A world of spice

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This article was published 21/06/2022 (1226 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Unless you’re an accomplished chef or experienced foodie, the world of spices can be an intimidating one. But for more than 20 years, Spice World, a family business in the heart of St. Boniface, has been making it easier for customers to navigate the countless flavours, international tastes and aromatic blends from around the world.

With more than two decades in the business, the Delos Santos family, who immigrated from the Philippines, has been sharing their love of spices with customers. Their knowledge and passion for service continues to set them apart from local supermarkets as they provide information and suggestions to make purchases based on flavour and cooking preferences.

Spice World originated in the 1970s, and the Delos Santos family took it over in 1997. The parents with three children spent their days together creating a place that would become an important part of the community.

And when his parents retired, Aaron Delos Santos bought the business. He remembers spending his childhood days helping out when he could, along with his two sisters.

“Right after school we would go to the shop and try and help; we were a handful. We were always there,” said Delos Santos.

“My parents always had some of that entrepreneurial spirit. We are trying to continue on their legacy, and their work ethic. Now their job is watching our grandkids,” said the father of two young children.

“We want to share our love of cooking with our customers, inspire and provide people with the highest quality of spices, connecting and coming together for the love of food.”

Spice World has at its centre that love of food, creating different spice blends and flavours for just about any dish. With more than 100 spices and blends to choose from, there’s an abundance of flavours to experience. A website features recipes to encourage consumers to explore the tastes from around the world.

Joe Laurin De Oliveira began cooking late in life, and appreciates the various offerings available at Spice World with one particular favourite.

“One little gem I discovered is the ‘Peg City’ spice. So delicious to sprinkle on chicken and fry it up and serve along with some rice and whatever vegetables I’m in the mood for. I also like to sprinkle on potatoes after I cut them up into wedges, and bake at 450 for about 20 minutes if I’m not in a mood for rice. Sometimes I just salt and pepper the potatoes, and make a dip with the spice mixed with mayo. I can go on and on … so many ways to make meals extra tasty,” said Laurin De Oliveira, with his goal of making dinner in less than 30 minutes from Monday through Friday, with fewer ingredients and maximum flavour.

The popular Peg City blend combines paprika, kosher salt, garlic, onion, celery, black pepper, cumin, oregano, coriander, dill weed and lemon pepper. The in-house spice blend works with anything you’d like to throw on the grill, be it meat, vegetables, or tofu, and also works to spice up popcorn.

“We love to try to play around with different flavours, create unique blends. We are foodies and we love that,” said Delos Santos. “To have customers come in, saying we tried this, it’s super exciting. For years I’ve been thinking about the Montreal Steak spice blend but had never seen Winnipeg’s own. I’ve been creating Peg City spice blend over the years, testing different layers, for a wide variety of flavours. Within the last five to 10 years we started playing around with a lot of different flavours, trying out different flavours from around the world.”

Spice World makes it a priority to access spices from a network of ethically sourced distributors supporting sustainable farming practices.

“We only deal with certain suppliers; it’s really important to us that it’s ethically sourced. We know what we are giving our customers.

“What makes us different is the care we give our customers; the classics, the world of spices is so huge, it can be overwhelming. We are more than happy to give suggestions to customers, to offer flavour profiles. If you only need a certain amount, we’ll do that. That kind of service is so important.”

Spice World supplies restaurants throughout the city, with wholesale pricing. Customers can bring their own empty shakers or jars for a refill into the shop as long as they’re clean. Whole spices will keep for between one and two years. Ground spices will keep for six to eight months. Though not organic, spices are non-irradiated, non-GMO, kosher certified, and most products are gluten-free.

“This was a mom-and-pop shop,” said Delos Santos. “It used to be my father and I. Now we have four or five staff members. It’s growing a lot more. It’s fun and we are proud.

“St. Boniface is such a great community; the residents have all welcomed us. We love the repeat customers. They’ll ask how my parents are doing. They’ve seen me as a child, how the business has grown. They notice the difference in the quality and the love we put into it.”

Visit: spiceworld.ca

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