Our Story

Don

Don, also known as the Fire Chief, has spent his whole adult life in the food business. He started at 16 in fast food, worked every position in New Orleans restaurant kitchens up to sous chef, and went on to own his own restaurant. Cooking has always been his passion.

For Don, it has always been about bringing people joy. Good food and good memories do that in a way that is deeply human, and it lasts.

He earned the nickname "Fire Chief" in those New Orleans kitchens for his ability to fire up anything: cooked to temperature, delicious and ready to serve.

During those years he developed his own spice blends, including a chef’s blend he used on almost everything. Most chefs have favorite blends of the spices they reach for most. The best part of those blends is that they’re made with the freshest spices and very little salt, because they’re mixed by hand for the line and for the chef’s own kitchen.

That is how Fire Chief Gourmet began: a collection of fresh, small-batch spice blends shared with friends and customers. The blends became so popular that we started selling them online.

Maureen

A few years later, Don’s wife, Maureen, who had spent her career in high-stress corporate jobs, was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. It was her second autoimmune diagnosis; she had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis about six years earlier.

She set out to learn everything she could about inflammation and how food affects it. That is where these spice blends became essential. They let her cook simple, clean meals that still tasted wonderful.

Eating clean. Eating real food. It was no longer just a good idea or something she should do; it was absolutely critical. Gone were the rich sauces of New Orleans. Gone were the processed foods. In their place: high-quality proteins cooked in a little olive oil with very fresh spices.

Because you can truly enjoy food, real food, simply by bringing out its natural flavor, without the high-fat, high-salt, processed shortcuts that are such a big part of the American diet.

Our goal now is to share those recipes and cooking hacks so you can see how easy it is to cook fresh, cook simple and enjoy food the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

Real food. Real spices. Made easy.

firechiefgourmet.com