Cooking up community from scratch

Rocheport General Store owner Kim Phillips, left, talks with her nephew Neil Maxwell and Casey Acton, who both work at the store. Maxwell moved from San Diego to help out at the business, planning to stay until December. "But he likes it so much here, he's decided to stay," says Phillips.   ¦  SHEILA JOHNSON/Missourian

When Kim Phillips and her sister, Stacey Karabegovic, peeked through the cracks in the window coverings of a former ceramics shop on historic Rocheport’s Central Street, they knew that they’d found something special.

“We couldn’t see much, except for the tall glass cabinets that lined the walls,” Phillips says.

The sisters fell in love with the building’s antique charm and opened the Rocheport General Store in August 2006. In a short period of time, it has become a popular gathering spot for residents and visitors to meet for coffee or a meal, enjoy an eclectic offering of live music or shop for basic grocery items.

Phillips has always loved cooking, but only recently has it moved beyond a personal passion. Now, instead of working her hands over a sore back as a massage therapist, she kneads bread dough made with flour ground from wheat berries. Quiche is one of her specialties; the most popular is portobello mushroom quiche, and the most unusual offering is cheeseburger quiche.

Community involvement is important to Phillips, and she uses as many local vendors as she can, buying eggs, meat, cheese and vegetables from farmers. About eight people work at the store, waiting tables or booking weekend music acts.

“We’re all really close here. It’s like a family,” Phillips says.