Box Overview: Cooking with Class

Gayle's Sweet 'N' Sassy Foods is located in Southern California and has been making healthy, delicious, fat free, gluten free, cholesterol free and trans fat free BBQ sauces for more than 30 years.

The Gayle’s BBQ line consists of seven tasty BBQ sauces: Sweet ‘N’ Sassy Original, Chipotle, Extra Sassy, Honey Sweet, Apple Cider Smoke, Sriracha and Gayle’s Deli Brand.

My father “Bernie” bought a BBQ restaurant in South Central LA in the late 60’s, he inherited a BBQ sauce recipe that became the most popular item on the menu.

Years later, I was working as an actress in a commercial, and after spending two weeks on the set I became friendly with the cast and crew. They had heard about my dad’s restaurant and his famous BBQ sauce, and asked if I would cater the wrap party after the commercial was completed. Shortly after the wrap party, I received a phone call from the director saying that the production people, who were from Texas, called to say “the blonde was ok, but how do we get more BBQ sauce?”

This was to be the day Gayle’s Sweet ‘N’ Sassy Foods was born. That evening, I told my Dad my plan and asked if he wanted to go into business with me, making BBQ sauce and call it Bernie Baby’s BBQ from Brooklyn. (My Dad was from Brooklyn.)… he laughed and said he would show me how to make the sauce if I was really serious about it.

That next day, my Dad brought home a 55 gallon pickle barrel, a coffee urn and all the ingredients to make the first batch of BBQ sauce. After a day of mixing and pouring with my Dad, Mom, and three Brothers, the first labeled BBQ sauce was ready. The only problem was that I didn’t have a proper bottle nor did we have a label. During that same time I was working as a catalog model for a local advertising company. When I brought my idea to him he suggested that in lieu of payment he would trade me by creating a logo and name for my BBQ sauce. “The name should be Gayle’s Sweet ‘N’ Sassy BBQ Sauce.” He said. “The sauce is sweet with a little kick”, and he said that I was sweet and a pain in the neck, thus the sassy part.”

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Gayle’s Sweet ’N’ Sassy Foods had been in business for just three months when I received a voicemail. The message from the gentleman by the name of Ed was: “I was hired by a startup restaurant in Los Angeles to come up with creative new ideas for pizzas. We have over 50 bottles of BBQ Sauce from across the country and have been testing all of them. After taste testing all 50 different brands we agreed that Gayle’s BBQ sauce was our number one choice.

That startup restaurant over 35 years ago was ‘California Pizza Kitchen’… For over 35 years the BBQ Chicken Pizza and BBQ Chicken salad have been CPK’s #1 selling item on their menu across the country and abroad. The BBQ Chicken Pizza became the craze of the restaurant world. Gayle’s is the Original BBQ Sauce that started the BBQ Chicken Pizza and Salad Craze across America.

~ Gayle Rosenthal

Read more: http://gaylesbbq.com/our-story

Mis’ Rubin’s Seasonings is located in Birmingham, Alabama — their Black, White, Creole, & Fish Magic seasonings have been on the market since 1935!

Mis’ Rubin’s always had a special meaning for me. I grew up working in the Penny Profit butcher shop during the summers and was hooked on the seasonings from an early age. The atmosphere of a family business was really appealing.

After working in another industry and geography for a while, I offered to fill orders for my grandmother as she was looking to slow down. We forwarded the business number to my cell phone and it started ringing off the hook! The customers on the other end of the phone were from all walks of life and spread all over the country. They were all thrilled to find out that their beloved spices were available through retail outlets and online! And they all had a story about how and when they found our seasonings.

Mis’ Rubin’s was so much more than just another brand. Each customer had such conviction and enthusiasm about our spices. We believe there’s value in sitting down to a great meal with friends and family. We’re grateful to be a part of that for many and are honored to continue the Mis’ Rubin’s tradition.

My wife and I immediately realized the potential of the brand and began taking steps to rebuild it back in Alabama. In 2019, Jay Evers joined our team. He has been a great addition. His industry experience and diverse skill set has been invaluable as we continue to grow the brand.

In Jay’s words, “Mis’ Rubin’s was a client in my consulting business, and I saw the same quality and potential as I did with Milo’s many years ago. Robert asked me to join the team, and I said ‘yes.’ I’m excited to be a partner in Mis’ Rubin’s Seasonings and back in the grocery business. I love the whole process – from production to the shopping cart.“

Our History

Our founder, Rubin Hanan lived out the true American Dream. He emigrated to the United States from the isle of Rhodes in the early 1920’s. He came through Ellis Island and wasted no time setting up his life in the states. He moved to Montgomery, AL where he had a family contact and soon met and married his wife and partner in business, Julia.

Together, they continued Rubin’s family craft by opening a meat market called Penny Profit near downtown Montgomery. Julia was called “Mis’ Rubin” as was custom at the time and she created many spice blends that gave them an advantage over the larger stores in the area.

Penny Profit became a famous stop in the region because of the popularity of the “Mis’ Rubin’s Seasonings”. Black, White, Creole, & Fish Magic seasonings have been on the market since 1935 and have been enjoyed by generations of loyal customers ever since.

– Robert Landers
Owner, Mis’ Rubin’s Seasonings

“Bravado Spice is an award winning speciality food company based out of Houston, TX. As seen on First We Feast’s Hot Ones with Sean Evans, Season 1 of CNBC’s Billion Dollar Buyer, & Season 4 of Fox’s MasterChef.

Mission: To craft food that is undeniably bold and delicious. Our focus is culinary alchemy and our passion is our customers; wowing them with products that are unlike anything else out there.”

“Bacon’s Heir is reintroducing the world to the simple wonder of the pork rind through our Pork Panko pork rind crumbs. Made with only two ingredients, Pork Panko emphasizes the power of a single ingredient to transform echelons of dishes we all take for granted as being necessarily unhealthy.

With more protein per ounce than beef jerky, no carbohydrates, and a high tolerance for heat, Pork Panko upends the very verbiage of the “breading” category. Pork Panko adds an umami crisp to any dish without the glutinous guilt.”

Spiceology is a chef-owned and operated company out of Spokane, Washington.

It all started with a blend called Smoky Honey Habanero.

Founded in 2013 by award-winning, executive chef Pete Taylor and top food blogger Farmgirl Gourmet (aka Heather Scholten), Spiceology had humble Farmers Market beginnings. Fast forward a couple of years and Williams Sonoma took notice of this interesting little spice company. A year later, Spiceology launched our Foodservice program.

Now you can find our ingredients and blends in retail greats, homes and grills across the globe and on the kitchen shelves of some of the culinary world’s greatest chefs.

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Effortless Deliciousness

What if you could make any dish a whole lot tastier simply by adding a spoonful or two of something? That’s right, breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks, we’ve got the flavor to take delicious dining back. 

Ingredients Make the Difference

Dried pineapple and raspberry, blue cheese, honey granules, tamari, sun dried tomatoes, orange peel, beer (no really, beer)... These are just a few of the innovative ingredients we use to create Spiceology’s signature blends. Blend these with our premium core raw herbs, chilis and spices and you’ll taste the difference. Getting hungry yet?

Fresh Matters: From Farmers’ Markets to Fastest Growing

From ideas to ingredients, it’s our focus on fresh that helped earn us the title of Fastest Growing Spice Company* for three years and counting. How do we deliver fresh?

• Start with grade-A ingredients only
• Grind our spices domestically and in small batches for the richest flavor, aromas and color
• No fillers or additives. That’s right, no funky stuff.

Trusted by Taste Makers

Over-the-Fire cooking experts, James Beard award winning chefs, Michelin-star master culinarians and beloved foodie brands trust Spiceology. Thanks to our focus on fresh flavor, culinary leaders look to Spiceology to bring their spicy, innovative ideas to life.

Ready To Experiment With Flavor

From innovative blends to hard-to-source ingredients, we inspire all to get creative with cooking. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get to experimenting!

Loubier Gourmet is a local, family-owned & operated business based out of Benicia, California.

Michael, the founder has over 18 years of experience in the food industry which started in Washington, DC where he waited tables and was a bartender. As years passed with hard work and perseverance,

Michael finally fulfilled his dream of owning a small BBQ restaurant in the San Francisco Bay area. Then unfortunately, within a year both Michael’s parents passed away which caused him to take pause and really evaluate what he was passionate about and what he enjoyed doing.

From this soul searching, Loubier Gourmet was created. Michael’s goal is to take some of the authentic delicious recipes that were tried, tested, and perfected in his restaurant and share them with the world.

Loubier Gourmet continues to create unique products that give customers a 'wow' factor experience where they want to share these tasty products with their friends and family. 

Finally, this business is dedicated to Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Loubier, parents of Michael because of the instrumental role they played in his life.

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Both Michael's parents passed from cancer in such a short amount of time. After doing so much research to try to save them, he discovered it was due to their environment or the food they ate. He then set out to make the best tasting products from all natural ingredients so people could enjoy them without risking their lives.

Our products were created to make any meal taste even better! On top of our products being Premium, Award-Winning, and Delicious, they are also made with All-Natural & Organic Ingredients, are Gluten-Free, contain no High Fructose Corn Syrup, and are Vegan (with the exception of the Italian Topper). We also donate 10% of all our proceeds to helping Foster Children and Children with Mental Health.