Rose and Ruth’s is the perfect blend of family and flavor.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANTONIETTA HENRY
BY LISA KINTISH
WALK INTO ROSE and Ruth’s Small Batch Spices, and you are hit by the aroma of numerous spices in the best way possible. The warm blend with strong cinnamon accents gives the feeling of visiting your grandmother’s kitchen while she’s making you your favorite treat. Family matriarchs actually play an important role in this lovely little shop at 609 Main Street. Rose and Ruth were the grandmothers of owner Joseph Shultz. “They were great cooks,” Shultz fondly recalls. They are featured prominently, with a photo of each and a brief bio displayed on the store’s shelves alongside amber jars of Saigon Cinnamon, Mediterranean oregano, sweet paprika, and tellicherry
Opposite page: Hannah, Isaac, and Joseph Shultz are all smiles at Rose and Ruth’s Small Batch Spices. This page: Hannah and Joseph Shultz, owners of Rose and Ruth’s Small Batch Spices in Boonton. The storefront at Rose and Ruth’s Small Batch Spices in Boonton.
peppercorns, to name a few. Family Features Strongly Shultz will happily guide you through this world of spices, herbs, and seasonings, for it is not just his business, but also his passion. He worked in the nonprofit world for 15 years but wanted something different. “I love to cook; my passion is food. I wanted to leave my job, have my own business, be in the food world, but not at a restaurant. This is a way to have my own business and in the food world and still have a life,” he says. This is perhaps more important than ever since he and his wife, Hannah, welcomed their son eight months ago. Baby spice, if you will! Rose & Ruth’s is all about family. “My wife is a huge part of the business,”
he says. “The design is all hers. I bring more creative culinary elements, and she brings a practical business sense.” His parents and sisters are also involved. Shultz’s mother, Ruth’s daughter, grew up in Tanzania, learning an appreciation for international cuisines. Together, mother and son make spice blends, such as the Bangkok Blend, which includes green mango. The taste is savory and spicy. “Coming up with it was fun and tasty,” says Shultz. Ruth grew up in New Jersey. A nurse, she ran a clinic in Appalachia before moving to Tanzania for 40 years doing humanitarian work. Wherever she went, she learned the local cuisine. Rose was from the Ozarks and JUNE 2026 |
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