The Spice Tin is more than a retail store. We want our customers to be interactive in the shop and encourage you to open jars, ask questions and share recipes, experiences and ideas. From stepping into the shop, the senses come alive with a calliope of aromas and colors. Our customers are the most important part of The Spice Tin followed by the exceptional quality of our spices and herbs.
From youth I have always 'played' in the kitchen, experimenting with ingredients and flavors. After our first trip abroad with our three daughters in 1986, Jan and I caught a major travel bug. The Spice Tin has allowed us to travel the world to find new spices, recipes and products to share with our foodie community.
Have briquettes, will grill is my motto. Cold, wind rain, if I can get the coals hot, I will be out at the BBQ. I am a briquette guy and have not ventured into the gas grill side – yet! One of my main responsibilities in The Tin is creating and blending our custom BBQ rubs.
Judy who was born in Japan is our Japanese specialist, conversing in native tongue with our Japanese visitors. Our crew has crowned Judy as Princess -Bag- Lot - no one bags as fast and as much. Judy's background and skills as a flight attendant fit in perfectly with helping our shop visitors. Judy's love for dogs is incredible. She fosters kitties and is always ready to meet a new doggie friend.
Sue is the deep 'thinker' crew member. Sue is the one who is always thinking 'outside' the box to make the Spice Tin better. She too is an outstanding cook with many exciting ideas. Just listen to Sue talk about bacon marmalade and you will understand her skills. Because Sue loves to travel, we only have Sue a few times a month. But, when she returns, Sue brings back more ways to make the shop hum.
Debbie with her Italian heritage is a major contributor to The Tin. She brings her love of food, wine and travel. If you like heat, Debbie is the one to ask since she loves hot and spicy flavors. Debbie loves a foodie challenge and is always looking for new ways to use spices, herbs and sauces.
Kimberly grew up in Murphys but spent a couple of decades chasing the wind - a journey which led to France, Santa Cruz, Washington, D.C., Louisville, Milwaukee, the Catskills, and Philadelphia before returning to Murphys in 2012. She has worked on family and urban farms, in grocery stores, in classrooms (kindergarten is my favorite), in school gardens, in hat shops, and scooping ice cream. With her passion food and food systems, Kimberly believes in the power of food to shape community, our lives, and the environment- from growing, to cooking, until the moment we sit down together at the table to share a meal.
Diana brings her Italian/Irish culinary skills to The Tin along with her sense of humor and knowledge of Calaveras County. Her ancestors arrived in the area in the 1800's establishing a long history of ranching. If you have a question about the county, ask Diana and be prepared to laugh.
Our dynamic duo! Sherrie brings her southern cooking heritage to Tony's Italian love of food and gardening. Their ``banana belt`` garden in Vallecito sprouts an abundance and variety of veggies and fruit. Like the rest of our staff, Sherrie and Tony love to travel the world with Italy being the country that keeps them returning over again.