It’s not unusual for home cooks to buckle at the knees on a first visit to Red Stick Spice Company in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The shop is lined wall-to-wall with exotic spices, salts, chilies, loose teas, oils, vinegars, and extracts. Whatever elusive ingredient your recipe calls for, you can find it here. Gumbo file powder? No problem. Balinese long peppers? Right this way. Gochugaru, honey granules, and lime peel? Check, check, check. Owner Anne Milneck sources her products locally and sustainably whenever possible and loves helping shoppers discover a new favorite rub or seasoning blend. Red Stick’s colorful salts and wild peppers make great souvenirs, too, as do the boutique’s beautifully boxed gift sets.

660 Jefferson Hwy, Baton Rouge, LA; 225-930-9967.

Additional photos by Cartogramme