Rush’s Kitchen Supply is a family-owned business that started over 100 years ago.
Owner Alex Constantino, said his great grandfather started the business in Pocatello, and his father opened the Idaho Falls store in 1988. Constantino has been operating the store himself since 1995.
“We have restaurant-quality kitchenware that we also sell to the retail home chef, ” he said. “Most of my customers are coming to me because I have really good quality products. They perform at a high level and are reasonably priced. We carry everything from pots to pans to knives to all the small things that you need to prepare, hold or serve food, whether you’re a restaurant or just a home cook.”
Constantino said he was not always planning on running the business when he was younger, but has since found a passion for cooking. Rush’s Kitchen Supply hosts culinary classes, allowing participants to learn culinary skills. Constantino himself learned through these classes.
“I met one chef in particular by the name of Keith Darling, and he put it in my ear that we should do cooking classes and I didn’t even know how to cook,” Constantino said. “I wasn’t a chef.”
They started the classes in the back of Rush’s Kitchen Supply with Darling as the instructor. After about 10 years, Darling left and Constantino took over.
“I had put a lot of hard work and energy into this kitchen and teaching cooking that I couldn’t let it drop, and so I started teaching it,” Constantino said. “Lo and behold to me that I’d realized that I really enjoyed teaching and I really enjoyed teaching cooking.”
Constantino says people love the classes, describing the classes as “insane” and “super popular.”
“We have a really good time connecting with people, talking and eating food, cooking food and it’s been a very enjoyable experience that I had no idea when I was younger, that this is where I would be,” he said.
The classes happen once or twice a week. Those interested in joining should visit rushskitchen.com to sign up for the newsletter and view the schedule. The schedules come up Dec. 1, April 1, and Aug. 1. Constantino said to be quick to sign up. When the most recent schedule dropped on Aug. 1, it was sold out by 10:50 a.m.
They also do culinary seminars for local high school students weekly.
“It’s been really fun,” Constantino said. “We’ve had almost 1,500 students through our program and it’s fun to bump into students who have taken classes years ago and see how learning how to cook has changed their life. When you know how to cook, your confidence goes up and you feel like you can cook a really good meal for your family and friends. They love the connection that we have.”
An exciting addition is coming to Rush’s Kitchen Supply this fall. This November, there will be a coffee cafe inside the store called the Pitstop.
“It’s a great way for us to share a food experience with people,” Constantino said. “We like to kick it up and make it a little bit more gourmet. We’ll have breakfast burritos and we’ll have sandwiches and of course, coffee and all that kind of stuff. So that’s kind of a fun new adventure that we’re on. It will be fun to experience with students and customers.”
