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We both love to cook while spending time with friends and family, so a gourmet kitchen store seemed to be the perfect match. Because we were both raised on family ranches in Elko County, we have a strong commitment to our rural community and to small business.

Cucina Fresca is located in the heart Downtown Elko and is proud to offer the most extensive collection of culinary tools, gourmet foods, and tableware for the kitchens of Northeastern Nevada.

Cucina Fresca is not a chain or franchise. We are a proud "mom & pop" store only to be found in Elko, Nevada.

Where did you grow up …  On a farm in Southern Illinois. Valmeyer, Illinois.

Where have you lived… Moved from Illinois to Northern Arizona, mostly at the Grand Canyon, then on to Buffalo, Wyoming and then to Elko!

How long have you been in Elko and how did you get here…I have lived here for two and a half years. We moved to Elko because my husband took a job here.

Favorite food or dish as a child…Probably spaghetti.  Home made or Franco American, I just loved spaghetti.         

Favorite dish to cook… Soups, stews and chiles.   I also do like to bake.

Favorite kitchen tool at Cucina Fresca… Probably  my  LeCreuset Dutch oven. It’s great for  soups, stews, and chiles.  I also like my Kitchen Aid stand mixer.

Favorite restaurant… Good steakhouses.  Cameron Trading Post for the Green Chile.

Favorite thing about Elko…It’s  size. Not too big, not too small.

Favorite place to shop (other than CF, of course)…I like downtown shopping in smaller cities. (Where the downtowns have survived)  I also like TJ Max and Ross and those type places.

Favorite cookbook or cooking magazine…  My old reliable Fannie Farmer for all the basics.  I like Cook’s Illustrated and Saveur is fun to look at.

Where did you grow up … Kent, Ohio

Where have you lived…Virginia, Ohio, Oregon, Colorado, California, Arizona, Montana, Washington, North Carolina, and Nevada.

How long have you been in Elko and how did you get here…5 years. My husband is in the US Public Health Service, and we were transferred here from Tucson.

Favorite food or dish as a child… Chocolate Chip Cookies ( Home made, of course!)

Favorite dish to cook… Foccacia

Favorite kitchen tool at Cucina Fresca… Cusinart Mixer

Favorite restaurant… The Blind Onion

Favorite thing about Elko… reminds me of the small town my Grandparents lived in: Shinnston, West Virginia, when I was growing up.

Favorite place to shop (other than CF, of course)… Bella’s

Favorite cookbook or cooking magazine…Martha Stewart Living

Where did you grow up … Right here in good old Elko, NV.

Where have you lived… Oklahoma City, OK and Elko, NV

How long have you been in Elko and how did you get here… My family has been in Elko for 16 years. We moved to Elko when I was only a year old. My dad was transferred here so we packed up and came out west.

Favorite food or dish as a child… I have always been a pizza fan. But nothing beats Mom’s PB&J’s.

Favorite dish to cook… I enjoy cooking pasta and I love desserts so definitely brownies and cookies.

Favorite kitchen tool at Cucina Fresca… The Kitchen Aid mixer. It’s great for cookies and I am totally a dessert person.

Favorite restaurant… There are several: La Fiesta and The Star in Elko, and Applebee’s and Olive Garden out of town.

Favorite thing about Elko… The community and how well it all seems to work together. I also enjoy the size, yes it is small but there is always something waiting to happen.

Favorite place to shop (other than CF, of course)… Clothing stores in malls. My favorites are American Eagle and Hollister.

Favorite cookbook or cooking magazine… My favorite cookbook is my mom’s that has a collection of recipes from the family that have just been passed down.

Where did you grow up …was born and raised right here in Elko, Nevada

Where have you lived… I have lived in Reno, Nevada, as well as Logan, Utah while I was attending college.

How long have you been in Elko and how did you get here…I have lived in Elko for 22 years! It’s a great place to be and I love it here.

Favorite food or dish as a child…My favorite dish as a child was mashed potatoes. It didn’t matter what we were having with them, I just loved those potatoes!

Favorite dish to cook….I love to make pastas and I love to bake cookies, pies, and desserts. I also like to pick random recipes out of cookbooks and try new things.

Favorite kitchen tool at Cucina Fresca…I love my Le Creuset 3 quart dish. It’s blue, and it’s perfect for baking a roast.

Favorite restaurant…love Italian restaurants, but Macaroni Grill is by far my favorite. BUT I can never pass up a good steak from a Basque restaurant.

Favorite thing about Elko… I love the small town feel to Elko. I think Nevada ranches are beautiful and I love being amongst the mountains.

Favorite place to shop (other than CF, of course)… I love to find great deals when shopping. Old Navy is a great place to find deals and so is Kohls. I love to shop at western stores like D & B and Boot Barn.

Favorite cookbook or cooking magazine…I love to use the recipes that have been passed down in my family, as well as my husband’s family. I also love to make things from a cookbook that has recipes from popular restaurants like Outback Steakhouse, Orange Julius and Macaroni Grill. And I love to watch the Food Network Channel.

Where did you grow up …Abilene, TX

Where have you lived… Minden, LA; Magnolia, AR and Hebbronville, TX. As a child, I lived in many, many small towns in Texas.

How long have you been in Elko and how did you get here…I moved to Elko/Spring Creek 14 years ago. I drove from Magnolia, AR with a truck and trailer, an Arabian stallion, an elderly Appaloosa, and a Rottweiler.

Favorite food or dish as a child…Chili.

Favorite dish to cook….Chili.

Favorite kitchen tool at Cucina Fresca…Staub Casserole.

Favorite restaurant…Lowake Steak House in Lowake, TX.

Favorite thing about Elko… It is close to the Ruby Mountains, where there are great trails to ride on. I came to Elko for the riding opportunities.

Favorite place to shop (other than CF, of course)… Healthy as a Horse, which sells equipment for endurance riding.

Favorite cookbook or cooking magazine…Cane River Cookbook

Where did you grow up…I grew up on a wheat farm in north central Montana, north of the city of Great Falls.

Where have you lived…I lived in the same area of Montana for the first 10 years after I was married where both of us were teachers.

How long have you been in Elko and how did you get here…  I have lived in Elko for 34 years.  I was offered the position of Library Director at what was then Northern Nevada Community College, now Great Basin College.

Favorite food or dish as a child … I think my favorite food was fresh creamed peas and potatoes out of the garden.

Favorite dish to cook… Pies and bundt  cakes.  Bundt cakes do not have to be frosted or decorated and can be made so special with different toppings.

Favorite kitchen tool at Cucina Fresca…  I have two favorite tools.  The first one is my Emeril fry pan while the second is the 12” bundt pan.

Favorite restaurant…   I love a really good Italian restaurant.  Nothing beats pasta with alfredo sauce.

Favorite thing about Elko…  The beautiful mountains and spectacular sunsets.

Favorite place to shop…  My favorite place to shop is Elko Floral, Fabric and Gifts.  Being a quilter means that I am in Elko Floral almost every day.

Favorite cookbook or cooking magazine…  I love to collect cookbooks but my favorite is the Farm Journal Complete Pie Book.  The series I use most of the time is Southern Living Annual Recipe