ECONOMY
HERE AND NOW
OUR WINE LIST IS
On a
Short List
OF THE NATION'S BEST.
Spice and tea and salt, oh yum!
Plus nature-loving jewels.
New local boutiques, businesses and brands
you may not know — but should.
By Lynne Konstantin
SPICE GIRLS
Jennifer Serrano and Jennifer Green have
recently spiced up their lives, substantially.
The friends already had a lot in common:
They each live in Oxford with their hus-
bands and two sons (they met through a
neighborhood playgroup), have vacationed
together and have monthly"foodie"themed
dinners with a group of friends.
A longtime fan of drinking loose tea,
Serrano heard about the Spice &Tea
Exchange, a small franchise crafting hand-
mixed spice blends, rubs and teas, based
in Florida. Her mother happened to visit a
shop on vacation, brought back some tea
for her daughter and a seed was planted.
"I looked into the company and was sold,
but didn't want to take the leap alone,"says
Serrano. So she brought Green on board
and launched the company's 25th franchise
in downtown Birmingham on Black Friday
last November.
The shop, reminiscent of an 18th-century
trading post with 100-year-old salvaged
barn beams, cypress shelves and antique
furnishings and artifacts, bursts with the
scent of the fine spices, fresh herbs, gour-
met blends and teas from around the globe
that brim in barrels and containers. Chili,
cheese and smoked powders, mineral and
hand-harvested sea salts, dry goods like
mushrooms and rice, olive oil and blends,
naturally flavored sugars, a vast assortment
of loose leaf tea from unique and exotic to
traditional, plus accessories from pottery to
mills and grinders appeal to top chefs and
gourmands to anyone who simply loves to
eat.
Serrano and Green love to chat, advise
and share recipes with customers and pride
themselves on the freshness of their prod-
ucts."Our custom blends make cooking a
breeze,"says Green. "You do not have to be
able to cook well to make something amaz-
ingly delicious!'
•
The Spice & Tea Exchange of Birmingham,
175 W Maple, Birmingham. (248) 433-1500;
spiceandtea.corn. 27
WE'RE A WINE SPECTATOR
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE WINNER.
And on Sunday evenings, enjoy half-priced bottles
of wine in our dining room as we offer over 300
selected bottles from our collection. Cheers.
OCEAN PRIME
FISH • STEAKS • COCKTAILS
NATURAL WOMAN
Inspired by nature and a background
in fashion and graphic design, artisan
Shari Dixon (nee Greenberg) hand-crafts
exquisite, intricate necklaces, earrings, rings
and bracelets from genuine botanicals
preserved with resin. Flowers, leaves and
herbs from zinnia, bamboo and buckwheat,
to oregano and artemisia on natural shells,
www.redthreadmagazine.com
to real snakeskin dyed and resined, suspend
from sterling silver, hemp and deerskin
cords. Look for bookmarks, tees and other
pieces, too.
Get Shari Dixon designs at Catching Fire-
flies, Berkley (800-414-1654; catching fireflies.
corn), Falling Water Bookstore and Gallery,
Ann Arbor (734-747-9810; fallingwatermi.
corn) and online at sharidixoninc.com .
AT BIG BEAVER & COOLIDGE
248.458.0500
2915
Coolidge Highway
Online Reservations: Ocean Pritne.com
-
EXPERIENCE THE MODERN AMERICAN SUPPER CLUB.
REDTHRta
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