Red Stick Spice Co. heats up

The first thing that hits you when you walk into the Red Stick Spice Company is the smell. It’s like walking into a luscious curry; sharp overtones and floral undertones tickle the nose and the tongue. Racks of clear jars filled with multicolored spices line the walls, tempting customers to open them up and take a whiff. Along with every flavor from aniseed to wasabi, there are custom spice blends you can’t find anywhere else. A coffee-barbecue rub has a spicy, earthy tone. Hops ’n Honey smells like sweet, dark beer. Maple and cranberry has a mouthwatering, tangy smell. Across the room, dark bottles of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and stuffed olives sit on shelves next to a tasting booth, where you can take a small sip of a product before you decide whether to buy it. The variety is astonishing: champagne pear balsamic vinegar, for instance. And garlic-infused olive oil: “[The growers] press the olives and the garlic together,” says co-owner Lee Easterwood, “so it’s truly infused. They don’t just add garlic flavor later.” Easterwood and his wife, Gloria, are in a position to know; they are acquainted with the growers, who make the olive oil and balsamic vinegar just for their shop. One thing is clear: Red Stick Spice merchandise goes way beyond Tony Chachere’s and Zatarain’s. “This is a place where people can expand their palates,” says Easterwood. “Most people think of spice and they think, ‘hot stuff,’ but it can be more than that.” Read the rest of the story in this week’s 225 Dine by clicking here.