As Roger Janin puts it, he “just sort of fell into the pickle thing.” His customers, who journey from far and wide for their pickle fix, might see things differently — somewhere along the line serendipity must have intervened and made it so that Roger would end up doing what he does best: making really awesome pickles. He grew up around the corner from Guss’ Pickles, the oldest pickle shop in the city, and entered the briny business at a young age.
Eventually, Roger partnered with his mother, Pat, to buy the shop and together they relocated to their current address in Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill. They live in the area and wanted to be closer to home, Pat explains, to “take care of our neighbors.”
The inside of the Clinton Hill Pickles is permeated by an aroma of rich salty brine emanating from the rows of red barrels, full of pickled delights. Pat affirms that the cucumber still reigns supreme, as it’s used to make new pickles (soaked for a few days), half-sour (a couple of weeks) and full-sour pickles that marinate for two and a half months.
In addition to the traditional pickle shop staples (including sauerkraut and various vegetables) the mother-son team experiments with a host of other produce: Pat lists cantaloupe, pineapple and cherries before Roger breaks in: “whatever’s in the market that looks good!” Their newest venture is kimchi, which has proven to be a big-hit with the neighborhood crowd. They’re always trying something new and varying the selection, often at the behest of their customers to whom Roger always responds with a smile and an “I’ll try it.”
Their easygoing attitude and world-class pickles have amassed a loyal customer base who travel from as far away as Connecticut and Virginia on what Roger jokingly calls “pickle pilgrimages.” Sometimes they arrive to find appetizers and dips for summer barbeques, other times there are pickled hot peppers and cabbage for savory winter fare.
Whatever new delicacies there might be in store, there’s always a fresh batch marinating — with the promise of new, pickled possibilities.
Clinton Hill Pickles is located at 431 Dekalb Avenue (at Classon Avenue).
Telephone: 212 334-3616
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-7pm, Sat-Sun 11am-8pm
