West Adams Spice Shop With $8.95 Saffron Boxes: Surfas

Surfas is a chef's supply warehouse at 3225 W Washington Blvd in Los Angeles, and its spice aisle is one of the deepest in the city for anyone who cooks in quantity. Next to the pots, pans and pastry gear sit tubs of whole spices, chiles, salts and blends, many sold in restaurant-size pounds. The store is open Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm and closed on Sunday.

The company's own history starts in an abandoned Los Angeles garage in 1937, supplying equipment to restaurants. In 1947 it moved to a showroom on West Jefferson Boulevard, and Les Surfas, who held a master's degree in business, turned the family firm into a kitchen design and installation house. In 1989 it moved to Culver City and began adding gourmet foods and specialty ingredients.

In the mid-1990s, after customers kept asking, Surfas opened its doors to the public, with more than 18,000 items on the floor. Local cooks spent hours there, and they began calling the store a Chef's Paradise, a name the company says has stuck. It is still family owned, and today the Los Angeles store is on West Washington Boulevard, a move worth knowing because older guides still send people to Culver City.

The house spice line is sold in large sizes at prices that make sense if you cook often. Ground cumin is $16.95 a pound, ground turmeric $11.95 a pound and curry powder $13.95 a pound. Whole cumin seed is $16.95 for 15 ounces and whole coriander seed $9.95 for 9 ounces. Chinese five spice is $17.95 a pound, enough for many batches of roast pork.

Pepper and chile buyers get a wide choice. Whole Tellicherry peppercorns are $8.95 for 4 ounces, whole Szechuan peppercorns $9.95 for 2 ounces and whole pink peppercorns $22.95 for 10 ounces. Ground ancho chile is $15.49 a pound, extra hot cayenne $10.95 a pound, and crushed Mediterranean Aleppo pepper $15.95 for 7 ounces. Green cardamom pods, graded extra fancy, are the splurge at $43.95 for 8 ounces.

Not everything comes by the pound. Smaller jars cover blends you might only use a few times a year: ras el hanout is $9.95 for 2 ounces, zahtar $9.95 for 1.4 ounces and tandoori seasoning $9.95 for 2.3 ounces. Brands from smaller producers sit nearby, including NY Shuk's baharat, harissa and sumac at $11.95 each and Villa Jerada's kefta spice blend at $11.95.

Saffron is easier on the wallet than you might expect. A 1-gram box of Spanish saffron is $8.95, enough for a pan of paella or a pot of risotto. At the other end of the scale, a 7.05-ounce tin of Francioni fennel pollen costs $69.95, while a 1-ounce jar of fennel pollen is $13.95, so most home cooks can try the small jar first. Peccati Calabrian chile flakes are $7.95 for 50 grams.

With autumn baking season here, a few smaller items earn a spot in the basket. A mulling spice mix for cider or wine is $13.95 for 7 ounces, pumpkin pie spice is $10.95 for 1.8 ounces and whole nutmeg is $6.95 for 2 ounces, cheaper and far more aromatic than pre-ground. Juniper berries for braises are $6.95 for 2 ounces, and nigella seeds for flatbread are $5.95 for 3 ounces.

The salt shelf is as wide as the spice shelf. Maldon sea salt crystals are $12.95 for 8.8 ounces, and a 3.3-pound bucket for heavy users is $62.95. Diamond kosher salt, the brand many restaurant cooks prefer, is $16.95 for a 3-pound box. Hawaiian red and black salts are $9.95 for 8 ounces each, and Tahitian Gold vanilla fleur de sel is $17.95 for 3 ounces.

Flavor shortcuts are shelved nearby too. MSG is $4.95 for 10 ounces and sriracha powder is $9.95 for 4 ounces, and Todo Verde's tinga seasoning, made for the shredded chicken dish, is $4.25 for an 18-gram packet. Momofuku's spicy salt is $14.95 for 3.7 ounces, an easy way to add chile heat to eggs or popcorn without opening a jar of chile crisp.

Know the policy before you buy in bulk: Surfas does not take returns or exchanges on food items, and food sales are final. Start with the smaller size of any spice you have not used before, and save the pound bags for the staples you go through quickly. Prices on the website are the online catalog, so you can plan a list at home and shop it in the store.

The company opened its own café in 2006, and in its opening year Zagat named it one of the top 10 new restaurants in Los Angeles. The café serves breakfast, lunch and house-made pastries Tuesday to Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm, so a weekday morning visit lets you shop first and eat after. On Mondays the store runs but the café does not, and on Sundays both stay closed.

The store sits in the Arlington Heights area on the edge of West Adams, one of the city's oldest residential districts, known for its blocks of Craftsman and Victorian houses. After shopping, drive a few minutes through the side streets north of Washington to see some of them. Mid-City and Koreatown are both a short drive north if you want lunch at a busier strip.

For an afternoon outing, Leimert Park Village is a short drive south via Crenshaw Boulevard. The neighborhood around its central plaza and Degnan Boulevard is a long-standing center of Black arts and culture in Los Angeles, with galleries and small cafes. Pair it with a Saturday Surfas run, since the store is closed on Sunday.

Surfas, 3225 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90018. Store hours: Monday to Saturday 9 am to 5 pm, closed Sunday. Café: Tuesday to Saturday 9 am to 3 pm. Food sales are final. Prices in this article come from the store's online catalog at surfasonline.com, and the history comes from its About Us page.