“When you cook you give a piece of you to someone else.” -Robert Irvine, Restaurant Impossible
ORIGINS
I love to grill chicken. Over the years, I learned that a great combination of flavors was all I needed to grill perfect chicken (well, that and some decent grilling techniques). After some experimenting, I settled on three flavors: season salt, lemon pepper, and garlic powder. After a few years of some great cookouts, I decided to mix the three ingredients into a blend to make my signature Grilling and Roasting Spice.
After 15 years of making batches for friends for holiday gifts, birthday gifts, and whatever gifts, I added some additional blends and decided to share my creations with the world as Apothecary Spices.
THE COLLECTION
The store contains a nice variety of my favorite spice blends for pallets that crave strong, bold flavors. The Grilling and Roasting Spice is the signature spice that started the company, great for roasting or grilling vegetables or protein. To the collection, I have added a versatile base of seasonings. Citrus Herb Seasoning is an earthy but crisp herb seasoning. Good for oven roasted chicken or oven roasted carrots and potatoes. Our Spicy Pepper Seasoning is a spicier version of our signature spice, but with added chipotle pepper and white pepper for heat. Enough to be adventurous, but you’ll still taste the food. Not sure which to get? Pick up a trinity gift set of all three.
I'm still creating new blends and just added two types of bacon salts: red bacon salt with red clay sea salt, and black bacon salt with black lava salt. Enjoy on salads, root vegetables, brussel sprouts, ice cream, fruit, or cheese--anything that can be enhanced with crispy saltiness.
A pizza and pasta blend that works great as a bread dip and a selection of popcorn seasonings round out our inventory. Click here to find your flavors.
ABOUT THE OWNER
Besides grilling and blending spices, my other passion is to scuba dive. Here I am diving a WWII wreck off Morehead City, NC. German submarines, sand tiger sharks, and lion fish---always plenty to see.
My name is Eddie Gonzalez. In my day job, I'm a nonprofit professional with over 23 years of experience working on conservation programs for organizations like the National Audubon Society, World Wildlife Fund, and Living Oceans Foundation. I have a bachelor's degree in geology and biology and a master's degree in nonprofit management. However, in addition to scuba diving, my main passion is food--everything about food: understanding cultural connections, checking off regional specialties, planning food-related travel, exploring exotic cuisine, and hosting friends around the grill....you name it.
I grew up in a small town in south Texas where grilling involved: first, collecting falling branches from the mesquite tree in our backyard; then, burning them down to coals; and finally shoveling the coals into the grill to cook some unbelievable food. Mesquite is scarce in the Washington, DC area. Eye of Newt is my attempt at recreating the rich, deep, and crisp flavor of mesquite grilling.
Grilling is my happy place. Whether at a campfire, tailgate, or patio, open up a grill and I'm home. My favorite part about starting a food based business is trying different flavor combinations and sharing them with friends. I hope you visit the Apothecary and start your own culinary adventure. I hope you'll also consider supporting a few of my favorite causes.
