Entrepreneur Uses Gift To Create Spice Blends

Tarsha Epps, owner of It’s A Recipe in A Bottle, used her gift of cooking to create 25 spice blends, and says there is something for everyone. PHOTO PROVIDED BY TARSHA EPPS.
Tarsha Epps, owner of It’s A Recipe in A Bottle, used her gift of cooking to create 25 spice blends, and says there is something for everyone. PHOTO PROVIDED BY TARSHA EPPS.

Entrepreneur Uses Gift To Create Spice Blends

By Tia Carol Jones

Tarsha Epps came up with the idea for It’s A Recipe in a Bottle Spice Blend after a few disappointments that led her to figure out what she was going to do. She started to listen to motivational speakers on YouTube. It was words from Steve Harvey that resonated with her the most. He said, people go to school to pay for a gift, but your gift is what you do well naturally.”

Epps always has been gifted in cooking and always loved doing it. She considered writing a cookbook, but it didn’t feel right. One day, after asking God what she should do, she received a word that she should, “put the recipe in a bottle.”

It’s A Recipe in a Bottle is formulated so that people can use the spice blend and can add it to whatever dish they’re making. They can add other spices if they want, but they are made to be everything someone needs to make a dish. There are 25 spice blends and Epps made them based on what she uses in her dishes. They include blends for salmon, vegetables and lamb. Some of the names for the spice blends came from her husband.

One name in particular came to her in a dream. In the dream, Epps’ friend was trying to get her son to eat vegetables. Epps gave the friend the spice blend, the son loved it so much he said, “more, please.” So, she named the spice blend More Please. In real life, Epps’ friend did let her son taste the spice blend in a vegetable soup and he told her that he wanted more. Out of the 25 varieties, it is also the bestselling spice blend offered. It started out as a vegetable spice, but people have told her they use it for everything.

Another one of the spice blends is named after her daughter, Darie who is a chef in Las Vegas. The Chef Darie is an all purpose spice blend that Darie came up with while she was in culinary school. The soul food blend, Them Maylee Greens, is named after one of Epps’ friend’s mother. Epps does have plans to add more spice blends to the 25 varieties that she already has. Epps has received positive feedback from people who have purchased her spice blends.

“Everybody loves them, I’m getting repeat customers. I’ve been getting so much love,” she said.

Epps receives messages from people about her spices all the time. Someone recently told her that they live by her spice blends. She has been doing Farmers Markets and those people have been coming back to tell her how they use them and love them.  She really loves the More Please and the Vito and Frankie spices, but she doesn’t have a favorite. She said what people like depends on their palate.

Epps said entrepreneurs who have an idea but aren’t sure how to move forward shouldn’t allow fear to be their friend. She said it took her a while to get started because she let fear become her friend. She learned that setbacks are just a part of the journey. She encourages people to keep going.

“When God gives you a vision, that’s just for you. You have to put in the work,” she said.

To purchase It’s A Recipe in a Bottle, visit www.itsrabspices.com.

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