In William Cowper's poem "The Task" (1785), he wrote: "Variety is the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor." For chef and spice blender Lior Lev Sercarz, those words have extra meaning. The owner of La Boîte, a biscuits and spice shop in New York City, Lior has been featured in numerous publications from The New York Times to InStyle. Lior says when he traveled to South America he further developed a passion for cooking and world cuisines. He enrolled in culinary school at the acclaimed Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, France and did an externship with chef Olivier Roellinger. <br /><br />After bringing his understanding of spice blending to New York in 2002, Lior worked with chef Daniel Boulud as a sous chef and catering chef at his flagship restaurant, Daniel. Since launching his own company, Lior has produced a cookbook entitled The Art of Blending. Last year he published The Spice Companion, a distillation of his 30 years of experience. Jessica Abo caught up with Lior inside his shop to get his advice for those going against the grain.
