Stone Creek Kitchen
465 Canyon Del Rey Blvd., Monterey (831) 393-1042, stonecreekkitchen.com
This is an emporium to the art of eating inventively, drinking liberally and entertaining stylishly. They provide the gadgets (kitchenware, cutlery, accessories), the training (cooking classes, tasting events) and the ingredients (freshly packed spices, charcuterie, olive oils, wines) to help you do so. Or if you want them to do the work while you to do the imbibing, there’s a respectable deli’s worth of prepared food including pastrami and cheese on a pretzel bun, veggie curry, salmon pasta salad and an arsenal of sweets. Their products come from all over the globe—panettone from Italy, pudding from England—all this from two local gals, Kristina Scrivani and Linda Hanger, who simply want you to try new things.