SOS Chefs — Local services in New York

What an absolutely spectacular place, especially for anyone who appreciates cooking. They have just about anything you could ever want or need. The owner is more like a curator of a museum - she listens to what you're interested in and shepherds you around to taste and smell things you've likely never heard of. I got the vibe she's in this not at all in this for money, but because of her genuine love for food and ingredients

I live around the corner and have been once or twice to browse when things were busy. I popped in again around noon on a slow Tuesday and the owner took it upon herself to take me on quite the culinary journey. She let me taste and smell some pretty spectacular stuff:

Dried andean golden berries (delicious, like raisins) Plum coated sesame seeds (nutty and sweet bursts) Very expensive costa rican honey (superb, light) Different kinds of peppercorn (interesting) Rose infused water (refreshing) Some middle eastern fermented fruit concoction that she made herself (absolutely delicious)

And to top it all off, her prices are better than what you'd find in the grocery store and 5x the quality. If you're within an hour of this shop you need to come here immediately and experience this. There's few shops I've been to in my life that have such a curation and...

If I could leave a "0" I would. I emailed a request for a product that is not offered on the SOS website as a direct ship on Feb 15. After several calls I was able to articulate what was needed and the exact shipping address. The product was shipped to the wrong address. Now I can't seem to get that product, and I feel I'm being avoided because I'm requesting a refund. I know I'm not a large customer but I feel this is so unfair. I have been promised numerous times that the product will be shipped again to the correct address but to no avail - I have received nothing, and...

It's like going to a middle-eastern souk in the East Village. This is where many NYC chefs go for their "secret ingredients." The quality of spices here is leagues higher than what you would find at a supermarket or even a gourmet store. Common ingredients like garlic powder and paprika are so much more intensely flavored than what you would get elswhere. Uncommon ingredients such as Xathan Gum and Ultratex 8 can also be found. They also have high quality teas and dried beans. Staff is so friendly and kind and go out of their way to help you. Highest...