Summer’s Secret Seasoning and Jam Review (Part 1)

Note that this is the first post of three in this series. You can read Part 2 (Summer’s Secret Seasoning review here.

One of the many reasons I love writing this food blog is meeting and chatting with new people. I’ve recently had the delightful opportunity to talk with Summer from Summer’s Secret Seasoning about her entrepreneurial endeavors within the food industry. It seems that a lot of us have numerous business ideas when it comes to food, but so many of us have never really done anything about it. Summer is an exception to that rule. Not only has she produced Summer’s Secret Seasoning, but she has gone on to create a few jam flavors (with more in the works).

What’s extra cool is that Summer has sent me a sample of each of these products, all for the purpose of reviewing here on my blog. I’ve definitely enjoyed sampling these products over the past little while and look forward to sharing the full review with all of you soon. However, before we get to the review, I wanted to share with you a short interview that Summer and I had over email so you can hear in her own words how these products came to be. So, without further adieu, here’s Summer.

Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

This is a pretty broad question. I was born in California; lived there for a few years. Then lived in Dallas, TX; Bloomfield Township, MI; Austin, TX; Amado, AZ (40 miles north of the Mexican border); Houston, TX; and since 1996 – and I hope finally – St. Thomas, VI.

I have been fortunate enough to travel in the US, Mexico, England, Italy, Spain and the Caribbean. Over the years of my life, I have had a variety interests and a background that includes jewelry making, weaving, newspaper production, legal secretary, interior design, website design, sailing – especially racing!, snorkeling, travel, online chess and Scrabble, card playing (for fun only!), and – of course – cooking. I am either very well-rounded or I have a short attention span.

While I enjoy exploring art museums and architecture in new places, I particularly love trying all kinds of food when I visit a new place. I enjoy wine and champagne, too, and continue to learn how to pair them with food.

I am a mostly self-taught cook, having started cooking early with a school friend who also liked to cook. We had some disasters and some successes, but always had fun. I enjoy cooking for and with family and friends – whether a simple dinner for a few friends, or a large holiday meal. In addition to developing and marketing Summer’s Secret Seasoning, mango hot sauce, and a line of pepper jams, I work as a wedding planner. My husband of 37 years is a boat captain and dive master.

Can you tell us how the idea for Summer’s Secret Seasoning was born?

A friend who owns, operates, and is the chef on a term charter boat – and who is great fun to cook with – was talking about seasoning mixes and how hard it was to find one without salt. Space is limited on even a large boat, so she was looking for an all-purpose seasoning to use in a variety of recipes – one that could take the place of too many spice jars, and that would be good for charter guests who wanted to watch their salt intake.

I told her I would work on the probem, and came up with Summer’s Secret Seasoning. I gave it to friends to try, and they started using it on everything … And demanding more! While my charter boat friend was the instigator of SSS, I also kept in mind friends who don’t know very much about cooking or using different – and often expensive – spices. I developed recipes that are easy to make and have those recipes free online. (Influenced here by the portion of Chef Gorgon Ramsey’s progam where he shows people how to make a fast, easy, home-cooked meal.) My seasoning mix is available at a number of stores in the VI, and I love it when customers tell me how they use Summer’s Secret Seasoning.

What was your initial reaction when people starting asking for more of your seasoning?

I was very pleased, of course! I started using my seasoning mix on food I cooked for my husband and friends. Having friends eat what I put in front of them is very different from having them ask for my seasoning mix. When they started asking for my seasoning mix for themselves – and told me they put it on everything – I was very happy! I was thrilled when people started buying it in stores and coming back for more. Selling out is the best compliment ever!

Can you tell us about the creative process you used to figure out your seasonings, hot sauces, and jams? How do you know when it’s “good to go”?

The creative process involves a lot of taste testing! A couple of my products – Summer’s Secret Seasoning and Summer’s Secret Mango Hot Sauce – were developed in direct response to requests from friends. They know I like to cook, and they asked if I could come up with something that they couldn’t find in stores. The pepper jam line came from trying to find pepper jams that were hot instead of sweet. The first jam was mango – we had a bumper crop in St. Thomas last year. Once I got that one right, I started brainstorming – and experimenting – with other flavor combinations and levels of heat. I don’t rely just on my own taste to know when it a product is “good to go.” When I think it is ready for my testers to try, I put it out to them. They let me know when I have it right.

How long was the time frame between having the idea to actually create a seasoning mix and then having it on store shelves? Were there any specific hardships that you had to overcome?

Summer’s Secret Seasoning hit the shelves approximately 10 months after the first conversation about it. I was very fortunate to have friends who own Aqua Action Dive Center put my seasoning mix in their shop. I also started serving appetizers at the wine tastings at a local wine and cheese shop. I would make appetizers (all made with Summer’s Secret Seasoning) using the products the shop carried, and have my seasoning mix on hand to sell. The store manager was happy because I helped sell more cheeses (and my products sold during the week); the wine distributor was happy because I helped showcase the wine, encouraging customers to try different foods with the various wines; and I was happy because my products were selling – a three-way win!

There is a lot of research that goes into getting a product from idea to reality, and there is financial risk involved, too. But I think that the biggest “hardship” I faced was having to write down my recipes! I have always been a seat-of-the-pants cook, adding a little of this and a little of that until the food tasted the way I wanted it to. With people asking for recipes, I suddenly had to measure every ingredient, write down the amounts, break the cooking process into easy steps, take pictures along the way, and then put it all into an easy-to-follow format. Quite a chore for someone who used to measure spices in her hand!

It sounds like you appreciate feedback from taste testers and those around you. How do you balance what people are telling you about your products versus what you want to do?

Initially, I resisted what friends were telling me, which was to market my products! Once my products started started to sell, I paid more attention to them. I balance the various tastes of friends, feedback from customers I barely know as well as those who have become my “core” testers, and my judgement. It is not always easy; some are chefs, some are laymen, some like spicy food, some like bland food. As with Goldilocks, “just right” is somewhere in the middle.

How did you first approach your friends to get your seasoning in their shop? How do you approach shops now?

I started with samples of appetizers made with my products and, in the case of jams, sample jars of the products. I offer a buy-back guarantee on my products, which is a win-win for the stores and for me. In the case of wine-tastings, I prepare appetizers using my products in combination with products the store carries, and serve them during the wine tastings. The wine reps like it because food enhances their wine, the stores like it because I am promoting their products (and lending a hand at the tastings), and I’m happy because my products get exposure and sell. I approach new venues in the same way.

What recommendation would you give to others who want to start their own food line?

(1) Do lots of research on all aspects of food production. There are federal and local guidelines, as well as laws regarding labeling. (2) Be patient, it can take a while to get your recipies just right. (3) Network with friends. You never know who knows someone in the label, jar, or grocery business – someone that could help you market your products or just give you some good advice. (4) Promote your product whenever you can … Donate to charity events, build a website, start a blog. (5) Don’t try to grow too quickly. A number of people have asked why I have not expanded to more areas. Right now, my production is very small; I don’t want to be in the position of receiving orders that I cannot fill.

Thanks again Summer for sharing your thoughts! If you have a question for Summer or would like to comment on this interview, please do so in the comments below.