Counting the Cost - Canadian-made Kitchens & Christ-following Believers.

When you first price out a custom Canadian-made Mennonite kitchen, you might need to sit down. Not because the quote is outrageous — it’s actually fair — but because your legs suddenly feel like they’ve turned into boiled spaghetti.

The sticker shock is real. You could buy a small used car for that. Or at least enough frozen pizzas to survive a year in a basement apartment. But here’s the thing: those kitchens are worth it. They’re built with care, integrity, and wood that didn’t come from a questionable warehouse in a country you’ve never heard of.

Dovetail drawers

Mennonite craftsmanship is about more than cabinets — it’s about creating something that lasts a lifetime, with dovetail joints on our drawers, and finish work so smooth you could butter your toast on it. At Cinnamon Cabin Co, we'd be privileged to provide you with your kitchen or simply a new island!

But here’s where my mind wandered (and I promise, this made sense in my head at the time): Jesus once said, “Count the cost” (Luke 14:28). And He wasn’t talking about granite countertops or soft-close drawers. He was talking about following Him. Being a Christian isn’t a quick weekend project from the spiritual clearance aisle — it’s a lifetime commitment, built with the kind of integrity that won’t warp under heat.

Both a Mennonite kitchen and a life of faith require:

1. A Solid Foundation – Mennonites build on level floors and sturdy frames. Jesus builds on the Rock (Matthew 7:24). If you build on particleboard or shifting sand, expect trouble.

2. Time and Skill – You don’t slap together a kitchen in an afternoon. You don’t build a Christlike life in one Sunday either.

3. Upfront Cost, Long-Term Payoff – The initial “price” feels big. For the kitchen, it’s money. For faith, it’s surrender, change, and sometimes giving up your comfy old ways. But the payoff? In both cases, worth every bit.

The truth is, cheap kitchens and cheap faith share a problem — they both fall apart under pressure. But invest in quality, whether in your cabinetry or your walk with God, and you’ll have something beautiful and enduring.

So, is the cost worth it? Ask anyone who’s been cooking in the same Mennonite kitchen for 40 years. Ask anyone who’s been walking with Jesus even longer.

Spoiler: the answer’s the same.

~ Katherine