( kim nein—putting the 'country' back in cooking )

kim nein—putting the 'country' back in cooking
by amy strauss

amidst this farm-rich countryside embedded with a multifaceted history and reputation for the all-you-can eat abundance of wholesome cooking, you find kim nein—owner of limekiln's corner pantry—who, monday through friday, wakes up at the brink of dawn, dashing together tantalizing tastes that exemplify the finest of berks county foods.

    

nein, who introduced her cheery, pint-sized café celebrating country-esque classics in april of 2002, is  cozied in the vibrant nook that is attached to the town's post office, which makes her establishment worthy of a “necessary stop” proclamation, as in, it has become a place where everyone knows your name.

    

“it's amazing what some people in this area have done in their lives and that they come here to talk about it,” she said. each day, as locals flood her breakfast-and-lunch spot's space, she suggests that through opening the “small town” locale, she has enhanced as an individual.

    

“meeting these amazing people and building this business has made me into a much better person and has been such a rewarding experience,” she remarked proudly. “i wish i could change my mission statement of the corner pantry to say, 'you never know who you'll see at the corner pantry,' because that is what represents what this place has turned into.”

    

whether her regular clientele is grabbing a steamy cup of java from her piping pot of green mountain coffee, or enjoying her daily-changing specials that range from options like chicken corn soup, pot pie, quiches, or a hearty loaf of meatloaf, to fruit-infused chicken salad and a perfected egg salad on toasted grain bread, nein maintains the edible enterprise herself, including tackling each task individually, like preparing gorgeous platters and serving entrées to the café's charming tabletops.

    

excited by an upbringing close-by, specifically in exeter, the entrepreneur unearthed inspiration at an early age in the kitchen, where she would marvel in her mother's glory of mixing-and-matching mouth-watering masterpieces—all for her family to savor in each and every bountiful bite.

    

as cooking has always been the craft for which she carried an alluringly natural knack, nein perfected her now-addicting talent through extensive cook book readings and cooking show viewings. while she admits that she'd rather sculpt an entrée or appetizer before composing any sort of sweet treat, she does meet the need for sugar fiends at her cozy café, typically loading antique cake stands and cookie plates with lemon bars, generously-sized cookies, and eye-catching pies.

    

although nein's nestled eatery could easily appeal to neighbors of both near and far, what is even more attractive is that her interior celebrates décor of decades past. the corner pantry, peppered with seasoned rolling pins, charismatic petite tables, old time-influenced cook books, unique salt-and-pepper shakers, and much more, acts additionally as an antique shop that booms with hand-picked items appealing to the owner's eye and individual rural style.

( all photos by amy strauss. )

the corner pantry, which began as an out-of-home catering business, also pleasures palates at off-site functions and events by way of dishes dancing with the local landscapes' freshest goods, including produce from the nearby fisher's farm fresh produce of the oley valley.

the aforementioned “local landscape”—something nein appreciated to the utmost extreme, even as a child as she rode her bike through the rolling countryside she knows incredibly well—was a place she always aimed to tackle with her health-conscious home-cooking, sparking a profitable business.

    

now, eight years in the making, the well-known chef-owner strives to deliciously continue her craft and her creations of pure regional cuisine found by trekking down memory lane—spotted only after a fair swoop along the back roads of fields and farms of limekiln, pennsylvania.

the corner pantry is located at 820 limekiln road, open monday through friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. nein may be reached by phone at 610.689.0157.