A pot of beans costs almost nothing, takes almost no attention, and keeps in the fridge for the better part of a week. What it gives back is protein, fiber, and a depth of flavor that most pantry ingredients never reach. They are also, it should be said, one of the more forgiving things you can cook.
Before there was an Oaktown Spice Shop, John Beaver spent his days at the grinding mill of a spice shop in his hometown of Milwaukee. The work taught him valuable lessons about the spice-making process that he would carry with him. For example, the moment a whole spice is ground, it begins to release its oils, and from there the flavor only fades.
Alisha Taff grew up visiting her mother's friends, the kind of households where children get spoiled with something sweet before they leave. What she got was jujubes. She says they were just sweet enough to be considered candy in her eyes. She had no idea at the time that she was eating a fruit people have been cultivating for 4,000 years.
