We are sharing excerpts from our chat with Bechara Jaoudeh, owner and creator of Bagel Spice.
Your website mentions that you have a background of mixed ethnicity. Please share some details with us.
I was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon and moved moved to the US at age 18. My family is a mix of French, Middle Eastern and Italian ethnicity. My maternal grandfather and grandmother were both chefs at high–end resorts in Lebanon. Needless to say my mom is an amazing cook. I grew-up eating fusion dishes with very fragrant and delicious flavors. With all that said, my mom did not allow me in the kitchen because she said that I always made a mess. Keeping me out of the kitchen made me want it more and when I had my own kitchen I started experimenting with various flavors from around the world. Some of my friends call me the “Food Alchemist”.
What is your personal favorite recipe(s) for using each of the 3 varieties of Bagel Spice?
Chicken Kabobs (Original Blend): This recipe is a twist on the Chicken Kabob. It's super easy to make and it will impress your guests.
Potato Salad (Sea Salt Blend): I did not post this recipe to the site yet. We “demo-ed” it at the Fancy Food Show and people loved it. Boil the potatoes, dice them into half-inch cubes, and add extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and Bagel Spice. Mix and serve. I'm not a big fan of mayo and you won't miss it in this potato salad.
Eggs Over Easy (Zesty Jalapeno Blend): I love eggs over-easy for breakfast. I sprinkle Bagel Spice on the eggs right before I flip them. The heat releases and amplifies the flavors in Bagel Spice. Yummy!
We plan to suggest using it on challah and bread- does your family have a favorite family bread recipe? Please share...
To be honest, bread baking is not something we did at home. Growing up pita bread and French breads were all we ate.
What's in the Bagel Spice pipeline?
We are in the process of screening and hiring brokers and distributors to get Bagel Spice on grocery shelves. We're also very excited that Kosher Kingdom, a Kosher Store in the UK, will be carrying Bagel Spice within the next 30 days, This is our first international store.
At Bagel Spice we attentively listen to our customer's feedback.* That's how the Jalapeno blend came about. Right now, we are getting a lot of requests for a sweet tasting blend. A handful of our customers suggested a blend with cinnamon and nutmeg, which we like a lot. This is still in the planning phase, but Bagel Spice will have a sweet blend by next fall.
*Do send your new sweet Bagel Spice flavor blend suggestions to KosherEye and we will forward them to Bechara at Bagel Spice.
August 10, 2011