The Scuderi Spice Company offers innovate flavors, takes pride in being local

Mike Scuderi’s dining room doubles as a spice pantry. While he has everyday spices like cumin, thyme, salt, and pepper, the ones that line his shelves are far from your momma’s collection of everyday seasonings and rubs.

On his shelves you’ll find bottles labeled with names like “Coffee Thyme,” “Go Cluck Yourself,” and “Hook Lime and Sinker.”

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These are blends that Scuderi sells through his family business, The Scuderi Spice Company, which is now in its first year as a vendor at the Owensboro Regional Farmers’ Market.

Scuderi said he started The Scuderi Spice Company after seeing and trying blends from other small spice vendors.

“I like to try and support smaller guys,” Scuderi said. “I noticed that some of them fell short of my expectations, so I started doing it on my own. It turned out that I had a knack for it, and it just grew from there.”

The company, which started with five flavors, now has 13 flavors for sale. Each blend is carefully formulated by Scuderi himself.

“I might formulate it two or three different times before I decide this is the formula,” Scuderi said.

While the company has more traditional spices, Scuderi said he makes an effort to be innovative.

“I have a spice called ‘Apple of My Pie’ which is designed for pork as a barbecue rub. It’s very apple forward because pork and apple go so well together,” Scuderi said. “I probably went through four or five different things that have apple flavoring in them to see if that ingredient is something that I could work with until I settled on the final product.”

Most recently, Scuderi has developed a spice called “The Doctor Will See You Now,” which is a Dr. Pepper cake-inspired rub.

Scuderi said the community’s reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.

“We have been floored with how well we’re being received,” Scuderi said. “Even though we’ve only been here since last October, we’ve been getting a lot of repeat business at the Farmers’ Market.”

The consistency of the Farmers’ Market is important for both the community and local vendors, Scuderi said.

“A lot of people come and get their vegetables for the week and they know it’s going to be fresh. They know it’s going to be quality because it’s coming from right around the corner,” Scuderi said.

The quality of being local is something that Scuderi is particularly proud of.

“We didn’t take out any loans to do this. My wife does all of the designs on the website and all the labeling and we go to the Lion’s Den in Philpot to do the mixing,” Scuderi said. “It really is home-based.”

Originally posted in Owensboro Times
presented by Independence Bank
July 29, 2023
Kharley Redmon