Cooks and Books, a cooking studio and bookstore, has opened in Meridian, Idaho, BoiseDev reported.
Located at 2951 E. Overland Rd., Cooks and Books carries cookbooks as well as a selection of general-interest titles for all ages. With the help of other instructors, owner Alicia Mattera will host one-off cooking classes as well as four-week courses paired with cookbooks. There will be options for all ages, and classes will cover everything from decorating cupcakes to learning to make pad Thai.
Prior to opening Cooks and Books, Mattera taught cooking and life skills classes at a charter school for pregnant and parenting teens. She had always thought of opening a cooking studio of her own but wanted to pair that concept with something else. Eventually, she decided on a bookstore.
"I love bookstores," Mattera told BoiseDev. "I always go to bookstores. I don't know why it didn't come to me before."
The space on Overland Rd., she added, "fell into her lap" and proved to be just right for the store's business model. The store is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., with cooking classes held after hours.