When Sylvania Township resident Linda Jesseph Szymanski tasted Celtic sea salt from Brittany, France, it became her “first love.” She began to learn about using sea salt as an alternative to mined table salt. When her initial supply was exhausted,  she searched for a restock,  unlocking the door to a savory, salty world.
   “I just liked the flavor and that it was all natural and not processed,” said Szymanski. “Since some cooking shows and recipes have called for sea salt, there has been a huge blooming of knowledge of its use as an alternative.”
   The Columbus native decided to share her love of sea salt, founding her company Salts of the 7 Seas after a 24-year career in interior design.  “I thought more people would like to know about this secret.” With the success of Salts of the 7 Seas, many people have had the opportunity to embrace Szymanski’s affinity for this seasoning.
   Since starting Salts of the 7 Seas’ online shop two years ago, Szymanski developed the packaging herself, using all Ohio businesses to aid in production. The story of each salt is shared on the “The Origins Jar”, whether mined from the peaks of the Himalayas or gathered from the clear ocean waters surrounding the Japanese island of Aguni.
   Szymanski and Vice President Trisha Lyons not only sell all natural salts such as Fleur de Sel (known as the “caviar of salts”) and Murray River salt from Australia, but she also has developed her own creations, such as Sel de Sauvignon (a red wine infused salt), Sel D’Oignon (an onion infused salt) or Applewood Smoked salt.
   Szymanski recently traveled to the South Korean province of Gwang Ju for the first Solar Sea Salt and international food fair and visited a sea salt farm on the Yellow Sea. Szymanski returned from her journey with a new discovery, Salt of Heaven, which will debut on Salts of the 7 Seas’ site in February.
   Sea salts are harvested by allowing sea water to evaporate naturally, leaving nothing but the salt and over 84 essential natural minerals. Sea salt tends to be more light and flaky than mined salts, which are typical  for table use. Most table salt is chemically stripped of its minerals, except for sodium chloride, and bleached white, explained Szymanski.
   “The truly exciting part of discovering these natural sea salts was not only that they are wonderful to cook with, they are also one of our most important sources for the many trace minerals and nutrients that are vital to a healthy body and its many complex chemical functions,” said Szymanski.