When Jessica and Christian Chevalier took their first road trip across the country together several years ago, they never dreamed that the blends of spices that they packed for their camping trip westward would become a fresh, intriguing business in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

            Alchemy Spice Company’s owners appear tireless in their quest for the ideal spice blends mixed from the freshest ingredients. Housed for the past two years with sixty-three other startup companies in the Hamilton County Small Business Development Center, Alchemy Spice is a cool haven above the bustle of Cherokee Boulevard’s construction and traffic. The exotic scent of spices from around the globe greets the visitor upon entering the company’s airy headquarters. One area of the room allows for shipping; another serves as a small office. Yet the majority of space is designated for the shelves of bins and buckets filled with the aromatic ingredients used to create Alchemy’s original blends. A sizeable coffee grinder is utilized not for coffee, but for the fine grinding of small items. An impressively larger grinder is one that would more likely be found on a farm, but here is used to grind seeds high in oil content, such as cumin and fennel. Immaculately shiny stainless steel tables serve as the work area for carefully mixing each distinctive blend.

            The Chevalier’s business has certainly evolved over the years. Jessica has loved cooking since childhood, so the idea of mixing her own spices to create unique blends did not seem so unusual to her. When she and her husband, Christian, were in graduate school in Pennsylvania, they found that they could create excellent meals on a student budget using imaginative spicing ideas. When Jessica approached the owner of Niedlov’s Breads asking to rent space, a manufacturing center was born from a ten-by-ten foot area! A rented house in Brainerd served as the business office; a third space served as the shipping zone. After over a year, Alchemy Spice Company consolidated its operations into its current location by submitting a business plan with financial documents, allowing them to qualify as a new startup company and rent space in their current location.

            Today, Alchemy Spice Company produces thirty different artisan spice blends, from a sweet and spicy cinnamon blend to the Fat Elvis, a Memphis dry rub for grilling foods, from Post Modern Poultry to Bayou Ya Ya, a Cajun blend. Jessica and Christian are constantly experimenting with new blends, always seeking the best color, texture and flavor for their spices. They like to produce a course grind for many of their blends, so that you “can see what you are eating,” as Jessica remarks. Just one glance at a jar of these spices, from the bright pink peppercorns to the tellicherry, the finest of black peppercorns, makes the mouth water. The company seeks vendors who offer fresh, whole products. Jessica states that they typically purchase spices in quantities ranging from five to 250 pounds! The company has created Italian and Mediterranean blends to incorporate not only into standard recipes, but also to add to dipping oils for breads and various hors d’oeuvres. 

            Why, the average cook might ask, would someone wish to purchase spices from Alchemy Spice Company as opposed to buying the standard label bottle in the supermarket aisle? What you may not know is that most spices purchased at your local chain supermarket were ground five to seven years before they will appear on your grocer’s shelf. Alchemy’s spices are ground as often as weekly during market season, from April to December. Standard advice is to throw out any spices that are over two-years-old and start with fresh ones. These locally-ground spices will always smell and taste fresher, because they are!

            How long does it take to create a spice blend from start to finish? Jessica states that she can easily spend ninety minutes on just one recipe. First, she toasts the seeds and berries to bring out their essential oils. Next, these must cool. At the mixing table, each ingredient must be mixed and ground to perfection. The blend is then bottled, labeled and sealed. Any leftovers not used by the company are donated to the Chattanooga Food Bank.

            Many people worry about the salt content of foods; spices are no exception. Most spice blends contain forty percent or more salt; Alchemy’s spice blends average five percent salt, with nine percent being the highest salt content of any spice they produce. The health benefits of this lower sodium content, not to mention the robust flavor of Alchemy’s spices, is obvious!

            Alchemy sells their spices almost every week in season at the Chattanooga Market, and you can find their offerings locally at Canvas Canoe Clothing Company, Niedlov’s, Greenlife Grocery, and Mia Cucina. They also will create a private label item, customizing a designer label for a spice blend of your choice to give as gifts or favors for a special event, such as a wedding or big birthday celebration. The company maintains an excellent web site: www.alchemyspicecompany.com filled with ingredient lists, recipes, and interesting links.

            When asked how they developed the name Alchemy for their company, Jessica responds that with each spice blend that they create, one has the opportunity to move from the bland to the whimsical. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary definition of alchemy is “a power or process of transforming something common into something special.” The Chevaliers are constantly transforming their company. New blends are in the offing for this year. Brownie mixes, made from organic free trade chocolate and all natural ingredients will soon hit the market in flavors such as ancho cherry cocoa. If their brownie mixes offer any parallel to their creative, tasty spices, Alchemy’s sweet new boxes will fly off the shelves!

 

Easy Ole’ Mole’

Serve this mole sauce with corn tortillas over turkey, chicken, or sautéed vegetables.

 

1 to 2 Tablespoons lard or vegetable oil

1 plantain, chopped

1 Tablespoon raisins

¼ cup pecans

2 Tablespoons sesame seeds

1 small onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 tomatillos, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

2 teaspoons salt

1 Tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons Ole’ Mole’

3+ cups poultry or vegetarian broth

 

In a large pot over medium heat, add lard or vegetable oil. When the shortening is hot, add the plantain and cook for five minutes, until browned and soft. Remove the plantain from the pot. Add the raisins and fry them until plump, about one minute. Remove the raisins. Add the pecans and cook until toasted, about two minutes. Remove the pecans. Add the sesame seeds and cook until toasted, about two minutes. Remove the sesame seeds. Add the onion and cook until soft, about three minutes. Remove the onion. Add the garlic and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove the garlic. Next, add the tomatillos and tomatoes. Cook these for approximately ten minutes, or until they become juiceless and thick. Add the plantain, raisins, pecans, sesame seeds, onion, and garlic to the tomatillo/tomato mixture. Add salt and Ole’ Mole’. Allow the ingredients to meld over the heat for approximately five minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. 

 

Very carefully, place this hot mixture in a blender and puree. Begin adding broth slowly to loosen the mixture. When the mole’ is the consistency of a smoothie, strain it through a mesh sieve to remove any chunks that may remain. When ready, reheat the mole, and serve.

 

Note: This recipe makes enough mole’ sauce for approximately five pounds of meat or veggies.