Mixin’ It Up in Michigan with Bird Dog Seasonings

By Jane Singelton

Going commercial with Bird Dog Seasonings was fiancée Katrina’s doing, Stephen told us. Stephen has been mixing seasonings for years, “grabbing stuff out of the cupboard and mixing it all up in a shaker.  Now don’t get me wrong,” Stephen said. “There are plenty of good seasonings out there—but they are nothing I am after. Other seasonings have some brown sugar added or a little paprika, which just doesn’t do it for me, hence I mix-up my own.”

Stephen’s Bird Dog Seasonings Original has a little zip to it, but not much. The Cajun blend definitely has more zip—but it’s not too hot since kids eat it without running for water. As far as describing the taste, Katrina and Stephen say that is difficult to do because the taste is unique.

“On virtually anything you want to enhance the flavor of with salt or pepper,” Stephen says, “you’re going to want to try this product instead.”  Iodized salt is gone from Bird Dog Seasonings; there’s kosher salt only. Bird Dog Seasonings don’t contain additives or preservatives, so there is no anti-caking agent. At this time of year, the seasonings have a tendency to clump-up a little. Stephen said that based on input from his customers, the fact that they have to pound the bottle a couple of times to loosen up the seasonings is much better than having additives in the product.

It’s obvious that cooking is one of Stephen’s passions. “Yes ma’m, I love to cook,” he said. “That’s what inspired this whole new seasonings line. I watched my Mom cook. Then in my mid-teen years I began cooking in a trial-and-error sort of way. That went well, so I’ve been doing it ever since.”

“I’ve never worked for a restaurant—don’t know if I could put up with the hours and heat in the kitchen. I guess it’s okay if you are a culinary arts person. I do comfort food, none of the pheasant-under-glass stuff. When I cook pheasant, I marinate the breast and cook it that way.” Stephen defines comfort food as the meat loaf, the pot roast, the hamburgers, the spaghetti and lasagna we all remember our mothers cooking when we were younger.

Stephen also has a passion for hunting wild game and yellow Lab, Carl shares that passion. That is where “Bird Dog” ties in with “Seasonings” as the product’s name. Stephen loves to use his seasonings on the wild game he and Carl bring home together. "You can't imagine how it can be so good on so many foods. You're going to want to try this product," Stephen says. He even uses Bird Dog Seasonings on popcorn, in the stock for his homemade soups and in the brine for smoked salmon.

“Carl is my hunting buddy. We do a lot of hunting. We do water fowling—ducks and geese, and we do as much upland hunting as the Michigan terrain allows—partridge and pheasant. I also deer hunt with bow and some gun. That’s what Carl and I do from the middle of September until the seasons close.”

“My favorite story about Carl and me is a hunting story, of course, because that is what he’s about, that’s what he lives for. It has to do with the first duck we got together. I shot and killed it and he retrieved it off the pond. That was pretty cool.”

 “Then I knocked down a goose that was flying and it didn’t die right away—his wings cupped and he was gliding. He glided into a field of standing corn probably 60 acres big. I wasn’t sure Carl could find the downed goose, but my son was with us and he kept pushing me to send Carl in, saying that Carl could do it.”

“I walked over to the cornfield with Carl and sent him after the goose. I said, ‘Fetch him up.’ And he did. In about two minutes he came back with the goose in his mouth. He was so proud that he found it; I was so proud of him. Everyone who owns a Lab probably knows and understands what I’m talking about. Labs are awesome.”

During our interview, Stephen and Carl were hanging-out in the cool of their air-conditioned Michigan home, after a couple of hours outside ‘monkeying’ around. Carl is two-and-a-half years old now. When Stephen and Katrina got him, Carl was two months old. A friend-of-a-friend got Carl when he was a cute and tiny pup without considering the fact that Carl would soon become an eighty-five-pounder. She didn’t have room in her home for an eighty-five-pound dog so Stephen and Katrina adopted Carl.

Katrina, Stephen, and Carl live just outside of Grand Rapids, where they have a licensed and up-to-code warehouse-room in their home. In Hart, Michigan, also in the Grand Rapids area, Stephen and Katrina connected with a U.S. Department of Agriculture venture known as The Starting Block, Michigan’s first “incubator kitchen.”

“We’re incubating new entrepreneurs, or just as importantly, new ideas or new products for existing businesses,” said Ron Steiner, Starting Block Director. The Starting Block helps entrepreneurs develop new consumer products from Michigan crops and livestock and provides assistance on manufacturing and marketing. The Starting Block houses a commercial USDA-certified kitchen and several businesses involved in food systems. This is where Stephen and Katrina’s new business got its start.

“For us, it’s been great to get our start there and to continue renting Starting Block facilities where we can mix our seasonings,” Stephen said.  “Of course there are state requirements we have to meet and a state license we had to qualify for—this venture is not something a person can do totally from home.”

Stephen mixes, bottles, and caps Bird Dog Seasonings in the Starting Block kitchen, then transports the bottles to his licensed warehouse where he and Katrina wipe-down each bottle, apply labels by hand, and apply safety wrap to the tops of the bottles. Then they box it all up in cases and either deliver it or store it in the locked warehouse-room.

Bird Dog Seasonings first came on the market this past March. Hansen’s Foods in Hart, Michigan, was their first big volume customer. Several Michigan bait shops, meat markets and small neighborhood grocery stores now carry the seasonings. Right now, a two-case order of Bird Dog Seasonings constitutes big volume for Stephen and Katrina. “At any time, we’ve got only a couple or three cases on hand,” Stephen said.  “We’re not that big yet. We took a case down to Florida and distributed it; a case to California; and a friend who is traveling to Vermont is distributing a case there. But the main focus for me right now is to stay in contact with our Michigan customers and get their feedback to be sure we are doing everything right.”

All Labs knows first-hand that they are doing everything right since Bird Dog Seasonings are used just about every day in our kitchen. Whether it’s for grilling meats or for salads and vegetables, Bird Dog Seasonings adds that special touch-- a favorite is on cottage cheese or potatoes. So for your summer cookouts make sure you bring that attractive yellow Lab to the table and add Bird Dog Seasonings to your meals. Stock up on the Original and Cajun flavors now!