Retailer: The Grey Goose Cookery
Location: Mystic, Conn.
Owner: Suzanne Lane
Square footage: 4,000 sq. ft.
The Grey Goose Cookery bills itself as a “one-stop kitchen store,” and with 4,000 square feet filled with products ranging from cutlery to gourmet foods, it fits that bill for the locals and tourists alike in Mystic, Conn.
Located in the heart of Mystic’s prime attraction, the ersatz whaling town, Olde Mistick Village, the Grey Goose is an independent, regional kitchen store known for its assortment of everything a cook might need.
The store also offers a bridal registry, 2,500 square feet of tabletop items and cooking classes catering to all levels of cooking skill, from beginner to professional chef, says owner Suzanne Lane.
But what really sets the store apart is Lane’s own involvement in helping her customers meet their weight loss goals through her “Pinch Diet” program, which she developed to teach people how to eat healthy while losing weight. Lane lost more than 100 pounds on the high protein, low carb regime, which she says can lead to a loss of three pounds a week. Customers noticed her slim figure and wanted to know what she did. She answered back with the Pinch classes.
“As a leader in the community, people can see that I have lost weight and realize that they can do it too,” she says about what inspired her to start the program. During Pinch classes, customers get a handout outlining the plan, go over the mechanics of the diet, get some tools to help stick with the program, and of course, sample some Pinch food. Lane, who has a master’s degree in higher education, has two customers who have lost over 60 pounds each on the plan.
The secret? “Just delicious food and simple recipes,” Lane says in a short video plugging the classes on the store’s web page, graygoosecookery.com. Also featured in the video are products sold in the store that help with weight loss, like a pressure cooker and Swiss Diamond cookware.
“The pressure cookware helps you get some great flavors out of simple veggies and meats. Swiss Diamond is great because you don’t have to use any oil and it is easy to clean up,” she says. And that easy clean-up is key because, Lane notes, her customers want convenience as much as they want to lose weight. “People are looking for ease,” she says. “They are busy and looking for easier ways to cook.”
She also offers some tricks: “Using spices doesn’t add calories, but adds flavor,” she says. “Warming frozen blueberries and raspberries in a toaster oven” makes for a special snack over yogurt.
In the end, she tells customers that dieting is not about deprivation, especially when you have the right cooking tools. “I call it the Pinch diet because you can cheat with a little pinch,” Lane says. “If you are making mac and cheese for the kids, have a noodle or two and then stop. It boils down to making the right choices.”
