The Genesis of Sam Cooks
Sam Baker comes by his love of food honestly. Growing up on a family farm in Farmer City, Illinois, Sam and his family raised their own livestock and fruits and vegetables. Most of their food came from their own land. You will find some of Sam’s roots in the dishes from the Mid-west region, good plain food such as meatloaf, chicken and noodles, or apple pie.
But though Sam appreciated good food made from fresh ingredients, he didn’t really start to cook until he left home for college at Illinois State University in Normal, IL. There, he discovered that neither he nor any of his roommates had any idea how to cook. But Sam loved to eat well and appreciated variety in his meals. So he set about learning to cook. He read recipes and tried them out on his delighted roommates and discovered in the process that he enjoyed cooking.
Sam followed his other interest, mathematics, into his first career as a math teacher. He taught in Chicago Heights, IL, Washington DC, and then after he moved to Boston, in Rockland, Reading, and Wellesley. You will notice Sam’s love of math in the math puzzles that help customers pass the time while waiting for orders. Look for the palindromic pricing of his food.
Though Sam’s career was in education, his avocation was cooking. Over the years, he had a catering business, a pie-of-the-month business, among other things. He honed his skill on his friends who were happy to be alpha testers for his recipes. During a leave of absence from teaching, Sam worked in the Boar’s Head Inn in New Hampshire and St. Botolph’s Restaurant, in Back Bay, Boston. The cooking and restaurant experiences led him to dream of one day owning his own business. Over Sam’s delicious dinners, Sam and his friends spoke many times about the kind of restaurant he would most enjoy. During one of those dinners, the name “Sam Cooks” was born.
Besides math and cooking, Sam loves to travel. Two years of teaching in an international school in Lisbon, Portugal allowed Sam to experience the excitement of living and traveling abroad and to develop a love for Portuguese cooking. He used his vacations from teaching to travel the United States and the rest of the world, gathering recipes and food ideas. Hence you will find at Sam Cooks jambalaya from Louisiana, cod fish cakes from New England, gado gado from Bali, chilaquiles from Mexico, hoisin duck from China, masaman curry from Thailand, tajines from Morocco, vegetable masala from Zanzibar—the list goes on and on.
After Sam retired from teaching in June 2006, he moved permanently to what had been his vacation home in Wellfleet and began to search for a restaurant that would suit his needs. To his good fortune, Christine’s Oasis, a beloved Wellfleet establishment for many years, was for sale and Sam was able to purchase the business. Next to the new Wellfleet Harbor Actor’s Theater and the Wellfleet post office, Sam Cooks is an easy place to stop for morning coffee and goodies; lunches to take to the beach or eat in the café; creative, local or international foods to take home for dinner, or exciting selections of groceries, produce and gourmet foods to complement your choices. Come by and discover the unique offerings at Sam Cooks.
