In one cozy storefront on Bridgehampton's Main Street, a new shop, Dune Spice, accomplishes a number of objectives.
Besides the obvious selling of high-quality spices from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, India, and other places, there are also pastries and desserts like baklava and knafeh and Turkish coffee brewed the traditional way over hot sand. There's glassware from Marrakesh, dates from Saudi Arabia, Greek olives, incense, teas, rosewater, and a number of other hard to find items from around the world. There's even a plan to stock the very viral treat called "Dubai chocolate," as soon as the shop's owners, Dr. Asma Rashid and Dr. Jim Groff, can get their hands on some.
For customers, who can access recipes and cooking tips at Dune Spice, the store serves as a bridge to other cultures. And for Dr. Rashid and Dr. Groff, whose medical practice, Hamptons Boutique Medicine, is right next door to Dune Spice, the store feeds their souls.
"We deal with intense medical situations every day," said Dr. Rashid. "We've been professionally trained to cope with this level of stress, but this is a de-stressor."
Standing outside the shop on a recent sunny Sunday morning, Dr. Groff pointed to the medical office, then to the spice shop. "That's work, but this is a passion project," he said.
When the retail shop next door closed, Dr. Rashid said, the building's owner asked if they were interested in expanding their medical practice. "We see a lot of patients at home and we have sufficient space here," she said. But the opportunity was too good to pass up, and they had ideas.
"Our sons wanted to have a bait shop because they love fishing," she said. "We asked ourselves, what does the community need?"
The spice shop was the next best option and one that everyone in the family could agree upon. The boys, Laiq and Liam, who attend the Sagaponack School, even made the first official sales -- some baklava and Goldfish crackers. The customer paid with a pair of $10 bills, which the boys' parents taped to the wall for luck.
The two doctors, who are also founders of the Islamic Center of the Hamptons, felt inspired by their travels around the world and by the friends they entertain at home in Sagaponack.
"We wanted something that would represent us," Dr. Rashid said, "and be fulfilling to the community."
"It's got a little bit of everything," Dr. Groff added.
He stirred together a pot of Turkish coffee for a visitor, explaining that the blend of powdered coffee and cold water is warmed over hot sand, rather than directly on a stovetop. He promised it would be more rustic and flavorful than a traditional cup of coffee or shot of espresso from an at-home coffee maker; it did not disappoint.
Dr. Groff's favorite item in the store is the rose baklava, which differs from a typical baklava in that it's made with less dough, more pistachio, and ghee. "I tried lots of them, and these are heads above the rest," he said.
The spices -- including turmeric, coriander, cumin, saffron, bay leaf, paprika, tandoori, and biryani, just to name a few -- are Dr. Rashid's favorite offering. She even offers recipes, like the accompanying chickpea curry recipe, to go with the custom spice blends she enjoys making for customers and friends.
"This is like my kitchen right here," she said, pointing to the spices in a range of vibrant colors in clear glass jars. "I find it very nurturing to my own soul to share this part of me."
Dune Spice, which celebrated a grand opening on Labor Day weekend, is open Fridays through Sundays through the fall and winter, but will extend its hours in the spring and summer of 2025.
RECIPE
Chickpea Curry
Ingredients:
Onion
Garlic
Ginger
Tomato
Greek yogurt
Your choice of preferred oil
Dune Spice packet
1 can organic garbanzo beans
1 cup water
Directions:
Sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato, and Greek yogurt together in the oil. Add Dune Spice packet "to taste tolerance," depending on how strong and spicy you like your curried chickpeas. Add the can of organic garbanzo beans and one cup water. Cook for five more minutes and serve.
