home. Judy is a SF treasure and icon .i wish her the best and miss hunting through that wild garden of a store.

"Hot fun in the Summertime" ---Sly and the Family Stone…read more I am a minimalist. Going to Costa Rica for a two weeks self retreat. Picked up a 22 hour countdown kitchen timer here to use as an alarm clock when I travel to unplug from my smart phone to go analog a bit like pen and paper turned to keyboard rhythm on my lap top for this review. Unfortunately no Yelp in Costa Rica so this is likely my last review until the cold San Franciscan June Summer time cometh. Coldest Winter I ever had was a Summer in San Francisco is what Mark Twain said. Forest Restaurant Supply rocks! They have it all and friendly staff so will give them three bonus stars for customer service. Thanks I will be back.

I had to prepare some dishes for a gathering, and I visited Forest Restaurant Equipment on Cesar…read moreChavez St. They assisted me in finding everything I required. I wanted to express my gratitude to Tanya for her excellent service. The prices were reasonable and they offered me a complimentary bag.

Beautifully curated home goods, mostly from Japan. Elegant ceramics, stationery and apparel to…read moreround out the assortment for a lovely store.

If you're a homeware junkie like me, this is your haven!…read more Tucked away in SF's Japantown, SF76 is a beautifully curated store featuring all things homeware, kitchenware, and cutie knickknacks. Walking in, it reminded me of an elevated Muji, but with more intentionally sourced goodies from local artists and makers. I could truly spend hours here- the selection is amazing! I ended up with a handful of adorable chopstick rests to take home.

A lot of kitchen supply from woks to plates to sauce plates. The whole place is mostly kitchen…read moreproducts. I came here for a squeegee and found some hardware items even insecticide. They did have a couple common squeegee found in a hardware store but when asked they even showed me the squeegee for the kitchen floor.

This place is Awesome! Been coming here for decades…read more Ming is Awesome! He guided me to less expensive pans and saved me some $$! I'll be back!

Excellent stock for barware and every kind of kitchen stuff you could want. Great for the home…read morechef as well as restaurateurs. Staff is laid back and friendly. Good prices also.

I heard about The Wok Shop through social media and happened to be in the market for a new wok, so…read moreI decided to stop by. Walking in can definitely feel overwhelming at first because the shop is packed wall to wall with kitchen tools and woks in all different sizes and styles. If you're not sure what you're looking for, I highly recommend asking for help. Tane, the older woman who works there, is definitely a character. She's very blunt, which caught me off guard at first, but I quickly realized it's just her personality. Having worked in a bank in a past life and dealt with all kinds of people, I didn't take it personally. Honestly, it felt like she was testing whether you actually know what you're doing in the kitchen. I even overheard her being very direct with someone else who clearly didn't, which was kind of interesting to witness. Once we got talking, we ended up having a great conversation about woks and cooking in general. She really knows her stuff. I left with a wok and a few other items, and since I spent a decent amount, she even threw in some freebies, which was a nice surprise. Overall, the whole visit was an experience in the best way. If you're looking for high-quality, special woks and don't mind a little personality, this place is absolutely worth checking out.

I finally got a wok to cook fried rice. Only gonna get better at it from here. The lady does crack…read moreblunt jokes so just be prepared to laugh.

Randomly got a few things online and picked up on my way to a reading at SF Playhouse. So happy I…read moredid! I totally forgot what a warm and inviting holiday environment Williams Sonoma creates. It's the family feeling you wish your family had. Every single person is charming and friendly, starting with the offer of some peppermint bark the minute you enter. If you need a quick dose of holiday spirit, drop in!

If you want some nice things for your house, then it's hard to top Williams-Sonoma, especially the…read moreSF store which is huge! Staff was very friendly with us yesterday and gave us a lot of attention. My daughter even got a free slice of pizza from them. Things are a little pricey, but if you want some nice French copper cookware, this place has it.

I needed a new rice cooker...was going to go to Kamei, found rockstar parking in front of MV…read moreTrading and went here instead. I got a 3 cup rice cooker for a reasonable price. Rice cooker was cheaper than Kamei's or Amazon's prices so I was glad I saved some money. The owners were polite so no complaints there.

Greedy Shyster and Huckster. MV Trading is more concerned about raking in the money and less about…read morecustomer service or repeat business. We frequent the Irving Street corridor in our daily shopping mainly stopping at the vegetable market on 22nd/Irving. We've been in MV Trading in the past and made a few minor purchases. The place is jammed packed and at times it is hard to walk through. It is definitely a fire hazard. The clerk is generally an Asian male who gives people the evil eye as we enter the store. They sell mostly products made in China and some Japanese products. We avoid the abundance of Chinese made bowls as they are purported to contain lead that can leach out into your food. We picked our 4 Japanese made soup bowls and headed to the counter. The woman at the register wrapped each bowl and took our money. When we went home and unwrapped the paper, one of the bowls had a chip near the rim. The next day we took the bowl back and encountered the Asian male clerk. He started to lambast us and said we should have checked the bowl before we bought it. When we told him that his female clerk should also have noticed when she wrapped the bowls, he ignored us. He refused to refund our money or even give an exchange. We do not plan on shopping here again and recommend that our friends and family do the same.