Building on their shared passion for cooking, Pam and John Robinson opened The Spice & Tea Exchange of New Canaan on Friday, May 10.
“John and I both come from culinary backgrounds,” said franchise co-owner Pam Robinson. “Professionally, I was in the legal field for over 20 years, but I graduated from culinary school originally. I’ve kept that passion alive by developing recipes for local CSAs (community-supported agriculture initiatives) and farmers’ markets in my spare time. John works in the retail wine industry in New Canaan, with 30 years under his belt, and is an avid barbecuer.”
The Robinsons fell in love with The Spice & Tea Exchange in Newport, Rhode Island – first he while attending a folk festival there in 2017, then she as his bride.
“After celebrating our nuptials, we knew opening this store had to be our next celebration,” she said. “This venture is our investment in our passion for food and each other.”
The Spice & Tea Exchange of New Canaan is part of a community of more than 90 small businesses that contributes to the downtown district with a variety of options for food, art and culture. The store carries more than 85 handcrafted seasonings, which are blended in-store daily. There’s also a full-service tea bar, selling hot and cold pours of small-batch teas. Among the spice blends are two that had caught John’s attention – Vik’s Garlic Fix! and Onion Obsession, which he credited with elevating his barbecue. Customers can also explore shelves of infused sugars and honey.
Pam oversees the store’s daily operations, while John provides part-time assistance, drawing on his knowledge of wine, bee and cocktail pairings. Pam’s vision is to integrate the store into the community, with plans to offer cooking classes, tea 101 and talks and demonstrations by local chefs and cookbook authors in the future.
“The interest and welcoming spirit we’ve received from the downtown community so far has been lovely,” said Pam. “This is a unique concept for New Canaan, and we’re excited for everyone to enjoy the experience. We will celebrate with a grand opening ribbon cutting later, in June, but we just couldn’t wait to share all that The Spice & Tea Exchange has to offer.”
Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. The store is at 118 Main St. For more, visit spiceandtea.com.
