Sharon Resident Brings Inspiration to the Kitchen

SHARON, Pa. – Pat Evans felt inspired by some of the cooking classes she took when she was living in Pittsburgh.

After moving back to her hometown of Sharon, she decided to shift from her career in health care and bring a hands-on cooking experience to the area.

In March, Evans celebrated the eighth year of Thyme in Your Kitchen, her kitchen boutique at 79 E. State St. The store offers hands-on cooking classes and a wide variety of kitchen essentials and gadgets.

“I always loved to take classes when I lived in Pittsburgh,” she said. “I took everything from sign language to wine tasting to film studies, just as extra things to do. I always thought it was fun to learn something new.”

When she moved back to the Shenango Valley, she realized there wasn’t anything like those classes available and decided to do something about it.

“It’s a lot of fun,” she said. “You gather in small groups, move around the stations and you cook right along with the chef. You get to enjoy the fruits of your labor for dinner, and we clean up.”

Classes include diet-specific, kids, gluten-free baking and traditional food topics.

“There is something very communal about getting to together with a group of friends, cooking a meal and then enjoying it,” Evans said. “There’s something very fulfilling about it and there is a lot of love that goes into it.”

While Evans has had several different chefs through years, and has taught some classes herself, her current chef has been a hit.

Garron Birdsall worked at The Iron Bridge Inn before joining Thyme in Your Kitchen full-time. Evans said he has taught well over 600 classes.

“People just love him because he is very knowledgeable, but also very fun,” Evans said. “We find that people who don’t cook at all love it and people who think they are experts also love it because everybody is going to find something new and different, and they are going to learn something when they’re cooking with Garron.”

While the store is unique because of its class offerings, Evans said what really sets it apart is the expertise of her employees.

“When you come in and you have a question about something, we have chefs that are going to help you find the right tool, give you advice on how to use it – even give you recipe ideas,” Evans said. “I think what makes us unique is the expertise that we offer.”

On June 1, Evans opened a second kitchen boutique store in the Grove City Premium Outlets. She said the move came after being approached by the complex, which was in need of a kitchen store.

“It’s been going so much better than we even expected,” she said. “It’s a very different kind of client base.”

While Evans has seen a lot of success so far at the new location, she said the Sharon location is still “the home base for all things cooking.”

Evans sees a lot of people from out of town as well as regulars. She often gets sees customers that are staying at the Buhl Mansion Guesthouse & Spa.

The store works with schools in Sharon, including the Sharon High School French and Spanish clubs, for cultural cuisine classes. Evans said it also participates in Hermitage’s Summer Academy program.

“We love Sharon,” she said. “My husband and I both grew up here and there is a huge amount of support. There always has been since day one.”

A full class schedule and pricing can be found on the website.

For more information, visit http://www.thymeinyourkitchen.com/.

Pictured at top: Pat Evans, owner of Thyme in Your Kitchen.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.