De Stewart opened his first Colonel De Gourmet Herbs & Spices stand at Cincinnati’s Findlay Market nearly a dozen years ago, making his signature herb and spice mixes available to the public.
Today he has multiple locations, including his headquarters in Fort Thomas’ central business district, where he has retail, cooking classes and a production center.
Colonel De learned about cooking the way most do – watching his mother work in their kitchen as a child. Years later, after developing his own signature mixes, rubs and marinades, Stewart became a regional celebrity. After his booth at Findlay Market opened in 2006, he quickly outgrew the space and the demand for his product has not slowed since.
Stewart produces everything he sells, a line that includes barbecue sauces, marinades and dry spices.
“We started with 2,300 square feet for our retail, cooking classroom and production center,” said Stewart. “We followed that up with 975 square feet for our office space, and now we have 1,000 square feet for our warehouse facility. We are all over this one building.
“Shoppers can expect a fun and educational experience. You can watch products being made through our huge glass windows that overlook the actual production part of the store.”
Kameron Starek works in the front end of Colonel De’s Fort Thomas store and has been with the company for about a year and a half. He says the business stands alone among its peers. Most importantly, the spices are always fresh and stock moves quickly out of the shop, rather than being stored in a warehouse somewhere. Also, there is a family atmosphere among customers and staff. He mentions that Stewart and his employees even share family-style meals and cook together regularly in the company kitchen.
Check out the Colonel’s Chipotle Spice, which can be used for everything from eggs to tuna salad. Another of the popular spice mixes is Ole Bourbon Trail, which is a perfect rub for grilling steak, chicken and pork chops.
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Read NKyTribune’s Mark Hansel’s story about Colonel De here.
