Partners bringing international flavor to local business

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Co-owner Lisa Calcagno hands change to a customer from the Let's Spice It Up! vehicle Thursday at the downtown Harvest Market in Elgin. Calcagno and Mike Mitria (bottom right) both own the business. | Michael Smart~Sun-Times Media

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Updated: October 29, 2011 12:40AM

ELGIN — Wafting in the summer breeze at the Thursday Harvest Market in downtown Elgin are enticing scents that lead you to a big blue vehicle.

The customized 1993 Chevy van holds a mobile market called Let’s Spice It Up!, a travelling potpourri offering affordable ingredients of all sorts kept on wooden shelves and in cabinets.

The business is owned by Mike Mitria of Gilberts and Lisa Calcagno of Carpentersville. The duo bought the setup from a friend, Jane Santi, who — with a $10,000 loan from her grandmother — started the operation.

Over the course of more than two decades, Santi built up a clientele across the country for her Highwood-based operation. The company even was featured in the pages of Family Circle magazine in 1995, which drew many customers.

Mitria has another job selling first aid and safety supplies, and Calcagno had worked for him in that effort. He knew she was looking for a business opportunity of her own, which led to the partnership.

“This is our third summer,” Mitria said. “Jane was nice enough to show us the ropes the first year.”

Mitria and Calcagno both have children and families of their own who have been very supportive of the business. A good mechanic and carpenter friend has helped keep the vehicle in working order.

Both owners have a passion for cooking, which means their clans gather once a week for dinner and to try out recipes using the products the two sell on the road and online.

“While they shy away from hot and spicy dishes, this has been a good way to get my kids to enjoy dinner,” Calcagno said.

The two pack their own spices and preservative and MSG-free blends in a warehouse space in Gilberts, a process that Mitria said is labor-intensive. They import their spices from a variety of vendors around the globe, too.

Custom spices

Mitria pointed out that their garlic comes from Gilroy, Calif., while vanilla comes from Madagascar.

Extracts, sprinkles, flavorings, vanilla beans and other ingredients used in baking cakes are part of the inventory, too, as are some of the hottest sauces on the planet, which sell well as cold weather and chili season approaches. (A tip: If you need to cut such heat, Mitria recommends mango, papaya, pineapple or any sweet fruit, honey or butter.)

Among the more popular Let’s Spice It Up! blends are roasted garlic, herb and sea salt; barbecue seasoning; a pit and spit rub for meat; a Tex-Mex blend with chipotle; exotic black or red Hawaiian sea salt that contains lava and a plethora of minerals; and a mix of lime, cilantro and sea salt. Mitria said the latter goes well on chicken, grilled shrimp, guacamole and on hot buttered corn on the cob.

The company also sets its prices to go well with most budgets, with a good many 4- or 5-ounce bottles selling for $3 to $5 each. And Calcagno said products typically can keep from 10 months to three years before losing their flavors.

Along with Thursdays at the Harvest Market, people can find the Let’s Spice It Up! vehicle Saturday in The Grove on Randall Road in Elgin at its new outdoor market; in Skokie on Sundays; and periodically up in Wisconsin towns including Franklin and Cedarburg.

Customers also can order by phone at 847-851-8875 or online at www.letsspiceitup any time of year. Calcagno said they will put together customized burlap gift sacks holding one’s choice of what Let’s Spice It Up! has to offer.