Kitchen Spices brings the world home to Chattanooga
Finding all the ingredients for your favorite Indian or Middle Eastern recipes used to mean picking through the overpriced and poorly-stocked international foods section of your local supermarket, taking a trip to Atlanta, or driving around town to a dozen different places trying to find curry leaves or za’atar spice.
Over the last couple of years, a few specialty markets have popped up around the city, but for the best selection, lowest prices, and an extremely helpful staff, Kitchen Spices Indian, Asian, and Mediterranean Grocery at 7601 East Brainerd Rd., Ste. 102 is a one-stop shop for any Indian, Asian, Middle Eastern, or Mediterranean ingredients you may need.
Owner Bencily George opened the family run market more than 5 years ago after having been a part of the Chattanooga community for more than 30 years. Bencily wanted to bring the best flavors of India, Asia, and the Middle East to Chattanooga’s home and professional cooks with an affordable, neighborhood market.
One look around the well-stocked shelves and carefully curated selection of items from not just India and the Middle East, but also Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and across the Mediterranean as well, tells you this seemingly small store has a lot to offer.
I first discovered Kitchen Spices about a year ago when I was on the hunt for fresh coconuts in October—not the ideal time to be searching for whole coconuts in Chattanooga. After visiting several local specialty markets and finding only empty bins and stale coconuts I stumbled on Kitchen Spices' East Brainerd road store.
Bencily greeted me with a smile and not only had beautiful, fresh coconuts, he coached me on the proper technique for picking out the meatiest and freshest ones—a skill I still use to this day. Coconuts in hand, I decided to browse the store and found a pantry-bulging selection of prepared foods, ready-to-eat foods, produce, teas, and a game-changing collection of spices.
Indian food is known for its use of spices, so it should be no surprise that a place called “Kitchen Spices” would have an enormous selection. But the real difference is in the price. For most spices, you can walk away with a large bag for the same price or cheaper than one of those tiny supermarket jars.
Cumin, coriander, star anise, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and a dizzying array of spice mixes such as biryani, tandoori, and various masalas line the shelves at prices that will make you feel like Marco Polo returning from the Malabar Coast.
Turning from the spices I began to notice the incredible variety of products on this first aisle alone. Bags of various dals (lentils and other pulses), delicious SE Asian noodles, jars of olives and pickled vegetables cried out for me to take them home.
Staples like palm sugar and jaggary sit alongside coveted cooking oils such as grapeseed and mustard and of course, there is plenty of ghee—but then I pushed my cart around the corner and saw the produce.
Twice a week, Kitchen Spices gets deliveries of beautiful produce, both staples, such as tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and okra, along with harder to find items like imported chilies, curry leaves, fresh turmeric, and of course, coconuts.
But once again, the prices were what caught my eye. Bencily told me that his products, especially the produce, are the best prices in town and I have to agree. I loaded up on enough okra and fresh turmeric to freeze and last for months for a fraction of what I would pay at any chain supermarket.
As I made my way past the coolers and freezers I couldn’t help but notice the kingfish, mackerel, and anchovies imported from Kerala but decided on a nice Brazilian red snapper for dinner along with some of the soft roti, naan, and pita breads you can pick up beside the counter.
When you need variety, service, and great prices on international foods, Kitchen Spices Indian, Asian, and Mediterranean Grocery should be your first stop, every time.
Contact them at (423) 551-4999 or (423) 277-8434.
— Mike McJunkin