Juvenile Realistic Fiction, chapter book. Man's wife dies so he sets himself up to live only in the kitchen and since his favorite food is eggs, he gets himself some chickens and only ever eats eggs! Read around 1998.

[Allie]

PLOT DETAILS:
A man's wife dies and he is left with their large home (maybe it's a mansion? can't recall for sure) and all the furnishings. He doesn't want to keep up with everything so he opens the entire house to the public and says they can come take anything they want except the picture of his wife that hangs in the [hall?] from anywhere in the house except the kitchen.
He sets himself up in the kitchen with his bed and things he needs.
He loves eggs, and gets himself a few chickens and eats eggs for every meal! I believe he starts to collect several different kinds of animals to live in the kitchen with him... but I don't recall for sure.
The book was read to me in elementary school - 1998-ish. I believe the book was published several years before then...

[Becca]

I'm not sure if you're still looking for this, but I'm fairly certain it's Mr. Ape by Dick King-Smith.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Allie left the group. Moving to Abandoned.