New kitchen store taking place of Gray Goose Cookery

Owner already has several businesses at Olde Mistick Village

Mystic — Expanding his empire of culinary businesses in Olde Mistick Village, Stefan Ambrosch is planning to open a kitchen store, called Kitch, this summer.

Kitch will open in the location of Gray Goose Cookery, a kitchen store that is closing after 30 years as owner Suzanne Lane heads into retirement. Ambrosch said he will be keeping some Gray Goose employees.

“I want to keep as many as possible,” he said, “because it was a well-run staff, and the staff is very likeable, and they know a lot of locals and people definitely enjoyed shopping with them.”

Ambrosch’s first tasks will be to change the branding of the store, “greatly increase our kitchen classes” and add new lines, such as Oxo and AllClad. He plans to add a woodfired oven for pizza-making classes and demonstrations.

“That’s a big thing now, is people are buying wood-fired ovens for their back patio,” Ambrosch said, adding, “It’s definitely a resurgence.”

Ambrosch is the owner of Mango’s Wood-Fired Pizza Co., along with Mango’s Homemade Ice Cream, Vault Coffee Roasters and Deviant Donuts.

He also envisions having classes on pasta-making and French cuisine. Further down the road, Ambrosch would like to do his roasting for Vault in Kitch.

Ambrosch said he was interested when he heard Lane was looking to sell, but they didn’t end up with a deal for him to take over her store, so he’s starting his own. Ambrosch grew up in Mystic and remembers going to Gray Goose as a kid.

And as a kid, he always loved Olde Mistick Village in general, and he feels confident now when he sees the traffic at the shopping village.

“We have a great relationship next door with the aquarium,” he said, “and I’m confident in opening the store, because I have the years of experience in the village, and I know the customers.”

Ambrosch is also opening a boutique called Una, which he described as “a mix of style, home and gift,” in Olde Mistick Village. It will be opening in the location of Elizabeth and Harriet, the second store that Suzanne Lane closed upon her retirement.

Like Elizabeth and Harriet, Una will also carry a Vera Bradley selection, but Ambrosch noted there will be “a lot more what I would consider minimalistic or modern appeal.” His plan is for Una to open in the early summer, and Kitch in the mid-to-late summer.

Stefan Ambrosch said he will be keeping some Gray Goose employees.