According to a recent permit filing, Vivienne Culinary Books will soon move to a new location at 2724 NE Alberta Street.
A representative of Vivienne Culinary Books was not immediately available for commentary upon What Now Portland’s request.
While an official opening date has yet to be confirmed, according to the company website, “Vivienne is Portland’s independent, woman-owned cookbook store. We also carry kitchenware, linens, + natural wine. We host a wine bar daily, book and kitchenware consignment, cookbook classes, private parties, and more.”
“Our mission is to build a community around food sovereignty. The better you know how to use the food in your garden, at the market, or in your pantry, the closer you are to being able to feed yourself and your family. We use cookbooks to become better cooks and to better utilize the food resources that surround us.”
Vivienne’s website lists four main categories of options for patrons to enjoy, such as The Secret Bar. The website describes the bar as “The Secret Bar a natural wine bar inside our bookstore. Opens at 12 daily. No menu, just some good wine, the best vibe, and some house-made snacks.”
According to a recent article from Salon, “Robin Wheelright debuted Vivienne in its current form in 2021. The chef/owner of the former seasonal cafe of the same name pivoted to offering takeout due to the pandemic before deciding to re-concept the space into a culinary bookshop and wine bar that also offers cooking demos and classes. She sees Vivienne as a vehicle for kitchen sovereignty in her community.”
“Our mission is to have people be able to feed themselves, and if you really get into me, I oppose the industrialization of food, which is problematic on so many levels: for us, the planet, the animals, the soil.”
“If you look at our food system from that perspective and think about how to feed ourselves in a sustainable way in cities, it goes to growing food locally, shopping farmers’ markets and community-supported agriculture. We support that at the cookbook store by teaching people how to utilize products at their hands — like flours, grains, and pantry goods,” Wheelright said in the Salon article.
