T

he rising popularity of cooking shows has taken cooking to new heights. More and more Indonesians are willing to spend more money on pots and pans, from traditional mortal-and-pestles to modern silicone bake ware.

Habitat and Pantry Magic are among the few specialty stores that cater to the promising trend.

Habitat, brought from UK to Indonesia in 2007 by the retail franchise company PT Mitra Adi Perkasa, offers various homewares, from furniture to kitchen utensils.

Pantry Magic, a Hong Kong franchise that opened September 2008, dedicates itself to kitchen items, from ice cream makers and pots to hard-to-find cotton butchers' twine.

Both offer quality goods.

"When we first opened, 70 percent of our customers were expatriates, but today, as more and more Indonesians consider cooking as a lifestyle, half our buyers are Indonesian," said Chindy, who with her husband Rianto Hidajat, are Pantry Magic's proprietors.

"And surprisingly, since we opened this store, half of our customers are men, mostly young men."

The store lured customers by holding cooking classes taught by professional chefs. Samia Ahad was the first international celebrity chef who cooked there.

Chindy knows finding quality cookware is challenging. In cooking, having the right tools, of good quality, is essential, she says.

"Generally, price and quality tend to move in the same direction, the higher the quality, the higher the price. In cooking, however, you do not always have to buy the most expensive cooking tools - it really depends on what you really need, what quality you are looking for and your budget."

For general cooking, Rianto suggested, frying and searing, carbon steel cookware will perform as well as the more expensive stainless steel, while carbon steel is also long-lasting, conducts heat very well and produces great results.

"But if you are also looking for aesthetic value, then you cannot go wrong with stainless steel, because it is shiny and has a great exterior look. So it really comes down to what you need."

Ferandy Tera, Habitat's store manager, says the principle of shopping correctly is quality over quantity; make sure to get items that will endure.

"High quality does not come cheap and while cheap imitations may look similar, the performance is not quite the same. Our company spent a lot of money developing goods that we want you to like. It's better and money-saving to pay more for a better quality cooking item than to have to replace it over and over again."

He says that 55 percent of Habitat customers are expatriates who are familiar with the brand and are likely regular customers of Habitat goods in their home countries. Around 65 percent of Habitat buyers are women.

A working mother, Marzella Lubis, who is an assistant law consultant at Scope Indonesia Law Firm, is one of Habitat's regular customers.

"I use an induction cooker top, so I need the magnetic-material pots and pans. Habitat offers a complete range of induction-friendly cookware," she says.

At Pantry Magic, besides the brand's own goods, customer can also find cookware from other brands, including Martha Stewart, Bamix, Ratchet and Typhoon that are sourced directly from the factories, eliminating additional costs that customers usually incur.

But price is the secondary factor since it is the quality that appeals to the store's regular customers.

"I am willing to spend a lot of money on pots and pans because they last a long time," says Lucy S. Mize, a public health advisor and an avid professional cook.

"Before the *Pantry Magic* shop opened, I had to go to Singapore or the US to buy quality kitchen equipment. I do not have to do it anymore."

Quality is indeed the most important factor for many people.

"I was one of their first customers. I shop here mainly because of the goods' quality, which I cannot find it anywhere else in Jakarta," says Matt Hall, manager of Weatherford oil and gas company.

At both Pantry Magic and Habitat, you can find items that you rarely or have never seen anywhere else in the city.

"Several months ago, we offered tagines from Morocco and they sold out quickly because you cannot find it anywhere else in Jakarta," says Ferandy, referring to the earthenware pot topped with a conical lid that is used to cook the intensely flavored Moroccan stew.

"Besides Moroccan cookware, we also offer traditional goods from other countries, like Spain, Italy, China, Nepal and Japan."

Increasing sales of certain items mirror Jakartans' changing lifestyles.

Ferandy says that wine racks sell quickly at Habitat, showing the increasing popularity of wine drinking.

At Pantry Magic, one of the best selling products is salad spinners, suggesting more people eat vegetables these days.

Both Chindy and Ferandy agree that cookware is also a good investment, for those who enjoy cooking.

Habitat

Seibu Department Store, 2nd floor.
West Mall Grand Indonesia.
Tel: (+62 21) 2358 0163
www.habitat.net

Pantry Magic:
Kemang Raya 14B
Tel: (+62 21) 718 2573
www.pantry-magic.com/jakarta