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In Great Barrington, a Store That’s Worth Its Weight in Salt
Posted by: Bess Hochstein
Posted on: Tuesday, August 09, 2011
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Full Article
by Talk about your niche markets. In May, the HimalaSalt shop, devoted primarily to pink salt from the Himalayan mountains, cropped up next to The Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington. While more geographically focused than the ballyhooed global salt shop, The Meadow, that opened this January in Manhattan, HimalaSalt offers much more than you can shake a grinder at.
It goes without saying that the shop offers pink Himalayan table salt in various forms: fine and course, in shakers, jars, boxes, and grinders; and as cubes and chunks that can be grated onto your food. To complement the salt, shoppers will find an array of peppercorns, all organic and sustainably sourced, from across the globe, including heirloom, shade-grown Culeb and Long pepper from Indonesia, Brazilian pink peppercorns, and Indian white, green, and Tellicherry peppers, sales of which help support a school for children of farmworkers.
The beauty of the shop is that it goes far beyond table salt and into tableware made of solid pink salt, which resembles rose-colored quartz, thanks to the presence of iron, calcium, magnesium, and other minerals. Thick pink salt slabs—round, rectangular, or square—conduct heat and can be used for cooking on the stovetop or the grill, and even in the oven. They’re perfect for preparing and serving food that benefits from a touch of salt, such as grilled seafood, vegetable kebobs, or even thinly sliced meats.
Large pink salt serving bowls (6-inch diameter for $44; 8-inch for $47) are the ideal vessels for guacamole or gazpacho. Chill one in the freezer and it adds a new dimension to fruit soup or sorbet.
Uses for the petite square tapas plates, which come in sets of five for $24.95, are limited only by your culinary repertoire: chill for serving sushi, paté, or smoked salmon, or use them at room temperature for cheese, fruit, and crudité. Presenting warm chocolate cake on these dishes is sure to impart that addictive sweet/salty flavor combination.
Charming cups seem tailor made for tequila, margaritas, and other frosty drinks, and also for cocktails of the shrimp or fruit variety, especially after they’ve spent some time in the freezer. Available in sets two for $21 or four for $37, they’re just the thing for finger foods like olives, edamame, or slender tempura fronds, such as green beans or sweet potato sticks. A cup of chocolate mousse? Divine.
Pink salt tableware is easy to care for – simply wipe items clean with a damp cloth and thoroughly dry them. And they’re durable, if gently tended. Cautions Kushi, “If they are cared for rather roughly, they could crack, similar to glass, or if they’re soaked in water instead of rinsed quickly and dried, that will certainly shorten their life span.”
Eventually salt serving ware will wear thin, but that doesn’t render it useless. Kushi says that when her pink salt cups have thinned at the bottom, “I fill mine with candles that line the bathtub. When that’s done, they get plopped in the bath, until at last, they finally dissolve.”
You won’t have to wait until you wear out your dishes to enjoy a relaxing soak in the tub. HimalaSalt also sells organic lemongrass bath salts and salt scrubs, as well as artisan-carved salt “stones” that can be heated or chilled for a deep, therapeutic massage.
These items and more are available on HimalaSalt’s website, and many can be purchased at stores across the country such as Whole Foods markets, Wegman’s, Kings, and Big Y, or locally at the Berkshire Co-op, Guido’s, Hawthorn Valley Farm, and other independent stores. The Great Barrington shop is HimalaSalt’s first retail outlet, and it’s likely to be the only one. “We are manufacturers and not necessarily retailers,” says Kushi. “It’s more for a branding presence and for educating people on the benefits of using HimalaSalt versus processed table salt or sea salt from today’s polluted oceans.”
And though the salt is mined from a mountaintop across the globe, the HimalaSalt line is locally made; Kushi manufactures HimalaSalt products in Great Barrington, in a 7,000-square-foot wind-powered facility. If that’s not enough of a feel-good story, Kushi claims the salt is sustainably sourced, and five per cent of profits are donated toward environmental causes.
It seems to be a formula for success. Kushi says that in-store sales have been solid; the grilling plates are the top sellers, followed by gourmet gift sets. Despite the government’s repeated warnings about sodium intake, there seems to be a growing appetite for salt, at least of the pink variety. Kushi reports that overall, wholesale business is up about 25% from where it was last year at this time, the same growth rate she has experienced since founding her company four-and-a-half years ago. It would seem that the Himalayan sky is the limit.
HimalaSalt
70 Railroad Street
(Adjacent to The Triplex Cinema)
Great Barrington, MA
Hours: Tuesday - Sunday, 11 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
