WRITER | CANDIE CONAT
PHOTO | ALDEN MILL HOUSE
One of my favorite local kitchen stores is the Alden Mill House. If you haven’t visited, you are missing out! Not only is it a fun place to shop for spices and kitchen products, but the staff is knowledgeable, hilarious, and so much fun! You can tell they know each other well and enjoy their time working together.
Alden Mill House is known for its extraordinary spice line that is unmatched by rivals. It all began with Eugene Moglovkin when he created his first spice combination while working as a chef. He called it Miracle Blend, and the year was 1962. Chef Geno, as he was known, was a trained culinary chef. He was looking for a new kicked-up ingredient to make his dishes stand out. For years, he only used Miracle Blend in his own recipes. When people started asking about his secret ingredient and how they could get some, he decided to start selling it to the public. The product, as expected, was a huge hit.
In the early ‘80s, the family began talking about moving back home to Alden. They were looking for a way to make a living while having the whole family involved. It wasn’t difficult to convince Geno to start creating more spice blends, and in 1984, after renovating an old house as a family project, they opened Alden Mill House. As the business grew and evolved, Chef Geno created the spices, and his wife, Joy, ran the shop.
The Alden Mill House began with 12 spices and a few gift ideas. Now, the spice line has grown to over 40 custom blends and over 280 spices in total. The store has become an anchor in the community and a draw for visitors to the area.
Today, daughter Colleen is running the show at Alden Mill House, with her brother-in-law mixing the blends. Most of the staff has been there for decades, and they are one big family.
To this day, the number one selling spice blend is still Chef Geno’s Miracle Blend. Second in line is Garlic Lovers, and third is Season All, a low-sodium version of Miracle Blend. The younger Moglovkin considers herself very lucky to have spent years learning from her dad and is excited to continue the tradition of mixing new products for the line. She created many low- and no-sodium versions of their blends which have been well received by customers all over the country.
One of the most unusual spices you’ll find is the Malabar Island Pepper, made with Malabar peppercorns (the world’s strongest steak pepper) and the Tellicherry peppercorns (a mild salad-type pepper), both from India. These two completely different peppers meld to create what Colleen calls “the perfect pepper.” Another unique mixture was made for her mother, who hated pepper. Geno created Joy’s Mill House Blend that uses celery salt as the base.
In addition to the hundreds of spices you’ll find at Alden Mill House, the place is jam-packed with nearly every utensil, cooking aid, and dinnerware item you can imagine. As Colleen puts it, “We sell everything that doesn’t plug in.”
Over the years, the kitchen product lines have grown immensely, thanks to research for items they know their customers will be looking for and love. They focus on finding affordable, high-quality merchandise that can be loved for years. From collectible chickens and frogs in the form of teapots, vases, and tongs to utensils you didn’t even know you needed. Every nook and cranny holds exciting items.
Alden Mill House closes from January 1st through May 1st every year, but they ship year-round, selling via their website and offering local porch service. Shopping on the website is fast and easy, and they’ve received great feedback on their customer service.
Alden Mill House
10480 S. East Torch Lake Drive
Alden MI 49612
(231) 331-4711 l AldenMillHouse.com
