Happy Father’s Day week! We hope you’re planning to spend some time with the ones you love.
To celebrate the occasion, (and the fact that our founder Zach became a father last week with the birth of his daughter!) we did a little Q&A with Zach’s father Jay about Zach’s upbringing and his favorite spices! Enjoy.
Do you like to cook from home?
Yes, cooking at home has become a recent hobby. In 2014, I was fortunate to live and work in Northern California’s Napa Valley, An interest in healthy eating and farm to table food is a huge trend throughout the area. My colleagues – who are like family, are “foodies.” We would get together for business meetings and when it came time to eat, we would utilize the internet to lead us to a restaurant in the area we all thought would be interesting. Once we began eating, we would attempt to figure out what the recipe might include, then attempt to make the dish at home.
This new hobby of cooking at home all began in unison as Zach founded and started The Spice Guy business which naturally led me to use The Spice Guy products exclusively when cooking. Zach was a tremendous resource for me to use while learning this trend of home cooking. In addition, the television cooking shows, colleagues, internet and self-experimenting have all assisted in shaping personal cooking skills.
What was Zach like as a child?
Oh my, this is a question that can place me in a compromising position. Zach entered into this world as a pistol and continued that pattern of behavior until about the age of 12. He was an extremely competitive individual, only accepting winning as a possible outcome. A few of the significant events that impacted Zach into becoming the individual he ultimately is today are the high school that he attended, a horrific vehicle accident and his initial move from the Midwest to Colorado.
Zach’s high school experience was at an institution well-known for cultivating and intellectually developing boys into young men as future leaders with a conscience and zest for being good examples to others and treating people properly.
His car accident also played a pivotal role as he sustained major head trauma which altered both his personality and behavior. Zach became interested in completely different activities and personal growth. He began to explore and study music, ultimately learning through self-teaching to play multiple instruments and dabbled with writing and creating his own songs. The positive that came out of such an awful experience matured him and proved the realization as to how precious life is.
Finally, Zach’s relocation from the Midwest to Colorado brought tremendous growth in him. He was 19 and just finished his first year of college. We were living together, and he called me on the telephone to say he needed to talk to me. I thought, “Oh, no! What has he gotten himself involved with?”
Zach asked me if he could quit school and move to the Denver area to pursue some type of avenue in snowboarding. During the discussion, I asked what his short and long-term goals were. Zach pleasantly surprised me with what was a five-year plan. He was going to quit school for one year and spend his time carving down mountains while finding a way to make some money to support himself. Zach successfully executed his plan, achieving the opportunity to share his snowboarding skills throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. He also returned to college after a one-year hiatus to complete his Business Degree and was elected to be the student speaker for his graduating class ceremony.
What did you think when he told you about starting his own business?
Zach was working in the restaurant business, upon college graduation, he thought he would pursue other industry opportunities, He went for an interview and was offered a position, around that same time he learned of the chance to startup The Spice Guy. Zach oftentimes speaks of starting The Spice Guy with $50 in his pocket. Well, the truth be known, he needed to borrow the $50 from me.
We discussed The Spice Guy at length. Many issues were important. However, the most relevant considerations were having a passion for what he was going to be doing, servicing his client base to his best abilities and to ensure treating all people properly.
If you know Zach, these are three very strong attribute he possesses. Zach knew starting his own business would be a challenging endeavor. I believe it reverts back to his core being of competitiveness and a strong desire to win. He has dedicated many long days, nights, weekends and worked diligently to achieve what he has accomplished so far. Zach will be the first one to tell you it is The Spice Guy team that has propelled The Spice Guy vision to its current market position. Ultimately, Zach has had his entire family’s support in starting his own business. There will be many more obstacles to navigate, ideas to implement and goals to achieve.
What are your favorite spices from The Spice Guy? How do you incorporate them into things you make at home?
The Spice Guy spices get used in every meal made at home from basic spinach salads to complicated dinner dishes. Most of the time, the spices get used based on taste and smell. If the spices pass those two basic tests – they get used! If not, Zach receives a text message for consultation.
Some of my staple spices are…
- Black Pepper
- Rocky Mountain Red Salt
- Perfect Burger
- Summit County Steak & Veg
- Roasted Garlic Blend
- Colorado Chicken & Veg
- Smoked Sea Salt
- Mango Chipotle Rub
- Citrus Pucker Pepper
- Sriracha Pow
- Blackened Red Fish Magic
What has Zach’s business adventure taught you about cooking?
Zach taught me that although there are basic principles to follow per recipe, it is alright to get creative. Afterall, you the cook are going to partake in eating the food and are the ultimate judge. The other aspects are to enjoy what you’re cooking, taking the challenge of making your food taste unique and having it be a fun experience.
Zach became a father last week. Do you have any advice for him? How do you think he will be as a father?
This is the favorite question of the article. Zach and his wife Randi have become new parents of a beautiful baby girl born June 7 named Parker Rose. The most important advice to both parents is to love Parker Rose with every element of your heart and soul.
For Zach specifically, protect your daughter and treat her mother properly. Be there! Find a life-work balance and always remember business is important, however, your family is always the first and most important priority.
Make it fun for Parker Rose, lead and teach by example throughout her entire life. Make certain to instill solid manners and ensure she is courteous and respectful. Make certain she knows how important it is to treat others properly. Subject her to new experiences, smile, laugh and be happy. Make her proud that you are her father.
There is absolutely NO doubt Zach will be an outstanding father. He has had great examples to witness and learn from, led by his incredible grandfathers, father-in-law, step-father, accomplished uncles, close cousins (some cousins taught him what not to do), friends, a super-strong single mother, sister and, of course, the ultimate spice in Zach’s life…
