In the second half of the program we discover that Vanilla is a Mexican spice.

I love restaurants that don't feel compelled to follow strictures about decor and music, and I appreciate the fusing of French techniques with Mexican spices.

Cider vinegar and brown sugar combine to create a salty-sweet flavor, and Mexican spices add a kick to the lean-meat pork.

But the company's pride and joy is a carton of crunchy larvae, made with real baby worms from California that have been freeze-dried and coated with flavors like cheddar cheese and Mexican spice.

Dishes full of flavor, Mexican spices and smells, stand vivid in the center of the gatherings.

A decade ago, when Rafael and Roberto Ochoa began selling Mexican spices and food here, parts of this Westchester city's downtown business district were a forlorn patchwork of boarded-up storefronts and lifeless streets.

- and rib-eye steak marinated in Mexican spices and tequila.

It's fitting that our last stop finds us at La Palma Mexicatessen, a tiny grocery store lined with the Mexican spices we've sampled along the way.

But when you walk in the door and are enveloped with the aromas of smoked meat, seared corn and Mexican spices, you'll find the trip well worth it.

The owner of the carryout shop, Stuart Tarabour, said that little by little the shop will add Mexican spices like cumin, coriander and cinnamon; pumpkin seeds; Mexican chocolate, and even some Mexican kitchen equipment.