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Shopping where the chefs shop won’t automatically elevate your cooking, but it’s not a bad idea for those looking to put a little more heat in their kitchens.

hen it comes to cooking tools, I advise shopping where the pros go: restaurant-supply companies. Whether it’s to fill gaps in your own arsenal, or to find useful, inexpensive pieces for gift-giving, the wide choice (particularly in size), durability and no-nonsense pricing of everyday professional gear at these stores makes them great places to begin your research.

As it happens, Calgary has a bit of a restaurant-supply district in the near southeast. Here’s a three-store circuit that, regardless of which items you seek, will yield a good snapshot of available options across the price spectrum.

Let’s begin with Williams-Sonoma, the Chinook Centre mainstay that needs no introduction to food enthusiasts. While not a restaurant supplier per se, it does sell what it calls professional-grade equipment. Known for high quality and premium prices, W-S also excels at customer service. So if you’re one of those people whose knife collection is ragged, at best—like almost everyone I know—it’s the perfect place to get educated on what you really need. It’s not all super-luxe either. They unabashedly promote an entry-level set from Swiss knifemaker Victorinox ($100) that covers the basic trifecta: eight-inch chef, long bread and paring. America’s Test Kitchen loved the feel and sharpenability of these forged blades. And if price is no worry, they have a vast selection of German and Japanese models. The store is also good for one-of-a-kinds, like a stainless-steel levered citrus press ($30) that looks as good as any I’ve seen.

Not far away is Hendrix Restaurant Equipment and Supplies (457 42nd Ave. S.E.), billed as the country’s foremost dealer in the category. In the spacious showroom you’ll find a dizzying array of open-stock cookware—no nine-piece sets here. You can get the exact pan or stockpot you require, or any size lid. Cookware is a complicated business, so at least here you can begin to grapple with subjects like aluminum versus stainless steel, a process that I advise you to take back to the opinion mine known as the Internet.

Cutting boards are another area of deficiency for many home chefs. They’re often too small, too degraded, too old. Hendrix has a huge selection, including plastic, end-grain maple, and the wood-resin composite brand called Epicurean. The latter are thin and non-slip, and a good choice if you’re going for multiples, which I recommend. Since people often work together in a kitchen, why does one person get the A board and the other some crappy B version? (Likewise, knives.) I recommend getting at least two of the largest size you can wash in your sink, and even three if you’re known to have food-prep parties. More deals at Hendrix: extra large silicon pad ($18), wooden pizza paddle ($29).

Then there’s my new discovery for basic commercial gear, the Superstore offshoot called Real Canadian Warehouse Club (222 58th Ave. S.E. and 2928 23rd St. N.E). No membership is required, which is why you’ll see food-truck and cafe owners stocking up here. If you often entertain groups of 20 or more— and at this time of the year, who doesn’t?—you’ll find plenty to like here, too.

It carries sterno-fired chafing dishes in basic ($60) or deluxe rollback versions ($170). Six-packs of generic Chinese soup bowls ($11.50), Vitrex ramekins ($8.50) and versatile plastic squeeze bottles ($8.50). Bakers will love the extra-large roll of parchment paper ($10). And tongs; almost everyone lacks decent ones. They’re only six bucks, so get a few.

The commercial packaging is also worth investigating. Those nifty brown takeout boxes are 10 cents apiece, as are disposable poly gloves, perfect for reducing cleanup during meat-handling. Consider a roll of grocery produce bags (600, $6.50) for fuss-free leftover storage. There are also plenty of party disposables, but again, this place makes you think like a restaurateur. Try equipping your next barbecue with reusable baskets (12, $10) lined in waxed butcher paper (2,000 sheets, $20).