World Spice Merchants

Bringing flavor to every day

What makes a dish delectable? Flavor, of course. That can come from a variety of sources (butter, wine, herbs, spices). When you want to improve your cooking, one of the best places to start is World Spice Merchants behind Pike Place Market.

With over 200 spice selections, including pure spices, herbs and spice blends, you will find what you need to take your dish to the next level. World Spice is a true artisan spice shop; owner Amanda Bevill creates the blends at their offsite production facility and warehouse. 6,000 square feet provides plenty of room to blend and toast spices.

"Originally, we were one of very few spice purveyors online; now there are many," says Amanda. "Although we don't want to be spice snobs, the best really is right here. We source the spices ourselves and blend them by hand each week. We take the time to do it right to give that extra flavor. And if we can get a spice whole, we run it through the grinder right before we send it out the door. Line that up next to a spice from a grocery store or Costco and you'll taste the difference. It's well worth the trip to our store. Online orders are handled the same way, so that fresh quality is there. We actually discourage people from buying too much at once and keep the minimum low on the website. You can only use so much before it loses the best flavor!"

In addition to sourcing and blending, Amanda spends a lot of time creating and testing recipes they share on their blog. She also handles the online website and blog. The website was updated in 2006, and again just this year. "People want updates, pictures and recipes. We put all the recipes in our blog so we don't waste resources printing them," she explains.

Amanda's most recent accomplishment is the publishing of a book she wrote with Julie Kramis Hearne. The book aims to help people find freedom in the kitchen. "My favorite thing about the book is that it focuses on the number of dishes you can make with just one spice blend," says Amanda. "When I first walked into the shop, it was love at first sniff. But I'll admit that I was intimidated. As we've spent time with chefs and have experimented, we've felt this freedom-you can try anything and see what you think. That's what we want to impart to our readers. Julie and I had a hard time deciding which blends to put in which recipes for the book. We offer suggestions and hope people will try their own ideas. For instance, you don't have to use "curry" to make curry. "Curry" in India means "sauce." So you can mix up your own spices to create your own curry. We want people to use spices in their everyday cooking."

Julie was a customer of World Spice; she and Amanda met in the shop. When Amanda found out Julie was the co-author of one of her favorite cookbooks "Cast Iron Skillet," she was thrilled. Julie has been saying "we should write a book," but she got serious a few years ago. The result, "Word Spice at Home: New Flavors for 75 Favorite Dishes," went on sale September 30, 2014. "We delayed the launch a bit to get closer to holiday party season," explains Amanda.

In addition to spices, they sell gift packets, grinders, brewers, storage pieces, and cookbooks. "We started carrying a more global selection of cookbooks about a year and a half ago. We carry them in the store, but not online. Online is spices, blends, teas, gift packages and a little merchandise."

Downstairs, you'll find estate teas as well as a tea counter where you can savor a cup of tea. "We sample around harvest time and pick our favorites. We offer only loose-leaf tea; no bags, no flavored teas. Loose-leaf provides a fuller flavor. When it's chopped finely, it loses flavor. And if it's in a tea bag, the water can't freely circulate around the leaf. We have about 50 teas with 3-4 of black, green, oolong, white and herbal. Black, green and oolong are from the same plant; harvest time and processing are what makes the difference."

World Spice was founded by Tony Hill in 1995. He published his own book called "Contemporary Encyclopedia of Herbs and Spices." Amanda discovered the shop in 2001 and began working with Tony in 2002. She purchased it in 2005. "It was a seamless transition. He was a very hands-off boss as he was writing his book, and he passed the reins to me. We haven't changed a lot. He had a winning formula. Our focus has stayed on spices and things closely associated, like the grinders. We still provide a great service; we're a Seattle institution."

Tony and Amanda agreed that this career comes about by passion or happenstance. It was passion for Tony and both for Amanda (click here to see her background). "For me, it's still love. I have something new for dinner every night; there are so many combinations to try!" She's not ruling out another location in the future, but there are no immediate plans. "We've seen substantial growth each year, so you never know."

World Spice Merchants
1509 Western Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
206-682-7274
www.worldspice.com

Connie Adams/November 2014