If your neighborhood was a spice blend, what would it be? Pinch Spice Market has the answer

If your neighborhood were a spice blend, what would it be?

If you’ve seen the spice vending machine at the Shippingport Brewery, 1121 W Main St., in the Portland neighborhood, you might already know what "flavors" are associated with Butchertown, Old Louisville or even Russell. The machine, likely the first such in the world, vends organic spices and blends from Pinch Spice Market, the venture from Thomas McGee and Meaghan Thomas.

McGee and Thomas, life and business partners, travel the world on what they call treasure hunts, finding farms in India, Sri Lanka, Mexico, and more, where they can ethically source spices.

Back home in Louisville at their facility in Portland, the art and magic of producing small-batch spices and spice blends for their online retail shop begins.

'We're growing fast'

The two-person business got its start when McGee was living in Chicago, and it relocated when he and Thomas landed in Louisville. While they admit it was terrifying to jump into their own business, move to a new city, and experience a pandemic, the upside of COVID-19 life was how much people started cooking at home and exploring new flavors, they told the Courier Journal.

“Since then, we're growing fast,” Thomas said, with sales up 30-40% each month over a year ago, putting them on a trajectory toward a million dollars a year. That growth is what brought them to Portland, the pair said, to a large space they share with other locally owned enterprises including Elixir Kombucha and Heine Brothers Coffee.

Their enthusiasm for their home and business bubbles over in conversation.

“The people that occupy the space really care about what they do and they believe in fair trade and ethical business building,” Thomas said. “And we also just love the area … We love riding our bikes around the neighborhood … I think it's just such a beautiful area. I love being right off the river. There's so many cool parks. And there's really interesting places popping up.”

Their goal as they grow is to hire people locally, and eventually put them in leadership positions where they can run the production and own a piece of the company while Thomas and McGee travel more.

Spices fresh from the harvest

Traveling to forge connections with their producers is key. The spice trade, “one of the oldest forms of commerce,” McGee said “is riddled with problems … there's a lot of child labor and poverty cycles.” So they seek out certified organic farms that engage in fair trade.

And the difference in the spices they import and what we find on store shelves? No comparison, they said.

“The reality is a lot of the grocery store spices sit for a year or two years before they even hit the shelves,” Thomas said, while they get spices in fresh from their harvest.

I put this to the test when I stopped by their facility for a peek behind the scenes. If you've not been, the spice markets in places like Marrakech and Istanbul are magical, promising a thousand and one amazing meals. The heady fragrance as soon as you step foot in Pinch’s portion of the building? It will transport you immediately to a dusty back alley in an ancient market with technicolor spices heaped high.

While they have the right to be proud of all of their spice blends, the Moroccan blend called Ras El Hanout is the one McGee beams the brightest about. Meaning “head of shop,” this is a custom blend created by each spice shop in Morocco, and no two are alike. McGee spent months developing his own blend which weaves together more than two dozen spices including the somewhat unexpected lavender, rose, and galangal, in addition to the more traditional cumin, turmeric, and ginger.

I made the mistake of burying my nose in a pouch of the blend, and the intensity was a knock-out that left me in desperate need of a tissue so I could sneeze. This is not your dried-out grocery store blend; no, that’s only a ghost of the real thing.

If your neighborhood were a spice blend, what would it be?

So, back to the original question: If your neighborhood were a spice blend, what would it be? I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. Here's how Pinch Spice Market has envisioned numerous neighborhoods in Louisville:

Butchertown gets a “versatile seasoning you’d find behind the counter at a local butcher shop,” like a brisket rub, and is recommended for meats.

Germantown packs “eclectic rich flavors like fenugreek and coriander” in a classic poultry seasoning suggested for chicken, roasted vegetables, and schnitzel.

The Highlands is a nod to the global flavors of its restaurant row with a “fusion of garlic, cumin, orange zest and pequin chilies.” You should use it in a marinade or on kabobs.

Old Louisville, like its namesake, “exudes elegance with flavors of Herbs de Provence and black truffle salt.” This salt blend is a dream for popcorn, dry-aged steaks, grilled fish, and compound butter.

Portland, being the original Port of Louisville, is a blend inspired by Old Bay Seasoning. Use generously with grilled fish, crab boils, clam bakes, and chowders.

Russell pays homage to the neighborhood’s beloved soul food restaurants with a touch of sweetness complementing its Cajun roots. Try it on pork chops, ribs, and vegetables.

Pinch spices are available online at pinchspicemarket.com for shipping or local pick-up, and several options are available in the spice vending machine at Shippingport Brewing, 1221 W Main St.

Tell Dana! Send your restaurant “Dish” to Dana McMahan at thecjdish@gmail.com and follow @elleferafera on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Pinch Spice Market in Louisville sell organic spices and blends