EDITOR’S CHOICE

There’s a lot of great stuff that comes out of Dallas, so we’re launching a new feature that spotlights stellar local goods. From longtime favorites to fabulous new finds, these vendors are at the top of

their game — and well worth checking out. - HOLLY HABER

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were something you could add to any recipe that improved its flavor? The basic answer is salt, but a growing number of local foodies know the best reply is Somersault. Sandcastle Seasonings cooks up this complex umami blend of two infused salts: fermented tomato and sweet chili salt and fermented shiitake mushroom and black garlic salt. “It’s quite a process,” says chef Nate Thomas, who operates Sandcastle Seasonings with his girlfriend, Cassandra Pecoraro. “It takes about two weeks to make from the point when we start slicing tomatoes until it’s in a bottle.”

But his biggest challenge has been meeting demand. In fact, they have just purchased a factory space in Waco in order to ramp up production of Somersault and other seasonings, including Middle East-inspired Seven Sisters chili powder, smokey Red Dirt paprika herb blend and Fire Water salt and pepper infused with habanero peppers and bourbon.

“We sell out of one or more products every month, and it’s super hard to keep up,” Thomas says.

The company uses only mined salt because sea salts have been contaminated with plastic.

Visit sandcastleseasonings.com to learn more and shop.

Sparkle Plenty: MATTHEW TRENT F or over 30 years, Matthew Trent has fashioned oneof-a-kind fine jewelry to last a lifetime. His passion runs deep: The Phoenix native knew he wanted to create jewelry since he was 15. “My mom always told me I would have to move out to Dallas,” Trent says. “It was night and day. People in Dallas just really wear jewelry.”

His wife, Lori, serves as co-owner and vice president, and managing director daughter Kiley designs a namesake collection for the boutique.

All three share a passion for quality, design, and craftsmanship that ensures every client will have a stellar experience.

Styles range from contemporary spiked pieces to softly sculpted gold, baubles inspired by nature, and items featuring spectacular stones.

Trent also collaborates with clients to create unique and captivating commissioned works.

Shop the collection while watching jewelers at work in the open atelier at

Matthew Trent, which is situated in the Plaza at Preston Center. For more information, visit matthewtrent.comor call 214-871-9170.

Every woman needs a crisp, well-crafted white blouse, and no one makes them better than Finley.

Founded in Dallas in 1995, Finley is a women-owned company that has always specialized in upscale shirts and tops plus easy, stylish dresses.

Count on Finley for elegant classics in solid black and white as well as zippier styles sporting ruffles, shirring, wrap ties, colorful prints, and sheer fabrics.

Designer Finley Moll sources most of her fabrics in Europe, such as her signature silky white cotton poplin, and just about every Finley item can be washed in cool water and hung to dry. (I’ve even put Finley shirts and dresses in the dryer, and they came out fine.)

Finley shirts are versatile — they can be dressed down with jeans or up with a smart skirt or pants. The dresses are the go-to when you want to look polished but not like you spent hours thinking about it.

Smart, modern, and comfortable. That’s Finley.

Shop the collection at Neiman Marcus, neimamarcus.com, and thefinleyshirt.com.

Named twice to Texas Monthly’s prestigious list of 50 Best BBQ Joints in the state, Terry Black’s Barbecue is a legendary Austin smokehouse with a local branch in Deep Ellum.

Both locations are managed by 4th generation pit master brothers Mike and Mark Black, who dub their beef rib the “Rolls Royce of barbecue” and brisket the number-one crowd pleaser.

Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, Black’s dishes Texas-sized portions and lavish sides, including mac and cheese, creamed corn, and Mexican rice. Three barbecue sauces are on offer: Original, Sweet & Tangy, and Traditional Spicy.

Wash it all down with the one-of-a-kind Black’s Margarita made from silver tequila, mezcal, triple sec, and the singular black mix whose ingredients are kept secret even from employees. After sampling that superb marg and chowing down, see where the magic is made in pits featuring five 1,000-gallon offset smokers. terryblacksbbq.com/dallas