Conversations With The Spice Mistress

One of the best parts of my job is talking about spices and answering questions. Most of the time I know the answer and when I don't, I enjoy looking up the information in order to give a well informed answer. I get calls and emails each day asking questions about specific spices and other, more general questions. I've got some free time this morning before I head to the store, so I'm going to post the most frequent questions and answers on here. (Identities have been changed to protect the innocent...hahaha...kidding....just always wanted to say that!!)

Question: Is your Chimayo powder a blend or is it pure?
Answer: Our Chimayo is pure - it comes directly from a grower and only contains the Chimayo pepper. It is not blended with anything else and comes in both hot and mild varieties.

Question: Did ConAgra discontinue Gebhardts?
Answer: No....THANK GOD!! However, they did discontinue packaging it in 5 lb containers for some unbelievably strange reason that so many people (myself included) will never understand.

Question: How will I buy Gebhardts in bulk now? Did they change the recipe?
Answer: Buy a ton of those little bottles??? Kidding...but I had a moment there when all of this came out about the 5 lb containers that we might all be doing that! I am still able to order Gebhardts in bulk and can repackage it and sell it in any size a customer needs. I already re-sell it as San Antonio Original, but for my wholesale customers, I'll now have larger resealable poly bags in order to package it for those who need larger quantities and don't want a ton of 16 oz bags. While the recipe hasn't changed, there is always a formulation difference when you are blending something to be bottled in say a 3 oz container versus a 5 lb container. The bulk Gebhardts is sure to have a slight formulation difference (which is completely normal), but the recipe will remain the same and any difference because of the formulation difference will be slight. I would imagine the color will be a little different. I've always noticed a difference in the color between the 5 lb containers and the 3 oz bottles.

Question: I live in New York. Where can I buy your products?
Answer: Online at www.mildbills.com. I ship all over the US, Canada, Europe and Australia. While I would love to have all of our products in stores, I would no longer be able to control the freshness and quality of the spices in the manner to which our customers (as well as myself!) have become accustomed to. They would have to be prepackaged and quite possibly sit in a warehouse or on shelves until they were purchased. I would hate for someone to get old or stale tasting spices. We get so many comments regarding the freshness of our spices. To me, that is one of the most important things I can offer our customers!

Question: I'm out of Cowtown Light. Can I just buy Fiesta brand Light Chili Powder and use it? It's the same, right?
Answer: No, it isn't the same. Cowtown Light, like many of our other chili powders, are proprietary blends. That means that Mild Bill's owns the recipe and it is blended exclusively for Mild Bill's. You can't get it anywhere but Mild Bill's. Other "light" chili powders may be similar, but they won't be the same. While Fiesta is a great brand to use at home, the spices probably aren't fresh enough or potent enough for what you would want to use in competition chili.

Question: Why is shipping so high?
Answer: I know, shipping can be costly. There are a lot of factors and the constant rise in fuel prices is not helping things at all! The sad thing is, it's still cheaper to have something shipped to you than to actually spend money on gas to drive and go get it...plus the time spent doing it! I don't know about ya'll, but I will GLADLY pay shipping to avoid Christmas shopping!!! It's just not worth my mental health! But, seriously, I do recognize that shipping can be and has gotten expensive. The two things I recommend is combining orders with your friends and split the shipping costs. You can also save money by buying the largest size and splitting it up. If you're buying Gebhardts and you know you're going to need some after you go through the first small bottle, go ahead and buy four of them. Because of the new bottle shape, it costs the same to ship one as it does four because they no longer fit into the small flat rate boxes. I utilize the post office's flat rate and regional rate boxes every chance I get. Those are the most cost effective way to ship. For overnight shipping in Texas, UPS is typically the best way to go. The post office can be extremely expensive to ship overnight. Trust me, I sympathize with the frustration over shipping - I have to pay it too and it can really suck sometimes!!

Question: What are your store hours?
Answer: Typically, Wednesday - Friday from 10 am to 4 pm. The best thing to do is call and make sure I'm at the store before you head over. I may be running errands or picking up Paige from school. I'm there every day, so if those hours aren't convenient, I'm happy to open up on a day that works best for the customer.

Question: Do you still take spices to cook offs like Tamara did?
Answer: Yes, absolutely. I don't take them to every cook off I attend (she didn't, either), but you can expect me to have them at Ladies State, Mens State, and Terlingua. If we attend any Opens or Regional Cook Offs, we'll take them to those cook offs as well. I'm also happy to deliver orders to people at any cook off we are attending. Sometimes, people don't realize that our spices are kept fresh in a walk in cooler. I'm very hesitant to take them out, package them, put them in the trailer, carry them to a cook off, and then if they don't sell, put them back in the cooler prepackaged. That can potentially damage the quality of the spices and that's the last thing I want!

Question: Does Mild Bill's still travel to cook offs like before?
Answer: Yes! This has been a busy year for us and a huge adjustment. We have three kids (17, 12 and 8), two businesses and seven dogs! Sometimes it's hard to just pack up and head to a cook off like before. We love to cook chili and we love to travel to cook offs. Sometimes, it just doesn't work out for us to do so with our kids' different activities and business responsibilities. We missed attending Texas Open because of a health issue and we won't be able to attend SW Open because that is the same weekend as Polka Fest in Ennis. Our lack of attendance should never, ever be construed as a lack of support for CASI, a particular cook off or a particular area - sometimes life just gets in the way of the fun stuff!! We do our best to sponsor and support cook offs and Pods whether we can physically be at a cook off or not.

Question: Where can I find recipe and product ideas for your spices?
Answer: We have a recipe section on our website that is always being updated to incorporate our products into your favorite dishes.

Question: Do you sell prepackaged chili mix?
Answer: Yes! We have two - True to Texas and Gunpowder Chili Mix. True to Texas is a competition style chili mix that comes in three small packages and Gunpowder is a homestyle chili mix that is quick and easy to prepare.

Question: What is your favorite chili powder?
Answer: It would have to be Stockyards Special. I have been using since I started cooking chili and it is my absolute favorite. I love how it smells, how it tastes - it has a medium light color, light salt and will set your chili apart from the others.

Question: What is the best storage method for spices after I purchase them?
Answer: Spices do best in a cool, dark environment. If you have room in your fridge or freezer, they will keep longer in there. Consistency is key and you don't want them exposed to sunlight and/or temperature changes. You can keep the spices in the resealable poly bags they come in or put them in your own containers. Just make sure you get all of the air out before storing them.


I'd say I covered the most commonly asked questions. I can't tell you how much I love doing what I do. I was dying a slow death at T&B Demolition. I was convinced that I was going to either have a heart attack driving up there each day (hence the chest pains that started every morning at Singleton and Loop 12) or sitting at my desk dealing with the constant insanity. Mild Bill's has been a big change for me, but I love it and I love going to the store every day. God blessed me with a nose that knows and a palate that never does me wrong. I'm thankful that I get to do something now that uses both of those talents. While I know that I'm not changing the world selling spices, I've changed my life and probably my life expectancy. My nose and my palate don't always get put to use filling orders, but as I start blending more and more, it never fails to steer me in the right direction! Anyone can put spices in a bag, it's not rocket science. In fact, my stepson is helping me and he is fantastic! He's neat, clean, accurate and a quick learner and worker. If that sounded like a backhanded compliment, it wasn't meant to. I'm just saying that I'm thrilled to be able to put all of my spice knowledge to work doing what I'm doing. I feel like I have a real knack for what I'm doing and I love that it gets put to good use. What more can a girl ask for???

I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Today is my husband's 40th birthday. I've wished him a happy birthday and Paige is making a card for him at school. I can't wait to see it :) She's such a sweet baby. We were cleaning her room last night and I asked her to clean her bathroom. Her idea of cleaning her bathroom? Arranging seashells on the counter. Then she sprayed Oust Air Freshener in her room and I was afraid she had basically Napalm'd the Guineas. Fortunately, they survived. Do you ever get a song or saying stuck in your head that won't go away? For the past week, I've had the saying, "with friends like these, who needs enemies?" stuck in my head. Weird.

I'm off to my spicy world. Have a great day and enjoy this beautiful weather!!! I hope I get the chance to plant a garden this spring - I just need to find some extra time. If you have some lying around, will you send it my way???

Keepin it real, Ellis County style.....

Kelly