Du Jour: Lee and Gloria Easterwood, Red Stick Spice Co.

The Red Stick Spice Company is a place where you can taste artisan olive oils, buy offbeat spices at great prices and smoke out the latest in butt rubs. But this food-lover’s sanctuary, now more than a year old, isn’t so much the result of culinary passion as it is a consequence of keen awareness. Quite simply, Gloria and Lee Easterwood fell into spices and oils while creating resort maps.

In the nineties, the Easterwoods had moved to Temecula, Calif., for Lee’s career with Bank of America. The Mississippi natives discovered the area badly needed an accessible resort map to guide newcomers and tourists through the thicket of regional wineries, shops and restaurants. “All we could find back then was photocopied sheets of paper,” recalls Gloria. The couple launched one, and in the process, sold ads to local farmers, wineries, culinary stores, olive oil and vinegar producers.They also observed successful culinary shops, including an olive oil store where tastings bolstered knowledge and excited customers. Later, Gloria and Lee decided to open a store that combined olive oils and bulk spices, and they looked nationwide for the right location. “Baton Rouge was a good fit. People here are already into food and flavor,” says Gloria. The store features an entire wall of fresh spices purchasable by the ounce, which keeps the price affordable, especially when you’re experimenting. Olive oils are sold under the company’s private label, but derive from four farms in California that have won awards for their olive oils. “We pay attention to who is winning awards in culinary competitions, not just in olive oil, but in loose tea and spice blends, and we go after them,” says Lee.

Open for more than a year, the spot has added several regional vendors to its line-up, including Bocage Honey and Omi’s marinades. It’s a great source for extracts and pastes for fans of baking and for salt-free blends that pack huge flavor. And, you can bring your olive oil bottle back to be refilled for a significant discount.