If you’re a regular shopper at New York City’s specialty grocery shops, pop-up markets (like our very own Greenpointers markets), or back in the day at Smorgasburg, you’ve probably come across Greenpoint Trading Co.’s spices. If you’re like me, you’ve wondered why they didn’t have a small shop in the neighborhood, a place where you could look at their offerings or pop in when you need some emergency za’atar or hawaij. A few months back, owners Kimmee and Evan Hoffman finally found the perfect little space at 65a West Street for a little spice shop of their own.
Greenpoint Trading Co. and its wholesale arm, Brooklyn Spice, have been around since 2011 when they operated out of a space on Box Street. Kimmee and Even are setting out to create simple easy-to-use, healthy spice blends for the home cook. A good amount of the blends are salt-free, with all-natural ingredients and no preservatives. While the entire operation began as a weekend side project, the two Greenpointers eventually gave up their “regular” full-time jobs to focus solely on bringing New Yorkers better spices. Continue reading →
Finished carrot salad plated at one of my recent pop-up dinners!
Is anyone else getting to the point with their winter CSA where they’re drowning in carrots? To keep dinner fun (instead of “again??”), I’ve been dipping into other cuisines for inspiration.
(sponsored) Did you enjoy that amazing mulled wine at the Holiday Market? It was made with mulling spices donated by Greenpoint’s favorite spice, seasoning and rub company. Greenpoint Trading Co.’s has just launched a kickstarter campaign. Their $30,000 goal will be to invest in a build-out of their warehouse, more machines for production, more inventory and more staff. With more inventory and manpower they can take on more customers and expand beyond the East Coast.
This Sunday December 14, 2014 from 1-4pm they will be having a fundraiser at Dirck the Norseman (7 No. 15th St). They will be giving away FREE BEER to anyone who donates to their cause. So donate!
I’ll admit it. My spice cabinet is a bit of a mess. And it seems the more cooking I do, the greater into disarray my cache of seasonings falls. A six-year-old, nearly untouched jar of marjoram rests atop a pillow of unlabeled ziploc bags filled with heaping spoonfuls of unidentified yellow and green aromatic powders. Towards the back of the cupboard, a tub of oregano the size of a house cat mocks me. Too much of this, too little of that, and what to do with it all, assuming the old stuff still has pungency? Greenpoint’s Tara Suan, has come up with an idea to combat these common kitchen conundrums.
I’d just like to get this right out of the way and say that black magic works. I’ve dabbled in the dark arts and after all of the proper blood rites have been performed and incantations memorized, I’ve gotten exactly what I wanted.
Xi’an Famous Foods has opened a location closer to me than their East Village spot. Their new location in Greenpoint (86 Beadel St) is a ten minute walk from my house, and I’d personally like to thank the Dark Lord Clothos for making this possible.
For those of you not familiar with Xi’an in all its spicy glory, allow us to show you the way. Originally from Flushing, with two outposts in Manhattan, Xi’an Famous Foods has consistently been credited with helping the resurgence of traditional Chinese food here in New York. Specializing in traditional Western Chinese cuisine, Xi’an represents conventional Americanized Chinese food in much the same way the croissanwich represents French food. A very different beast indeed.
If you’re a regular shopper at New York City’s specialty grocery shops, pop-up markets (like our very own Greenpointers markets), or back in the day at Smorgasburg, you’ve probably come across Greenpoint Trading Co.’s spices. If you’re like me, you’ve wondered why they didn’t have a small shop in the neighborhood, a place where you could look at their offerings or pop in when you need some emergency za’atar or hawaij. A few months back, owners Kimmee and Evan Hoffman finally found the perfect little space at 65a West Street for a little spice shop of their own.
