Rice Village has a hot new shopping destination that's perfect for foodies looking to step up their home cooking. With almost 300 stores in Europe and Asia, Vom Fass has spent 20 years earning a reputation as a top purveyor of spices, vinegars and oils.
Now it's come to Houston and Rice Village thanks to Brian and Larita Moorhead. Brian spent 20 years in the corporate world but a layoff has allowed him the opportunity to get into the food business. Larita has 25 years of retail experience and will be helping her husband manage the store.
Vom Fass's name means "from the cask," and that's the signature feature of every vinegar and oil that's sold at the store. Wooden casks that line the walls hide sealed plastic bags of each flavor, which means the products don't lose the intensity of their flavors while they wait for shoppers to select them. Some of the options include extra virgin olive oil from Italy, France and Greece, nut and seed oils like almond, hazelnut and pistachio from France and fruit balsamic vinegars from Germany that go way beyond raspberry with flavors like cherry, honey, pear and apple.
The best part is that customers can sample any item in the store for free before committing to a purchase.
A selection of unusual spices like Danish smoked salt, real deal saffron and Inca pink salt round and custom spice blends for a variety of cooking applications round out the offerings.
According to Moorhead, Vom Fass works closely with all of its suppliers to ensure all of the products meet strict quality standards. All of the fruit vinegars are made by the company in Germany and have won numerous awards for their taste and quality.
The best part is that customers can sample any item in the store for free before committing to a purchase. The only exception is the $175 bottle of Balsamico Tradizionale that's aged for at least 25 years in five different types of wood. A taste of that costs $1. At least that's a lot cheaper than a comparably rare Scotch.
The store's staff has been specially trained to advise on pairings, which sets it apart from gourmet grocery stores that might have some of the same products but not the level of familiarity. For example, Brian recommends matching up the pumpkin seed oil with a pomegranate vinegar; he adds that the fruit vinegars add flavor to homemade cocktails, as well. All of them can be assembled into gift baskets for the home cook who already has a full selection of cooking tools and gizmos.
Watch the video above the story for much more.
Vom Fass is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Get a taste of the Balsamico Tradizionale for $1.
