Spice and Chill opens in Arcata

by Genessis Lepe

Spice and Chill is the new South Asian store that opened in Arcata.

It will bring a new variety of South Asian ingredients, foods and spices that are usually hard to access in Humboldt County, says the owner Malik Mehboob.

“It is the food of South Asian people like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka,” said Mehboob. “It’s the food I’ve grown up with that you couldn’t find here and stuff like black cardamom and other ingredients that weren’t at any store.”

Before he opened his store, Mehboob expressed that he would have to travel out of the county to places like San Francisco monthly to buy certain groceries.

“The lack of food options made me have to go far places like San Francisco or another big city to buy groceries, especially Halal meat,” said Mehboob. “I don’t think there was really anywhere you could just buy Halal meat very easily unless it was the Chef store but buying in bulk and for that price is expensive.”

His store offers Halal meat and snacks for purchase. Mehboob wanted people to have easy access to these foods so they can enjoy more South Asian meals.

Mehboob expressed that the other reason he wanted to open his store was to share and bring more South Asian representation and food to Humboldt County.

“I wanted to share with all the people in Humboldt County and with the college students who are coming up here from bigger cities who are used to having stores like mine around them.
I wanted to make sure that the stuff in my store was easy for people to get,” Mehboob said.

At his store, Mehboob has pre-made packets that customers can use to make dishes like butter chicken and chickpea masala, which he says are simple to use for people who have never made the dish before or are looking for a cheaper option.

Mehboob mentioned that since opening, he has been given a very warm welcome and great foot traffic inside his store.

“I have seen a lot of people coming into my store and asking questions about everything. It’s very nice and exciting and I’m excited to share with everyone all of these amazing foods.” Mehboob said.

Amanda Clinton, a second year elementary education major, shared her thoughts on Spice and Chill.

“I think it’s really nice that he opened his store. It offers vegetarian options and they are really good,” Clinton said.

Alex Rossi, an environmental science and management major, shared similar sentiments.

“I liked the service and the food, especially the candy,” Rossi said.

Spice and Chill is open seven days a week and is located at 778 18th St., Arcata.