Over many years and in many kitchens, I have curated spice blends for what seems like every flavor combination imaginable. When I cooked in Zanzibar, I was impressed with how much better a simple piece of fresh fish tasted when combined with fresh spices ground straight from the spice farm next door. After that, I set out to source the freshest and highest quality spices to put together in my craft spice blends and bring them to your home.
By creating a Spice Company, I am able to get the spices from the purveyor to your table in the shortest time possible, giving you the freshest experience. In addition to delivering high quality spices to your home, I want to use my years in the kitchen to elevate your home-cooked meals to chef-level. Through my blogs and recipes, I want to show you things like when is the prime time to add salt to a dish. How can adding spices at different times through the cooking process give a deeper flavor to your dish? Why does it matter whether you cut an onion long-ways or short-ways? Let me elevate your kitchen game and help you impress your family!
Introducing Chef John O’Neil [Dude Food Fire]
Chef John O’Neil began cooking at the age of three when his mother caught him at the gas stove making “eggies” while standing on a chair. “I almost burned the house down,” Chef John says. “But, I’ve been interested in cooking all my life.”
His father worked as a cook during John’s youth. They didn’t have much money, so special occasions were celebrated by preparing a meal from scratch together at home. “My father taught me how to make homemade pasta and ravioli while my grandmother taught me the art of gravy,” he says. “Those times are some of my fondest memories as a child.”
After his honorable discharge from the Navy, and working in kitchens in the Phoenix area, John graduated from Scottsdale Culinary Institute and began chef-ing in kitchens from Arizona to Texas. He mentored with renowned Chef Bernie Kantak (of Cowboy Ciao, Citizen Public House, and The Glady) and Nobuo Fukuda (of SeaSaw). As a Chef at Cowboy Ciao, he paired creative dishes with the over 2,500 wines featured by the restaurant. Later, John served as the head culinary instructor for Collin College’s culinary arts program where he, at one time or another, taught every class offered, including International Cuisine, Saucier, Baking/Patisserie, and Meat Fabrication. While there, he authored a teaching manual, "Fundamentals of Stocks and Sauces," for the Saucier course, as a quick-reference guide for students to take into their careers.
John then turned his attention to coffee, owning a coffee shop in Boulder, Colorado. There, he learned the coffee industry, the art of cupping, and science of roasting from Matt Kay, the owner/master roaster of Silver Canyon Coffee, the first local coffee roaster in Colorado.
At the beginning of 2020, John ran across his spice diary that he began as a young chef where he kept notes and formulas of different spice blends he created along with dishes and preparations he made using the blends. As COVID caused everyone to spend more time at home and in the kitchen, Chef John found himself returning to his spice diary and experimenting with the blends he created many years ago.
“Why don’t you sell your spices?” his wife asked one day in early 2020. That was when his spice company was born. Each blend has a story and a unique perspective and he cannot wait to share those stories and flavors with each and every customer who tries Dude Food Fire Spice Blends. Remember, it's hard to be in a bad mood when you are around good food.
