I grew up in a large family in the 60’s and 70’s. My mother was one of the rare ones at the time who had a professional career, and my father fancied himself a feminist. So he took on preparing half the family meals. The only issue, he was a terrible cook. My mother enjoyed cooking meals one day a week – usually Sunday. The rest of the week it was whatever she could quickly throw together on the days it was her turn to cook. At ten years old, I had tired of the food scene at home so I asked if I could take over making dinner. My mother got me a Betty Crocker cookbook for Children. She helped me do menu planning and turned it over. I enrolled my younger brother as my assistant – my first of many sous chefs.
It was probably in my DNA to become a chef at a young age – my Memere (my mother’s mother) was an exceptional chef. I loved going to visit as we were guaranteed to always have something fantastic.
I’ve joked for years that I excel at the basics. It wasn’t until, as an empty nester, I went to cooking school in France, and Italy, then to Jacob Burton’s Flavor Academy near Lake Tahoe, that I realized excelling at the basics is what makes for a great chef. It was after the flavor academy that I got very into spice blending – first for dry rubs. I had been making tea blends for years – my friends referred to the perpetual melee of spices on the stove as my “stew juice.” And, my children grew up being cured from whatever ailed them from a tea I made from a special blend of great tasting spices.
I was making spice and tea blends for friends and family for Christmas in 2018, when a c0-worker suggested I look into selling what I was making as they were better than anything he had before. He had a friend who was doing well with his spice blends. He encouraged me and saying “yours are much better than his, you should do something with this talent.”
With a whole array of spice blends I had created over the years to season some of my family and friend’s favorite meals, I took the plunge.
So who is Spice Mama? I’m a very well “seasoned” chef. The spice business is my passion. The pandemic crash, while not at all welcome, was a good chance to regroup and figure out what we really wanted to do in this space. I got into this business to share my love and enjoyment of great food with others who also love and enjoy great food.