Since opening just a year and a half ago, the Savory Spice Shop on El Paseo in Palm Desert has already made a huge impact in the culinary world, and not just for the professionals. Yes, on any given day one might see a local chef smelling, tasting, and buying herbs and spices, but the store caters to the non-professionals as well.
With more than 400 individual spices and over 120 blends, the store stocks everything from garlic and a variety of salts, to the unexpected and difficult to find such as pomegranate molasses, dried mushrooms and saffron. There is a wall of chilies with more than two dozen from which to choose. The most popular chile is the Ancho, ranking just a one on a heat scale of one to ten. For heat lovers, the store also carries the two hottest chilies commercially available, the world record holding Ghost and Scorpion chilies, ranking a ten plus on the scale.
New on the shelf this summer are “Recipes To Go” which include a recipe card and premeasured ingredients for one-stop shopping. There is a “Recipe To Go” for a Peruvian Turkey Burger and another for Smoked Black Pepper Ranch Dressing ready to mix in a reusable glass jar, to name a few. The store also recently began carrying locally produced products such as walnut butter, balsamic reductions, and spicy jams.
The beauty of the Savory Spice Shop is that one can purchase as little as a half-an-ounce or up to pounds of any herb or spice. There’s no need to buy an entire bottle if you just need a pinch, and the ability to purchase small quantities encourages experimentation in cooking.
The Savory Spice Shop is located at 73-399 El Paseo, Palm Desert and is open daily. For more information call 760-346-4372.
