The Culinary Poet

The Culinary Poet, a fixture on The Square in Goderich since 2012, is the brainchild of Donna Hyde and a culmination of a career in retail. Both Hyde, and her late husband and business partner, had years of experience in selling - his as a part-owner of a jewellery store and hers as a retail buyer for Home Hardware’s furniture and home decor department.

 

Hyde had been kicking around the idea of starting her own business, and in the spring of 2012, as Goderich was recovering from the August 2011 tornado, she rented the former Rivett’s store and embarked on her dream.

 

After a weekend brainstorming session, she was able to convince her husband and daughter that “The Culinary Poet” would be the ideal name for her kitchen and giftware empire. It was unique enough to be memorable and it captured her passion for cooking and entertaining. “Poetry is passion for a medium”, Hyde explains.

 

Hyde loves to cook, often entertaining up to 75 people. “Of course, that was before I became a self-employed store owner. Now I’m just busy helping others to entertain,” she says with a quiet laugh.

 

She started her inventory with what she loves, but with experience as a retail buyer, she knew how to fill out the store with a variety of lines and at price points that would attract a mix of customers. She features many high-end products, but focuses on quality items for every budget.  

 

She prides herself on her stock, and has a seemingly endless supply, with a basement full of extra on hand. 

 

The Culinary Poet carries both the colourful Le Creuset dutch ovens and the iconic Staub line, making the shop a local destination for items that one used to have to drive to the city to find. Sophie Conran dishes are some of Hyde’s favourites with their clean lines in classic white. Of course, Gordon Ramsey’s has created a popular line of dishes that have recently become the hotseller.

 

Customer service and getting to meet people everyday is the attraction for Hyde. Bridal registration and gift wrapping are just two of the services that are on offer.

 

The store is also the ideal place to find a unique kitchen gadget for the hard-to-buy-for foodie on your Christmas list. www.theculinarypoet.ca 34 Courthouse Square, Goderich