Today we’d like to introduce you to Mindy Kuhn.
Hi Mindy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Mindy Kuhn has owned Warren Publishing since 2016 and she met Shonali Thomas, caterer and owner of SplenDishes Kitchen, shortly after acquiring the business. The pair published the Chef’s cookbook shortly after their meeting. They became friends and often met for drinks to discuss their next step with their businesses which included a retail component for Kuhn and Restaurant/ Wine bar for Thomas. They decided to combine their passions and created Corks, Cooks & Books (CCB for short) and opened in 2021 right at the tail end of the COVID pandemic. CCB is a full restaurant, wine bar and bookstore (featuring new books) and has an amazing team of folks who provide excellent service to their troves of regular guests. In 2024, the pair added an additional partner to focus on additional business growth. Chris Berry came in to the mix in time to celebrate the third anniversary of the business. We realized our name caused folks some confusion so we modified our name a bit shortened to CCB and added Bistro & Vine to be CCB Bistro & Vine so folks know that we are a wine bar/ restaurant as well as a bookstore. Now, celebrating the fourth year the business has added additional events to continue to support their amazing community of readers and foodies.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Owning a restaurant is never a smooth road, especially with economic changes coming out of a pandemic. We have worked hard to learn from our mistakes and shortcomings and constantly adjust and make tweaks to offer our guests the best experience possible while visiting our shop. We do the best we know how as business owners and truly strive to offer amazing, healthy food and great books with a really cool vibe.
As you know, we’re big fans of CCB Bistro & Vine. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We specialize in fresh food with flavor. We change up portions of the menu regularly to offer our guests interesting items they may not always find at other restaurants. We also offer a host of Gluten free items (Mindy has Celiac). We offer boutique wines and strive to have wines that are not typically found at your local grocery store. Our book selection is curated to offer a wide selection of new releases, local authors and classic books in a wide range of genres for readers ranging in age from children to seniors and everyone in between!
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
As much as you do your homework and try to be as educated as possible with the process of operating your new business, there will be things that come up that will be out of your control. While it’s important to try to get ahead on things and plan ways to keep busy, equipment will break, weather will be ugly and the economy can change. Have a tough skin and be flexible to make business changes as needed. It’s also ok to say you were wrong or made a bad decision. Being human is what we all have in common.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ccbbistroandvine.com
- Instagram: ccb_bistro_and_vine
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ccbbistroandvine
