Trent Blodgett
Chef | Founder | CEO
Growing up under the weight of chronic depression, Trent Blodgett’s vision of his future was bleak. Then at age 18, he landed a job as a busboy, which led to a host position at an upscale Spanish-style eatery in San Francisco.
The chef noticed Trent hanging around the kitchen all the time and offered him a job as a prep cook. He accepted without hesitation.
Awestruck by the aromas and flavors that surrounded him, Trent became fascinated with every aspect of cooking—the history of each dish, how taste and smell can trigger memories, and the way different cultures influence each other’s cuisine.
He began traveling as much as he could, visiting far-flung cities and cramming his suitcase full of the spices he discovered there. Back at home he experimented, creating spice blends that reminded him of the sights, smells, and tastes he sampled on streets all over the world.
Food became his medicine, and cooking his meditation. It wasn’t a hobby so much as a way of life that helped him heal. Cooking mindfully—being fully in the moment as he prepared his meals—became a practice that literally saved his life.
The difference in his outlook—and his way of eating—was profoundly transformative for Trent. As he practiced mindful cooking, he felt more connected both to his own identity and to the ingredients he used—especially the spices he had brought home from his travels.
The spices, he felt, didn’t get the recognition they deserved. No one paid attention to where they were grown or when they were harvested, and yet spices are the very foundation of flavor itself.
He began building menus around his spice blends, sharing his stories and seasonings with family and friends, and then friends-of-friends, and then perfect strangers.
Spice Tribe was born not only from Trent’s passion for flavor, but his fundamental belief that changing the way you think about cooking changes your life.
