Product development is one of our favorite things. Our floral infused sugar and salt were dreamed up nearly a year ago. It’s taken us time to find the right ingredients, strike a balance with the bold flavors and test variants in our kitchens. We couldn’t be prouder of the end results.

We received an e-mail a few months back from none other than Erin French. You probably already know this, but she’s the chef behind The Lost Kitchen. We’re huge fans of her cookbook, and we’re delighted SKORDO spices will be a part of The Lost Kitchen’s winter market.

Rarely do we get the chance to dive into the origin, stories and reasoning behind our blends. This month we're continuing our ingredient tour with a reflection on iconic blends from world cuisine. Each is rich with flavor, bursting with versatilely and packed with history. Join us on a quick trip around the globe. 

In this video clip we're mixing up a batch of Advieh, a blend of freshly ground cumin, coriander, black peppercorns, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, lime zest, and rose petals. 

Welcome to a new year of good eats and food fun! We’re kicking 2021 off with a celebration of base ingredients. It will be a month filled with herbs, spices, whole foods and fundamentals inspired by Lior Lev Sercarz.

Whether you’re rolling out dough with a loved one, mailing some to friends, or leaving some out for Santa; cookies are essential to the holidays! My family always makes several dozen Linzer Tarts and Peanut Butter Thumbprints, but this year I decided to spice it up. 

Wine, gelato, café, and of course food.  These four things are what I often say living in Sicily “spoiled for me”.  From 2010-2012 I had the privilege to live on the Italian island for two years while serving as a U.S. Navy Nurse.  That time remains as some of the best years I’ve experienced, the vast majority of those memories surrounding wonderful company and of course, food. 

Curry originates in India, and refers to a complex combination of spices & herbs, usually incorporating turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, and dried chilies. It’s a beautiful way to capture the essence of each home, as curry can vary so much from one person's interpretation to the next.

If you want to make authentic Asian food, chances are you’ll need to source some specialty ingredients. Lucky for us, there are just over a dozen international markets within the Portland peninsula. Portland Food Map does a great job highlighting the locations of the city's various markets, but specialty shops typically do the best business by word of mouth. I can’t speak for everyone, but I personally feel more confident trying somewhere new if I'm able to do some research to get a feel of what to expect. To help with this, I ventured out to two different Asian markets in Portland: Sun Oriental on Congress Street & Halmuman Meanchey on Forest Ave. These were the most accessible markets for me when considering location, hours, and variety. 

Cherie Scott is a bright spot in Maine’s food scene. Her love of food and passion for home cooking is inspired by her two homes: Mumbai, India and Boothbay, Maine. The result is a culinary blend that manages to be both deeply rooted and expansive. Her blog, Mumbai to Maine highlights family recipes and gives us a glimpse into her home kitchen where she cooks alongside her kids and husband. The blog also features her latest venture: Maine’s Bicentennial Food Podcast. Each podcast episode is an interview with a chef, entrepreneur or scientist telling their Maine food adventure.

This time last year I flipped on Netflix clicked on Ugly Delicious and watched Dave Chang and Chrissy Teigen meander through the markets of Marrakech. Within the month we’d booked flights and scheduled a meet for our own Moroccan adventure. Dad and Penny would fly down from London and we’d meet for four days in Marrakech then Eric and I would head to the coast for a few days of surfing and we’d round out the trip in the Sahara. Turns out the actual schedule was a bit modified due to head colds and belly aches, but we still managed to hit the city, the beach and the desert. Along the way we ate great food and I fell hard for the colors and flavors of Morocco.

It wasn’t until I decided to turn to a vegetarian diet that I discovered all the varieties, tastes, and opportunities that come from properly using mushrooms! When the location and weather allow, I will even forage to find some really tasty options for my mushroom recipes. If you are interested in foraging, you should definitely take a foraging class - never pick and eat something you don’t know what it is. I went with North Spore and have since been able to find chanterelles, chaga, and chicken of the woods right here in greater Portland!