The Spice House, Chicago

If the appearance of spices were to reflect their real importance in the history of the world, the bottles of spices would be filled with bright glittery substances, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and gold. —from The Spice Houses' web feature, The Lure and Lore of Spices

Named to Food and Wine Magazine's short list of Top Spice Shops in the World, The Spice House each week, brings consumers only the finest quality spices from around the world, including pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg etc. They carefully hand grind, mix, and sift their seasonings for the ultimate in freshness, filling their shop with a sea of glass jars. Some contain blends, while others house pure spices, either ground or whole. But The Spice House is much more than a retail space—it's also a space of creativity and collaboration. Customers and staffers constantly share new recipes and ways to use spices.

How are Customers Using their Spices?

For easy reference, The Spice House maintains a recipe database, which houses more than 1,000 recipes submitted by The Spice House's staff, their customers, and culinary professionals. Some of their most popular recipes include Pickled Beets and Puerco Pibil.

Groupon Guide to Chicago

Where Nutmeg Really Comes From

The Spice House's co-owner Patty Erd tells us about sourcing nutmeg at a cooperative in Grenada, where even the streets smell like the spice.