History of Spud Spikes and Gourmet Seasonings
My wife Kimberly and I were first introduced to the concept of the baking nail back in January 2003 while visiting a fastener manufacturer’s booth at the Builder’s Show in Las Vegas. I had been dealing with the manufacturer before this visit regarding their stainless steel nails and screws for an alternative book I was working on, as well as an alternative building I was constructing.
The sales rep was showing my wife these stainless steel nails and explaining how they would make great baking nails when out of left field my wife said to me, “Spud Spikes would be a great trade name for marketing this product.”
So there you have it—Spud Spikes was born and put into production under our specifications, manufactured in the United States, and made available for purchase on our website at asktooltalk.com by the middle of 2003.
In 2007 SpudSpikes.com was launched to better market the product, and in 2008 we received our registered trademark for Spud Spikes. There are all kinds of imitation baking nail products out there, but we have lots of satisfied customers who enjoy using the original stainless steel baking nail.
On April 15, 2008, Spud Spikes received a Trademark on the Supplemental Register. Finally, on July 25, 2023, Spud Spikes Trademark was placed on the Principal Register with the help of Rhett V. Barney Attorney of Record.
Gourmet Seasonings
In 2011 we launched our Gourmet Potato Skin Rubs and Everyday Seasonings (Original Blend, Garlic, and Pepper). The required amount of sea salt enhances the meat of the potato and also helps to create a delicious crispy potato skin. Our customers have found that the same seasonings improve the taste of many other types of foods and have shared their comments with us. Use them to liven up soups and salads; hardboiled, over easy, and scrambled eggs; steamed vegetables; and steaks, chicken, fish, burgers, ham, and pizza.
In October of 2014, we enhanced Spud Spikes Gourmet Original Blend, Garlic, and Pepper Seasonings. The products are still iodine- and fat-free with no artificial flavors, colors, or MSG, and only natural sea salt.
Gourmet Original Blend Seasoning enhances the flavor of baked potatoes and potato wedges; soups and salads; over easy and scrambled eggs; corn on the cob; steamed vegetables; pizza; and steaks, chicken, fish, burgers, and ham.
Gourmet Garlic Seasoning enhances the flavor of garlic bread, pasta dishes, and scrambled eggs; barbecued, grilled, and steamed vegetables; and brats, chicken, fish, and burgers, but it is great on popcorn too!
Our Spud Spikes Gourmet Garlic Seasoning delivers a zesty flavor to popcorn, whether it is off the stove, air- or fire-popped, or out of the microwave. Sprinkle on microwave popcorn right in the bag (and shake the bag) or sprinkle directly on popcorn in a bowl. Air-, fire-, and stove-popped popcorn are dryer popcorns, so dazzle the popcorn with a little butter to help more of the seasoning stick. Adding just one or two sprinkles will enrich the flavors. Additional sprinkles will bring out a mildly hot/garlic flavor.
Gourmet Pepper Seasoning enhances the flavor of stews, soups, eggs, and Mexican-style foods; barbecued, grilled, and steamed vegetables; and beef, chicken, fish, ham, pot roast, and pizza.
All of our Gourmet Seasonings are created to deliver a zesty range of flavors on cold or hot foods.
Summing It Up
That’s our story of a usual journey from construction, to cooking, to making a cooking utensil, to our gourmet seasonings. Yep, it’s been quite the journey … and one worth taking!
Corporate Structure
Commerce Retail Sales, Inc. (C.R.S., Inc.), is a Washington state corporation that owns SpudSpikes.com. The guiding force behind C.R.S., Inc., is Leon A. Frechette, president, who’s been in the forefront since 1976. Leon and Kimberly personally have been associated with the Spud Spike brand and products since 2003.
As an author of seven books about remodeling and construction, Leon has spent over 30 years in this industry and has written over 100 articles for more than a dozen magazines. He has toured home and garden shows in the United States and Canada with his popular “ToolTALK” and “ToolTALK for Women” presentations and has fielded questions for a weekly newspaper column for over two years. As the Tool Pro, Leon provides the expertise and experience behind all of the products that are selected and offered on his websites under the C.R.S., Inc. umbrella.
In September 1998, Leon took C.R.S., Inc., into the world of cyberspace; now it encompasses spudspikes.com, asktooltalk.com, bondhustools.com, and nuttybavariannw.com.
At C.R.S., Inc., and SpudSpikes.com, our mission is to provide the very best in products that can help our customers in their daily activities and baking projects.