Heading out on the Trail

Webster's Dictionary defines the word hobby as "a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation." I have a hobby, I love to cook and I love to entertain. This is truly a hobby for me, since it is definitely outside of my regular occupation. Have you ever taken a hobby just a little too far? I think I am about to stretch mine to the edge of the envelope.

Some hobbies can get pretty expensive. Take golf for example, first you have to have the gear, like clubs and shoes and gloves and balls and tees. Ask any golfer how much money he has invested in his gear and he is likely to be embarrassed at his own answer. Then there's the green fees. You have to pay to play, right? And how many golfers do you know that walked out onto the first tee for the first time and hit the ball long and straight, putted like a pro and finished his first round under par? Nobody I know of, that's for sure. It takes lots of time on the driving range and putting greens to get any good at golf. It wouldn't hurt to have a few lessons either.

I started out on my hobby experimenting in the kitchen, cooking for myself. I ate a lot of burnt food and poorly seasoned dishes along the way. But as I got better and more confident in my skills, I wanted to share my hobby with others. So I cook for friends and family. We have family barbecues and tailgate parties, I have even helped cater a few parties along the way too. Like a lot of other hobbyists out there, I started looking for extra money to supplement my regular income and help pay for my hobby. It didn't take me long before I started looking for ways for my hobby to pay for itself!

In the near future we will bring to market our very first product, Daddy's Rub. Daddy's Rub is a blend of spices that I use a lot. I use it as a steak dust, as a meat rub when I fire up the smoker, and I also use it in marinades. Heck, it is even pretty good sprinkled on a plain baked potato! Part of enjoying my hobby is sharing it with my family, particularly my little girls. I have a 3 year old daughter that just loves to be in the kitchen with me. She is a pretty darn good cook and a great helper. When we are in the kitchen, I am the chef, and she is my best sous chef. But forever on, I will always be Daddy. That's where the name came from and try as I might to think of a more marketable and classier name, I can't get away from what it has always been known as in my house. In my pantry, hanging on the door with the other spices and herbs is a re-used spice container scribbled on with a black sharpie, "Daddy's Rub". 'Cuz I am the Daddy.

I have several other products that I am working on, including some sauces and jellies. As time and demand allows, these products will become available. Thanks for checking in on us here at Chisholm Trail Foods. Peek back from time to time or subscribe to this blog to keep up with us.