On my return from Denver last year, the anonymous bathroom reviewer identified a few places we should explore here in Upstate New York. One was the Canandaigua Spice Company, which we only got to fairly recently. And now, a chat (undertaken via email), with Michelle Jones-Ham -- its owner and more.
Bibliochef: Can you describe the Canandaigua Spice Company and how it came to be?
Michelle: Canandaigua Spice Company is more than just a spice shop. We are a collection of over 350 spices, herbs and seasonings; select coffees from countries around the world and more than 40 premium loose leaf teas; hand blended meat rubs, marinades and bottled hot sauces; various grains, rice and legumes; pastas, soups & gravies; snacks, nuts and sprinkles; gluten free, gourmet & gift baskets. In short, we are the old fashioned dry goods store.
I opened my own business because I was unhappy working for large corporations. The values of big business get more and more blurred and I don't agree with that. So from a practical perspective, I knew I wanted to do something I loved and could be excited about every day. For me that's FOOD! I come from a foodie family. My mother cooked for a family of 7 and all of us learned how to help from a young age. My first job was at the Mountain View Inn in Atlanta, NY where I grew up. I cooked Saturday lunches and Sunday chicken dinners for 5 years through high school. Then I worked at Poor Richard's Restaurant in Naples for 3 summers home from college. Since then I have catered and always kept my fingers in the pie of the food industry, even though I worked a full time job. I love the interaction with the customers! I love talking about food and flavor - so much of that is in the spice. This was a natural for me and I have loved every moment of it.
Bibliochef: How do you choose what you sell?
Michelle: I bought a notebook and started writing down all the herbs and spices I use. That was 5 pages long. Then I bought a few books on spices and herbs and added another 5 pages to what I wanted to offer, the more exotic, ethnic, and rare blends. Then I visited all my competitiors to see what they were selling. While my core product is spices nad herbs, I knew from day 1 that I would sell more than just spices and herbs. So I started adding food products that go well with spices and herbs - rice, couscous, legumes, grains, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, nuts... By the time I wrote everything down I had almost filled the notebook. I opened with what I thought the customer would like, then I learned that they wanted more than I had planned for. The requests continuously roll in and inventory continues to grow!
Bibliochef: How did you get interested in spices? Do you have a favorite spice/herb related memory?
Michelle: Being a middle child, I can remember my older sister always wanted to play Red Rover Red Rover, my younger sister liked to play dolls. I loved to play "Guess which spice it is" I would blindfold my sisters and hold a spice under their nose and they had to guess what it was. They got bored very quickly and we went back to playing dolls or red rover, but I have always loved the aromas and earthy tones of spices.
Bibliochef: I realize I am using both the word spice and the word herb. What’s the difference?
Michelle: Basically an herb is the herbcious parts of a plant. The stems, leaves or flowers are considered an herb. A spice is the root, bark, or seed of a plant. For example the herb cilantro and the spice coriander are derived from the same plant. Cinnamon is bark so it is a spice. Basil is leaves so it is an herb.
Bibliochef: What’s a day like at the Canandaigua Spice Company?
Michelle: No two days are the same at Canandaigua Spice Company, but we do have normal processes that we preform. Early morning includes checking the stock and packaging our products to restock the shelves. This can take just a few minutes to the entire day, depending on how busy the previous day was. I also clean the store daily. It is important to me to have the store in tip-top shape. I always notice cleanliness of the establishments I walk into and want my store to be at its best. Each week I make or order in new items. Our goal is at least 3 new spices, herbs or rubs and at least 2 other new products, for a total of 5 new items per week. This keeps the customers interested. They come back to see what is new and how they can use it. I work on recipes for the website, nutritional facts for the log book, book keeping for the accountant or ordering. I spend a great deal of time with the customers. It's my core value, to be a resource for customers and establish relationships with them. I often take on-line courses for business management. I do extensive amounts of research on the internet or through the library each week to know as much as I can about all of my products. I offer classes through the local highschool and at the store and spend time each week preparing for them. I network with other businesses through the Chamber of Commerce or through Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty. I prepare wholesale orders for restaurants and the NY Wine & Culinary Center. By the end of the day I take the garbage out, take a last look around my aromatic kingdom, turn the lights out and go home to my family!
Bibliochef: I know you have local spices as well as others at the store. Can you tell us about the local producers as well as where other spices and herbs might come from?
Michelle: It's very important to me to offer locally grown or produced products. I was able to bring in spices and herbs from 4 different growers last season, and locally processed foods like mustard, hot sauce and maple syrup from over 10 local producers. This year we have 12 growers lined up to grow herbs and spices and will be bringin gin more locally produced foods. One of the benefits of this is to keep revenues in our local economy, but another is to offer the freshest product available. All local growers sign a contract NOT to use pesticides or chemicals in their growing process. Our locally grown/organic selections went from a very small space to 1/4 of our shelf space in the store.
Bibliochef: I also know that some of your items are “organic.” Can you tell us what distinguishes spices labeled organic?
Michelle: The market for organically grown foods is on the rise. Which in turn means that organic food prices are beginning to come down. This is great news for the consumer. In a nutshell, organically grown means that growers are prohibited from using harmful synthetic pesticides and herbicides, sewage sludge, genetically engineered seeds and sythetic fertilizers. Animals must have access to the outdoors and be allowed to graze during the growing season and no antibiotics or growth hormones can be used. All grains and hay feed must be certified organic. In the long run this helps preserve the integrity of the soil and the health of the consumers. Being certified organic is no small task. Farmers must submit a written plan to the US Department of Agriculture and follow all organic regulations, and then pass annual inspections to insure they meet their plan and the regulations.
Bibliochef: What is the most “unusual” spice and/or herb you sell? What are very popular items?
Michelle: I would say one of the most unusual spices is Zahtar, which is a blend of thyme, sesame seeds, and sumac. It is great on cheese dishes and sprinkled over salads. Another unusual one might be the Sambal Oelek, added to tomato paste it makes a hot spicy Tunisian relish that is great over pork or beef. My favorites are the curries. I make 9 of them, all very different. I never liked curry, but now I blend sweet curries, spicy curries, citris curries and traditional curries. They are all great and I am enamored with them.
Some of our most popular sellers are rare and unusual too. The Sofrito is a hot seller. It is a blend of garlic, onion, chilis and cilantro that is great added to diced tomatoes for a salsa or added to rice for flavor. Berber'e blend is an Ethiopian seasoning that is great on chicken or pork. Chinese 5 Spice is gaining in popularity as a seasoning for meatloaf and meatballs.
Bibliochef: I know you also sell tea. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Michelle: I started with only 9 teas and now I sell more than 40 premium loose leaf teas. We offer selections of black, white, green, red, and herbal teas. Some are very rare, such as the Chinese Orchid Oolong Tea, Jasmine Dragon Pearls; and Green Sencha Tea. We also offer the standard in premium loose leaf teas too like: Earl Grey, Darjeerling; Ceylon, Gunpowder Green and Chai. We hand-blend 8 of our 14 herbal teas, the most popular being our Lavender Rose Cinna-Mint tea. Tea drinkers are very selective and there is quite a following for the loose leaf teas. We also offer Tea Sticks, infusers, and Coffee Presses for brewing the best cup of tea.
Bibliochef: Do you have favorite recipes that use spices or herbs that you sell? Would you share one with us?
Michelle: It's hard to choose just one but this is a simple and fun for the whole family. Rochester, NY is the home of French's Mustard so I thought a home-made mustard recipe appropriate.
Make Your Own Mustard
1/4 C yellow mustard seed
1/4 C Black or brown mustard seed
1T dry mustard powder
1 1/2 C cider vinegar [or champagne, sherry, red wine, apple juice]
1T dried chopped onion
2T dermerra [rew sugar] or dark brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2T dried minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp dried tarragon leaves [or substitute dill seed]
1/8 tsp turmeric
In a small bowl combine first 3 ingredients. In nonreactive saucepan, combine all remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered on medium heat until liquid is reduced by half. 10 - 15 minutes
Pour the liquid over the mustard mixture. Let mixture stand uncoverd at room temperature for 24 hours. You may need to add more vinegar to cover seeds at all times. If you want course mustard do not blend, if you want smooth mustard, blend in food processor until smooth, about 4 minutes. The mixture will continue to thicken, add vinegar if necessary. Scrape mustard into clean, dry jars; cover and refrigerate for 3 - 4 days to age properly. Enjoy.
Bibliochef: Hey, I had no idea French's Mustard was from Rochester! And now for some of the questions I ask all of the people I “speak” with! What’s the absolutely best meal you have ever had? What made it the best meal?
Michelle: The best meal I ever had was over 20 years ago on an evening that was snowing. I arrived home from college just before dinner and as I entered my house, the front window was misted and I could smell garlic and basil and tomatoes. I knew my mother was making my favorite [at the time] spagetti. My mom makes her own sauce and it is slow cooked with home-made meatballs and italian sausage. She also makes her own italian bread. I often think of the aroma on the porch as I opened the door and the misted view of my favorite place on earth --- home.
Bibliochef: What music, films, books related to food would you recommend? Why? (These could be about food generally or about spices/herbs!)
Michelle: It is amazing that food permeates our culture. I remember the first time I watched "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." In the store I often play salsa music and eveyone comments on how appropriate it is to walk into a spice shop and have salsa playing. There are too many books to mention, but I do use several as references and wouldn't give them up for the world - Herbs and Spices: The Cook's Reference written by Jill Norman, and the book that got me started on this road Food For Cooks written by Clair Ferguson.
Bibliochef: What do you eat for comfort food?
Michelle: When I was younger it was spaghetti or tuna-noodle casserole. Now post-40 it's pasta or homemade hamburger soup. Hamburger soup was my grandmother's specialty and it was often on the stove when we went to visit.
Bibliochef: Do you have a favorite restaurant in the Finger Lakes?
Michelle: Several that I love. I often tell folks in the shop that if they are headed south through Naples to be sure to stop into The Brown Hound Bistro in South Bristol. It is a fabulous little restaurant with a cozy, casual atmosphere. I have worked with Trish the owner, and Greta, the executive chef on several occassions and her menu is distinctive. If folks are heading east I recommend Madderlake Cafe on Rt 14 south of Geneva. The owners are a team and the husband [Scott] is the chef, the wife [Laura] the greeter and wine expert. She will recommend a wine to go with the meal you have ordered. We have always experienced perfect pairing when eating there. They have decorated the restaurant with locally blown glass plates and vases. It is a unique, yet personal atmosphere.
Bibliochef: Thanks for the chat -- and I hope my readers will all stop in the Canandaigua Spice Company -- right on Routes 5 & 20 in Canandaigua! (The address, which is 117 Eastern Boulevard in Canandaigua, utterly puzzled me at first. If you get lost, give them a call at 585-394-7840. The store is right there in hte mall alongside a liquor store. Once you know Eastern Blvd. is 5 & 20, you can't miss it!) Anyway, I bought Epazote (dried) my first visit. Who knows what I will buy next!
