As a trained nutritionist, Kelsey Byars knew that no one would eat food that is good for you if it didn’t taste good. But the big calories of sugar and fats, tasty as they are, weren’t the answer for her clienteles. That led Byars, who lives in Oklahoma City, to turn to spices for a solution.
In addition to her work in nutrition, she had also developed a side business as a private chef, allowing her to work with two different clientele profiles.
“Not only would spices make things taste better, but you could take the same food and use different combinations of spices and it would taste different – so spices gave you variety.
Which led her to formulating her own brand of spice blends, which she eventually labeled under the brand of The Spice Girl Kitchen. “I saw a gap in the marketplace that I could fill,” Byars said.
After first experimenting with different combination of ingredients at home, Byars found a food manufacturer in nearby Lawton who could help commercialize her new brand. “He does the sourcing for the spices I need,” she says, “and I make sure the spices are fresh by having them all ground once they are in the U.S.”
Today, The Spice Girl Kitchen formulates and sells online and through select retailers 13 different spice blends, most labeled by regional cuisines such as “Cuban,” “East African,” “Moroccan” or even “Okie Rub.” Each 2.5-ounce jar is modestly priced at $7 each. And to keep from having her products “lost in the spice cabinet,” Byars has an active onsite blog of recipes incorporating her spices.
“I’ve been in business for three years now, and, for the present, a French blend will round out my portfolio,” she said. So, as her business grows, Byars is living a theme she uses to sell her spices – “Build your own adventure.”
And here are some more adventurous new products from The Goody Bag:
Sauce Bae
Every product should have an interesting back story, and Kevin Carbone’s is that he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis when he was 21, so he decided to make his own hot sauce that wouldn’t send him to the emergency room. Carbone says it took him four months to do that, and the result is Sauce BAE, which comes in two strengths – Skinny Habanero and Hotter Habanero – with a kicker of turmeric featured in both. Each comes in an 8-ounce bottle with twin packs at $20.
Right Coast Whips
The advantage of Right Coast Whips cocktails in a can is that they are low-alcohol – 7.5% – so you can drink them as mealtime beverages like you would beer or wine without feeling whipped. The disadvantage is that if you pop a 12-fluid-ounce can (about $13) expecting a fully loaded cocktail you may be somewhat underwhelmed. But they do taste good and smooth in either case. Right Coast is a joint venture of three crafty breweries – Flying Dog, Harpoon and Saranac – and the Whips come in four vodka-supported flavors – watermelon, pineapple, orange and wild berry – while the Margarita Whips, which have a bit more pizzazz, come in mango, cranberry, lime and strawberry. Bring your own salt.
Dole Good Crunch
Dole Good Crunch – With its roots burrowing back to the 1800s, Dole is no stranger to launching food products. The idea behind its latest food line, “Good Crunch,” is to have snackable versions of, what else, pineapple and bananas sold in small, individual, re-sealable packages. You can think of them as fruit popcorn – small, dried, very crunchy bites of unadulterated fruits (except for its flavored chili pineapple bites). But, they also can serve another purpose at the table – one which Dole hasn’t yet promoted. They make great croutons for salads, especially those dressed in fruit-flavored vinaigrettes topped with chicken or tuna. Each 2.5-ounce pack costs about $3 each.
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