Hangar Bay Spice Company was conceived on board my last deployment. We did a 7 month cruise to the Mediterranean and Arabian Sea. There we transited the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Persian Gulf.

While on board the Dwight D. Eisenhower (The “Ike”) CVN-69, we would do upwards of 8 hour missions.  When you land from a long flight, the hope is to come back to a delicious meal to hang out and talk about the day with your friends and other aircrew.  Unfortunately, every meal lacks that “homecooked touch” and comes with bland flavor. 

As months go by, day in and day out, eating the same food can really wear on the psyche of the air warrior.  So, one day, a few friends and I decided we were going to spice things up and cook food for the Airwing.  We walked into the galley (the kitchen on board a vessel) and noticed there were tons of unopened spices and condiments along with herbs. Using the spices and condiments we found, we crafted our own seasonings and sauces.  This was unanimously the best meal everyone had on the boat.

Once I left active duty and joined the Navy Reserves, I decided it was time to put joy on everyone’s faces with my very own seasonings and sauces.  We plan on donating boxes of our flavors to those on deployment so they can enjoy their meals.  Along with our donations to charities that mean something to us, we plan on donating flavor to those that are on the pointy end of the spear.