The Spice Guy

[Chef Heart]

Hi, I’m James Craddock, owner of Chef Heart spice shop based in Okanogan, WA—right in the center of the state, about 50 miles from the Canadian border. That's our storefront and my cofounder, Ralph, in the pic.

I was introduced to AR when one of your members, ComfortablyNumb, visited our store and tried some of our spice blends. He really enjoyed them and asked if we’d consider offering a discount for AR members. After taking a closer look at your community, I felt like our products would be a great fit, so I set up an exclusive discount for AR members, available now in the special deals channel.

I joined the Pit to support what you’re doing here and to make myself available for any questions you might have about our blends, sourcing, or how to use them. I can hold my own on the grill for family meals, but I know I’ve got room to grow, and I’m excited to learn from everyone here.

Okanogan is very much beef country—there are butcher shops all over, with locally sourced beef, pork, and chicken from different ranches, each with their own flavor and approach. It’s a great place to cook and experiment with different cuts and preparations.

Personally, I like cooking in the ground. I’ve dug a few pits in the backyard that I use for that, and it’s become one of my favorite ways to cook. I don’t currently own a smoker—after two of them caught fire, I decided to pause on replacing them—but I’m definitely looking around this forum for solid recommendations.
Just grilled up some local brats—they came out a little dry, but still great.

Looking forward to being part of this group and learning more.

[RonB]

Welcome to The Pit. You will fit right in here.

[DavidNorcross]

Welcome from Virginia. Very interested in learning more about your spices and what you have to offer.

[Chef Heart]

Hi David. Thanks for the comment. We are primarily about developing fresh spiced blends and rubs. Our approach allows us to capture the nuance of them in order to accurately align the flavor profile. So we have several ways to do that.

There’s a lot I could talk about so ask me any questions you like. I love talking about it!

[Mosca]

Welcome!

[Chef Heart]

Hey Mosca, do you live in the mountain region of PA?

[Panhead John]

He just thinks he’s Moses…….😂

[Mosca]

Yep. The heart of The Poconos.

[LegoMySearwood]

Welcome from Idaho!

[BKYDBBQ]

Welcome from White Stone, Va...

[Chef Heart]

I was only in VA once at Norfolk, during my NAVY daze. Not even sure why, I was never on a ship. lol.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

I loved the idea of your company when ComfortablyNumb shared it with us, and went to your site and was even more excited to see you guys offer the service online. Unfortunately, I ran into two issues that prevented me from continuing with an order.

1. Character limit on naming. There should be a branding name maybe, and then a product name. The way it's worded is confusing but the character limit was the stop factor. (EX I wanted one of my dogs names and then a name that at least hinted at the use for the rub... I had crafted a poultry rub that I wanted to name "Mr. Z's In Your Face Bird Rub" or something similar, but I couldn't with the character limit).

2. I'm far from opposed to the AI involvement, but if AI is generating a picture for the label, I'd like to see a preview of the label before swiping my card. I could obviously use external AI to create a label picture and import it, and if that's what I need to do, so be it, but I still need a preview what the final product will look like before I swipe?

Not being local I get the taste factor is a gamble with the blend, but due to reviews I trust your local employees to put out something edible even if it's not what I envisioned. So that wasn't an issue at all.

Hopefully you can address some of the above, and I look forward to supporting your business if you do. I love the concept.

[Chef Heart]

Thanks for the great feedback! I’ve doubled the name character limit—back when AI was newer, we kept it short, but it’s handling longer text much better now.

For labels, I can send proofs via email before production. Just include your prompt ideas in the order. Proofs aren’t automated yet, but customer satisfaction always is 😊

As for taste—if you want changes after sampling your prototypes, let us know! We’ll tweak and send you a 1oz tester, then future jars will be made to that recipe.

[Alan Brice]

IAGTTD, you just have to order the bigger bottle. ;-)>

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

Alan Brice I thought I did but maybe I didn't. Now that the character limit is increased I'll give it another shot

[MBMorgan]

Welcome from Colorado, James …

[ComfortablyNumb]

You really should try a bottle of their spice blends. ;-)

[MBMorgan]

ComfortablyNumb - Why yes. Perhaps I should.

[Chef Heart]

Hey MBMorgan, you are in one of my favorite parts of the US. My son is in the AF Academy there so we have been getting to visit every year. What a place!

…and I like that hat. ;0)

[captainlee]

Another welcome from Colorado!!!

[Chef Heart]

Thanks CaptainLee! I love those CO mountains and fresh air. Nothing like it.

[captainlee]

Just bookmarked your store, looks great.

[barelfly]

Welcome from the Land of Enchantment! And thank you for joining and offering a discount to some great spices!

[mcook2201]

Greetings and welcome aboard from North Carolina.

[58limited]

Welcome!

[STEbbq]

Welcome!

[jfmorris]

Welcome to the Pit from Alabama! Glad to have you onboard, and your ability to custom make spice blends has me very intrigued, and I will be checking it out soon.

I look forward to seeing pictures of one of your big pit cooks - I’ve always been intrigued by the idea.

For a little less large smokes, there are plenty of options that shouldn’t catch on fire. I started smoking on an offset many years ago myself, but after passing that down to my nephew, I do all my smoking on either a Weber kettle (mine is a Performer Deluxe in a cart) or a ceramic kamado. If I could just have one it would likely be the kettle, as I can grill, smoke, rotisserie, etc. many accessories and options. For dead simple smoking, there are easy options like the Pitbarrel Cooker, which has a big following here on the pit.

[Chef Heart]

Yes! Now is the season for a good ground smoke. Snow is coming. I'll have to kick one out soon.

Thanks for the heads up on your smoker pref's. I like the egg shape of the Kamado... if I'm seeing the right one.

[Santamarina]

Welcome from Middle Tennessee! From Comfortably Numb’s write up it sounds like you’ve got a great thing going. Thanks for sharing the love with us!

[Chef Heart]

Thanks... What a great bunch to share the love with!