This is my favorite time of year. The farmers markets are really getting into full swing with a variety of spring fruits and vegetables and they will soon start giving way to the early summer varieties. And visiting your local farmers market just makes you feel good about supporting your area’s small farmers and economy.

Now I am not necessarily a hard core believer in the 100 mile diet (only consuming foods grown within 100 miles of where I live) but I am aware that much of the fruits and vegetables that are sold at the grocery store traveled more than 1,700 miles from the farm to your supermarket. Now don’t get me wrong I’ll take the fresh local variety for as long as I can get it but I’ll still be buying some items that just aren’t grown locally or may be out of season. It’s all about creating the best flavor.

We love the freshness of locally grown fruits and vegetables and finding different ways to incorporate them into our fusion recipes where we use exotic global seasonings and recipes. This is absolutely the best of both worlds. Our Moroccan Vegetable Seasoning is almost magical when sprinkled over roasted or grilled vegetables – talk about quick and easy!

So if you’ve been scouring your local farmers markets and brought home a nice little bounty but you’re not quite sure what to do with them see the best spices for fruits and vegetables for some ideas.

In addition to our Moroccan Vegetable Seasoning we also love to use our Pennsylvania Pepper for a perfectly balanced quick seasoning blend for veggies. So don’t be afraid to experiment a bit and create something a bit out of the ordinary – it just might become a seasonal favorite for next year!

As you know I love talking to our customers to see where their taste preferences are going. As the global food fusion trend continues and as our American palates become more sophisticated we’re finding our customers searching more often for the unique flavors of the Middle East.

You’ve heard the cliché that history repeats itself. Well I prefer Mark Twain’s spin on this “History doesn’t repeat itself but it does rhyme”. You only have to look at our recent culinary history and some previous emerging food trends to see the connection to wars or conflicts (this is not a political statement).

Following the World War II, as our GIs returned home after being stationed in Europe, the use of Mediterranean Oregano shot up more than 3800% from the 40’s to the 80’s. Thank you pizza!

The seventies and eighties brought an influx of Southeastern Asians into the US in the aftermath of the Vietnam conflict. Thai food, with its balance of sweet, sour, salt and spice partnered with the richness of coconut milk, quickly became the hottest emerging food trend on the culinary landscape.

So it stands to reason that as our current military heroes return home from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan we are likely to see this culinary tendency continue.

The Middle Eastern region covers what is also known as Western Asia and is where Africa, Asia and Europe converge and includes the countries of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia (just to name a few). Food in these countries reflects the ancestral heritage of the region’s people. Tradition is at the heart of these cultures, and the foods they eat reflect that. To better understand this cuisine you shouldn’t focus on the familiar modern day political boundaries but instead comprehend how the foods of the Middle East evolved within the entire region.

Wheat was first cultivated in the Middle East and that was followed by barley, dates, figs, pistachios and pomegranates. Fruit, poultry and rice where added to the regions diet during the reign of the Persian Empire from 550-330 BC. Dumplings were introduced by Mongol invaders, the Russians brought yogurt, from India came cumin, garlic and turmeric, from Africa came okra, while allspice, cloves and peppercorns were brought from the Spice Islands. While religion has and will continue to play a key role in this region it has also had an impact on the cuisine as lamb is the primary meat as neither the Jews nor Muslims consumed pork.

As the world continues to fuse various cuisines the Middle East will show its strong influence as well. From Turkey we’re enjoying stuffed vegetables and filo desserts. Pita bread, hummus and Arab meat kebobs are becoming almost as common as tacos and burritos.

Some of the most popular Middle Eastern foods and recipes
Hummus
Falafel
Tahini
Pita Bread
Tabouleh
Baba ghannoush
Chicken Shawarma
Baklawa
Biryani rice

Some of our favorite Middle Eastern fusion cuisine recipes
Spinach and Hummus Pizza
Spicy Chipotle Hummus
Za’atar Crusted Chicken
Za’atar Spiced Meatballs
Greek Pita Tacos

A well stocked spice cabinet has these Middle Eastern spices
Cumin
Nutmeg
Cardamom
Turmeric
Sumac
Caraway
Anise Seed
Aleppo Pepper
Maras Pepper

Must have Middle Eastern spice blends
Za’atar
Shawarma
Lebanese 7 Spice
Hawaij (Yemenite Spice Blend)
Baharat
Arabic 7 Spice

Tilapia is available year-round and is the fifth most consumed seafood in the United States. Tilapia is a fish that you’ll know e environment it was raised by its flavor – when raised in poor quality water then its taste will be grassy and muddy. Look to buy premium Tilapia from quality sources. While you can find fresh whole tilapia in some stores, frozen or fresh fillets weighing 4 to 7 ounces is the most common.

Since many of us are trying to eat more fish these days the nutritional benefits are many. A 4.0 oz. tilapia filet has approximately 106 calories, 22g protein , 103mg Omega-3 fatty acids,1g of fat (0.5 g saturated), 63mg cholesterol and 42g sodium.

Tilapia is a lean white meat with a mild and somewhat sweet flavor profile with a flaky, medium firm texture. Raw tilapia flesh is pinkish-white to white and you may also find a darker muscle layer on the skin side of the fillets. Tilapia cooks up to a white color. The key to optimum flavor is to not overcook it or it will become dry and tough.

Tilapia can be baked, blackened, broiled, fried, grilled, poached, sautéed, steamed, stir-fried or used in bouillabaisse or other fish soups. Tilapia is popular because it doesn’t taste fishy and this makes it an excellent substitute in recipes calling for many kinds of fish including cod, flounder, orange roughy, pompano, sea bass, sole and snapper.

What are the best spices to use with Tilapia?

Here are our favorites:

Bay Leaf, Cayenne, Curry Powder, Celery Seed, Chives, Dill Weed, Fennel, Lemongrass, Lemon Zest, Lime Zest, Marjoram, Mint, Dry Mustard Powder, Onion, Paprika, Parsley, Red Bell Pepper, Saffron, Sage, Sesame Seed, Tarragon, Thyme, Turmeric

If you want to take the guess work out of using a pinch of this and a dash of that then choosing a seasoning specifically for fish makes it easy.

Some of our most popular tilapia seasonings

Wild for Salmon (works great for Tilapia as well) – The flavor has a hint of smoky sweetness with a little bit of background heat. We like to use about ½ to 1 tsp of seasoning per 4 ounces of tilapia. We always recommend going with less seasoning than more to start as you can always add more.

Adobo Lime Rub – Many adobos call for the addition of citrus juices but for this blend we have already added some lime zest for more convenience. We like this Adobo Lime Rub best on lighter seafood like tilapia and salmon.

As a rub we like to liberally shake this seasoning onto the meat and then “rub” it in evenly onto both sides. We then like to refrigerate tilapia for only about 30 minutes before cooking for maximum flavor. You can apply this as a dry run or apply with a little olive oil. Either way we like to add a dash or two of fresh lime juice as it really takes this seasoning over the top!

Louisiana Fish Seasoning –This seasoning packs a little bit of heat and is closer to a Cajun seasoning than a Creole seasoning. This is ideal for seafood like tilapia and shrimp and you can also use it in dirty rice, fries, vegetables or anything that you want to give some Cajun flavor to.

Citrus Seasoning – What we like best about Citrus Seasoning is the wonderful combination of herbs with the “ultimate fish seasoning” of fennel and then the added citrus twist of lemon and orange zest. As with any new seasoning blend we recommend that you start off with smaller quantities until you find the combination that is right for you and your family.

Herbs de Provence – This is an almost magical blend as the cooking brings out of the flavor of these herbs making them an almost perfect partnership where the sum of the herbs is much better than the individual parts. An excellent way to provide delightful Mediterranean flavor, Herbs de Provence is especially wonderful when combined with olive oil and added to baked or grilled tilapia.

Chipotle Honey Rub – We absolutely love the sweet taste of the honey combined with the smoky flavor of the ground chipotle powder and the Spanish paprika. Best of all the granulated honey really helps to form the perfect glaze to your tilapia.

If you’re still stuck on how to add some more flavor to your tilapia then try some of our favorite recipes.

Tilapia Recipes

Grilled Tilapia Tostado
Almond Crusted Tilapia
Southwestern Tilapia Tacos
Cajun Tilapia
Chili Rubbed Tilapia with Asparagus and Lemon
PoBoy Tilapia Sandwich
Balsamic and Honey Tilapia
Sweet and Spicy Jerk Tilapia
Grilled Tilapia with Honey and Jalapenos
Moroccan Tilapia
Mediterranean Tilapia
Herb Crusted Tilapia

While many of us associate chocolate with luxurious brands such as Godiva®, Ghirardelli® or even Hershey® chocolate has a simpler yet fascinating journey that has it being partnered with spices and chiles for hundreds of years. To fully appreciate chocolate you have to understand the history and the differences between cacao beans, cocoa powder and chocolate.

The word cocoa is derived from the Greek phrase theobromo cacao which translates to “food of the Gods”. During the Mayan Age (300-900 A.D.) chocolate played a key part in their religion. The Mayan’s sacred book, Popul Vuh, tells their story of the creation, where there’s a cacao tree instead of an apple tree.

The Mayans created the first chocolate drink by mixing achiote seeds (a.k.a. Annatto), cacao beans, chiles, sugar and kernels of corn. They would roast the cacao beans and then crush them between stones the resulting paste was formed in patties which they were diluted with water that was spiced with chiles and achiote seeds. This mixture was then slowly stirred over an open flame until it turned into a foamy liquid.

This reverence of chocolate continued for hundreds of years when Montezuma, the great Aztec King, offered this royal chocolate drink to the Spanish explorer Cortez who took the recipe with him back to Spain.

Cacao beans come from a small evergreen tree which reaches a height of 12 to 25 feet. The cacao tree is native to the Americas and is believed to have originated in the Orinoco basins and the foothills of the Andes in the Amazon region of South America. Venezuela has the reputation of producing the finest cacao beans that are craved by serious chocolate connoisseurs.

Both chocolate and cocoa powder (which is used in beverages) are made from cacao beans. The cacao bean is the seed of the fruit from the cacao tree. The ripe pods of the cacao bean are 7”-12” in length and depending on the variety are a dark brownish red to purple in color. Inside the pod is a white to pale pink pulp that holds the seeds.

Cacao beans contain an outer shell and an inner seed, or kernel, called the nib. Upon initial harvest the cacao nibs are bitter and astringent but once they go through the fermentation process the bitterness dissipates and they become redder in color. After the cacao is dried it is less astringent and the bitterness is almost completely removed. Like many spices roasting the cacao bean enhances its flavor and aroma.

The cacao nib is ground into a paste called chocolate liquor while the fat is removed and made into cocoa butter. The remaining chocolate liquor is blended into a fat free cocoa powder (sometimes called cacao powder). The cocoa butter is used to make chocolate. Chocolate products are classified into bitter or semisweet chocolate, sweet chocolate or milk/white chocolate (where sugar and whole milk are added).

There are two primary varieties of cacao beans that are harvested in Venezuela – Criollo and Forastero. Their flavors range from bitter to mild and sweet. The Criollo has a flavor profile that is a bit sweet with a little bitterness while the Forastero variety is very bitter. Other varieties of cacao are grown in the Caribbean, Java, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Sri Lanka and West Africa.

Cacao powder, cocoa powder and chocolate are best known for their use in baking, beverages and confectioneries but top chefs and experienced home chefs alike know that this is also a delightful addition to many savory dishes.

Chocolate works well with achiote, chiles, cinnamon, clove, curry powder, fennel, ginger, lemongrass, mint and nutmeg. Chocolate is a key ingredient in the popular Oaxacan mole negro.

For a surprising flavor twist add these bitter chocolate notes to corn chowder, fish soup, roasted meat, recados and sofritos.

Adobo is a key ingredient in Caribbean, Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican kitchens this all-purpose seasoning has a savory garlic flavor. Before refrigeration adobos were made with salt and vinegar to preserve meats. Today adobo is often a dry spice blend that is used with olive oil and vinegar to marinate beef, chicken, fish and pork and is also used to spice up rice, sauces and stews.

A basic adobo is made from salt, black pepper, garlic, Mexican oregano and turmeric while optional ingredients may be adding depending on regional preferences. These include onions, olive oil, lime juice, sour orange juice or vinegar. While adodos are popular to many Latin Americans within the various Hispanic groups there are particular variations that are preferred.

Cubans tend to prefer cumin, garlic and sour orange juice; Mexicans gravitate to more heat and like to add chipotle or habanero chiles along with sour orange juice; Puerto Ricans lean more towards vinegar and Mexican oregano.

Adobo seasoning is used to flavor chicken, fish, flank steaks, pork and shellfish before grilling, frying, roasting or sautéing. Adobo seasoning is also used in creating the base for beans, chicken stock, sauces, stews, steamed vegetables. I’ve also used it on ribs, cutlets and to spice up a homemade salsa. Throughout Latin America this is so common that the verb “adobar” meaning “to adobo” is frequently used during food prep.

They are two schools of thought on adobo seasoning – dry or wet. A dry adobo is also called Adobo Seco while a wet adobo is referred to as Adobo Mojado. A savory Adobo Seco will often include black pepper, granulated garlic, Mexican oregano, onion powder, salt and turmeric. A flavorful Adobo Mojado will be made from fresh garlic, black pepper, salt, Mexican oregano, olive oil and vinegar. I cheat when making my Adobo Mojado by using our salt free Adobo Seasoning with olive oil and vinegar.

There is some confusion when the term “adobo” is used as it can mean three different things to three different people. To some there are the adobo seasonings described above, to others they think of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce and then there is the Philippine dish adobo (made most often from pork). So the next time you hear somebody referring to adobo ask “which one?” you’ll sound like a knowledgeable culinarian.

Since July 2010 Spices, Inc has been donating 1% of our sales (not just profits) to the largest food bank in the US FeedingAmerica.org. Since the wheels fell off the economic bus in 2008 (just as we were launching SpicesInc.com) we have been struck by both how fortunate we are that we have been able to survive and  grow during these tough times but also how hard many less fortunate have been hit with this tidal wave of hunger across our country.

Those that have been going hungry tend to be the most vulnerable – the very young and the very old. That just isn’t right in the greatest country on earth. I don’t look for the democrats or republicans to solve this (hard to get stuff done when you”re running for reelection all the time) but more that anybody that can help has to!

Once we got past the initial survival mode of starting our family run business we started looking at we wanted to “Do Good” and give back in some way. We knew that we had to look outside our community as we ship spices from coast to coast (as well as into Alaska, Hawaii and occasionally to our neighbors to the north). While we saw that there were many great causes and people that needed help in other countries we thought there were enough people who needing a  helping hand right here in the US.

Since we’re a food business it seemed natural that we should do something related to food and a food bank made sense. In researching potential non-profits to support I looked at their “score” from CharityNavigator.org and Feeding America scored almost 97%. This means that 97% of the money they raise goes directly to supporting the people who stand to benefit the most. Not to marketing, salaries, big mansions or other “associated costs”. I saw some organizations receive scores in the low 80’s.

In 2011 your support meant that $40,980 worth of food was distributed and 19,285 meals were served. Our goal for 2012 is to double this and through March of this year your support has already meant that 9,323 hungry Americans have received meals and $19,811 worth of food has been distributed.

Thanks for your business as we really appreciate the opportunity to provide great spices to you while also being able to help others.

We had a blast this past weekend as Penny and I went down to the 2nd Annual Go Naked BBQ Competition in Greencastle, PA that was held at the Mason Dixon BBQ Services store. As is very common with shows, competitions and events they tend to get better each year and this one was no exception. This year beat last year by leaps and bounds on so many levels!

We were at the show last year and it was cold (40°) and rainy, this year it was sunny (I got a sun burn), a bit warmer (high 50’s) but windy. This year they were more vendors, competition barbecue teams and families out enjoying the day. I especially enjoyed watching the kids getting their faces painted, climbing the rock wall and getting to ride ponies (nice touch Eric).

Last year the event was on a Saturday and we drove 3 hours the morning of the event and drove back the same day (talk about a long day) but this year we went down late on Thursday as they had a special event set up for Friday. We were asked to help out by sponsoring the barbecue class that was held on Friday by the “Kansas City Baron of Barbecue” Chef Paul Kirk who has been the World Barbecue Champion 7 times. There were 34 teams signed up. What a blast!

We supplied the spices used in the class and got to talk a bit about how to best store spices to extend their shelf live and about the different kinds of peppercorns, paprika and cinnamons they can use in their own unique spice rubs. We also learned some more barbecue secrets for pork butts, briskets, ribs and chicken (I had never heard of a chicken lollipop before this weekend!).

Best of all we were able to talk to a wide variety of people – of course “The Baron”, various barbecue competitors, those just starting out and interested in learning more about barbecue seasonings and a chef from the Pennsylvania School of Culinary Arts.

We don’t do many of these types of events throughout the year so it is really a great experience when we do get to “get out” for a few days and do something different. Oh and needless to say the food was spectacular!

Roasting spices is not a very common technique in this country but is used with great regularity in many cultures around the world. Dry roasting your spices is a simple way to bring an almost magical flavor to your cooking. Best of all you don’t need to be a culinary trained chef to get the most out of roasting spices and in fact you’ll find that it is as much an art as it is a science.

You’ll have to train your senses and develop a good understanding of the ideal timing but once you get it down you’ll be amazed at the difference. As you master this skill you’ll find the proper use of heat and the right amount of time will draw out the aroma while releasing the oils that are trapped inside the raw seeds, chiles and peppercorns. While you can certainly enhance the flavor you’ve got to be careful with some spices as you can actually alter their flavor by over roasting as well.

So while it’s part art you also need to take a methodical approach to this – the science. What about the meal you’re preparing and the spices you using? Are you cooking low and slow or fast and hot? Will your tubers and root vegetables benefit from a deep roast or are you doing a quick stir fry? Spices used in slower cooked dishes may have time to allow their seeds to soften and have may benefit from the slower release of the flavors. While dry roasting spices for a sauté or stir fry provides an explosion of additional flavor that can send your dish form good to amazing!

What Happens During Roasting
When you’re roasting spices you are releasing the oils of the spices. Spices have two primary types of oils – one is the non-volatile oils which are a series of oleoresins which provide the aroma of the spice. The second is the volatile or essential oils which provide the flavor of the spice. It is most common to roast whole spices (instead of ground) as these better retain their natural oils making them better suited to dry roasting.

How to Roast Spices
I prefer using a heavier small pan or skillet and cast iron works very well as does a wok. Now part of the art is that there is no one best way to roast spices – you’ll have some choices to make the first couple of times you roast and then as you gain experience you’ll develop the roasting philosophy that works best for you.

Some home chefs prefer preheating their pan while others choose to start with a cold pan. I fall in the camp of pre-heating. There are also several schools of thought on using a little oil when you roast your spices and others prefer to dry roast. I lean more towards dry roasting most of the time. No matter which combination of techniques becomes your own unique style the goal of roasting is it to enhance the character of the spice by releasing the spice’s deeper flavor.

Using a heavy skillet spreads the heat evenly and keeps the temperature consistent. Roasting is not something that you want to rush so avoid using high heat and keep in mind “low and slow”. I like to use the heat on low or low-medium. You want to heat your spices slowly so that they warm deep into the center of the spice while not burning the outer edges.

When You’re Done Roasting
As soon as you feel that you’re done roasting your spices you’ll want to remove them from the heat and put them on a plate to cool. Leaving them in the pan and just removing from the heat source will allow your spices to continue cooking and often leads to burning or scorching (negating all your work).

Let your spices cool completely and then grind them either with either a mortar and pestle or with an electric coffee or spice grinder.  Roasted spices tend to be easier to grind than unroasted spices. You’ll get maximum flavor if you use your spices the same day that you roast them (after allowing them to properly cool) but you can also store them in an air tight jar for several weeks before using them without much degradation. If I go this route I like to leave the whole roasted seed intact and then grind as needed for maximum flavor.

Other Things to Consider
There is another way to roast spices although it is not near as efficient and a whole lot less fun and that is to roast them in the oven on a cookie sheet or a stone wear baking sheet. This is less efficient as you have to pre-heat the oven and it will also be harder to gauge when the spices are fully roasted. And less fun as it is much more enjoyable to move the spices around with your wooden spoon and soak in the amazing aroma as the oils are released!

You don’t have to only roast one spice at a time if you are using whole seeds for one particular recipe or homemade seasoning blend. But you should be aware that not all spices roast in the same time period and since, especially at first, you’re relying on the aroma to help you determine when the spices are done roasting you should stick to roast your spices separately.

As you gain experience you may want to experiment further by roasting your “blend” of spices together. After you’ve gained the knowledge of approximately how long each spice takes to roast you can add the various spices at different times so that they are all finished roasting at the same time. Be aware that this takes a good deal of practice to get the timing down just right. Also if you’re going to add any ground spices to this cocktail of roasting spices be sure to add them at the very end as ground spices have less volatile and non-volatile oils and only need seconds to roast.

This is an advanced technique for sure but it is also the natural evolution as you become more familiar with how amazing spices can be when used to their fullest capability.

I read a great deal and some of my favorite subjects are anything I can get my hands on regarding spices and anything related to healthier eating (especially for those looking to get and/ or stay lean).

In the last week I was catching up on one of my favorite healthier eating bloggers at Mark’s Daily Apple. Mark is a big proponent of primal eating habits which is more about consuming higher levels of protein, fats, fruits and vegetables and staying away from grains, sugars, vegetable oils and most definitely any food that is processed. While I’m not a hard core follower of this philosophy I do agree with many of the general principals.

I’m also reading another spice book that is going into more detail on flavors (other than spices and chiles) that influence various global cuisines and it’s also talking about the creation of various fusion foods. This week both of these sources mentioned roots, rhizomes and tubers as important ingredients.

So while I know quite a bit about food, seasonings and healthy ingredients I was not completely familiar with the term “tubers” so I figured some of our readers might not be either. According to Wikipedia “Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store nutrients” and tubers are similar to rhizomes which are underground stems of a plant which look like thick roots. Some of the best known rhizomes in the spice world are turmeric, ginger root and galangal.

Some of the most familiar “tubers” are jicama, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams and radishes. Oh so now I know what tubers are! Well my personal favorite is going to be sweet potatoes (my grocery store incorrectly refers to these as yams).

Sweet potatoes have an excellent reputation in the fitness community as an ideal post workout food because they’re a low glycemic index food that provides sustained energy throughout the day. I like them as they don’t need butter to taste good and they partner well with cinnamon and chili powder. One medium size sweet potato has 103 calories, 443% of the recommended daily value (DV) of beta-carotene, 37% DV of Vitamin C, 28% DV of manganese and the list goes on and on. Two of my favorite recipes for these are Spicy Chili Fries and Sweet Potato Skins.

And since I love anything south of the border I’ve become a big fan of Jicama (pronounced hee-ka-ma). These look similar to parsnips or turnips, are low calorie and also loaded with nutrients. One cup of Jicama has 49 calories, 44% DV of Vitamin C, 25% of daily fiber and is a good source of potassium. Two of my favorite recipes for jicama are Jicama Rice and Mango Salsa.

So it turns out that I had been including tubers as a big part of my healthier eating regimen. These low calorie starchy vegetables are an almost perfect balance when paired with good quality protein and healthy fats. So if you’re not including them as a regular ingredient now you should give them a try.

On April 1st we’ll be celebrating two years in our current building as I talked about previously this building was built in the late 1800’s and has a storied history that includes being used as a fruit stand where green bananas were unloaded from the train (train tracks run behind the building) and stored down in the basement to ripen. There is also still a ring imbedded in one of the outside walls that was used to tie up horses.

Since we’re an online company we purposely looked for a building that would house our operations in a commercial warehousing and distribution zoned area. In our small town there are not many buildings that fitted this criteria. We had talked about a possible downtown location on Main Street so that we could set up a store front but that just wasn’t practical at the time.

Because of this we are a bit off the beaten path for walk in traffic which has been fine with us but something odd happened before the holidays last year and we got a small write up in the online paper. Well that led to a tiny bit of local traffic making their way to us. Ok well one person – Donna. Now Donna isn’t just a foodie looking for a spice fix. Donna is the part owner of a delightful little café in town called Café Mooset.

Donna of course had to bring her partner Annie (the Chef) and between these two ladies you would have thought that finding us was like walking into culinary nirvana. Not only do they buy from us for their café but they are more than willing to spread the word about us so that now we get a couple of visits each week from a growing number of serious home chefs who are looking for a nice variety of fresh spices, chiles and seasonings.

We’re even getting visitors from several towns away and from the locals the reaction is always either – “I never knew you guys were here!” or “I’ve seen the sign but never thought anything more about it”. It’s a pretty small sign meant more for deliveries than traffic.

The feedback has been that discovery us is kind of like a little secret for those who take cooking at home very seriously. We had a great chance to meet some local people and it’s almost like their members of our exclusive little spice club.

We love when people stop by and they always comment about the aroma that washes over them as soon as they walk in the door. We love the chance to talk about the various spices, give a tour of our facility and tell our story. Even our mailman has commented that on a good day he can even notice the aroma of various as he gets about a ½ a block away.

We’re still not really thinking about a storefront and really like the exclusivity of our small but growing tribe of local spice lovers.