We recently connected with Cris Miller and have shared our conversation below.
Cris, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
Our name, Burnt and Salty, came to be quite organically. On social media, Bob was sharing pictures of things he would cook: charred ribeye, roasted vegetables, blackened tuna, etc. and tagging them #burntandsalty. When we decided to start the business, one of the first questions I asked him was “What do we call it?” When he suggested B&S, there were very few names like that: X & X. Now, they are a dime a dozen! So it just made sense; the words burnt and salty connote big flavor, bold tastes, and strong ambushes on the palate. It seemed to fit our brand. A few years into the business, my dad called me to ask about the origin of the name. He suggested that Bob = Burnt (kitchen chef who has the scars on his limbs to prove it) and I = Salty (sailor; 26 year veteran of the Navy). Dad asked if this is what the name meant and I didn’t skip a beat. Yep! That’s it; perfect!
Since then, Burnt and Salty has come to mean many things: devoted fans, a continuous strive for innovation/unique flavor combinations, and a business we love to hate, sometimes. I even started a new business, Burnt and Sandy, a private boat charter with me as the Captain. Little did I know it would result in many guests referring to me as Captain Sandy. Sometimes even with the best intentions, it’s tough to get it right.
Cris, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
As a well known chef in Charleston, Bob developed a bit of a cult-like following for his unique flavors and combinations. I was gone for a year deployment (Navy Reserve) and when I got home Bob asked if I wanted to start a company. I said sure! Then the real work began: scaling recipes, learning the FDA process, developing labels, etc. One struggle was understanding the legal process in order to make shelf-stable food. Science was one thing; I could follow that. But the combing through the federal regulations was a real challenge. I’m a believer that the answer is always in the pubs, so I spent a lot of time trying to decipher the jargon. We had to learn basically every aspect of a new business from scratch. The only thing we knew is that we had a great product and we’d never seen anything else like it on the market. Fast forward to today– we have the manufacturing process down, but there are still so many aspects (marketing, distribution, accounting, supply chain) of running a small business that we have to master. We sold our first bottle of Korean Mustard on Thanksgiving 2015. Since then, a lot has happened! Currently, our line of gourmet condiments includes 5 sauces that we still make ourselves right here in the Lowcountry.
Our flagship: Korean Mustard. Between sesame oil, soy sauce, fermented pepper paste, Korean pepper powder and fish sauce, Korean Mustard blends the familiar with unfamiliar, balancing sweet, salty, spicy and savory. The mustard is delicious when used as a regular mustard- sandwiches, cheese plates, a dip for crackers and pretzels; but we also drizzle it on our eggs in the morning, over pizza, onto fried chicken, etc. People like it in Bloody Marys as well as poured over a block of cream cheese (as you would pepper jelly!)
Our second product, Coconut Suka, is a spicy coconut vinegar. We use fermented coconut water and enhance that with Thai chilis, ginger, and garlic. What results is a delicious, all-natural, gluten-free, seasoned vinegar. We use it on BBQ meats, sauteed greens, fish and chips, added to soups, ceviche, fish tacos, sprinkled on potato chips, or (our favorite) doused on pizza. Also to note: coconut vinegar is fermented coconut water and has a distinct flavor, but does not taste like coconut.
Next comes Chili Glaze, Thai-style, spicy. Think Thai chilis, garlic, cilantro and chives in a sweet, thicker glaze. More spicy than sweet, chili glaze is best used as a dip for all things fried, chicken wings, glazing salmon, finishing stir-frys or on grilled pineapple. Chili Glaze is all natural, gluten-free and vegan.
We also offer a SPICY version of Korean Mustard, per consumer demand.
For our most recent condiment, Zesty Cocktail Sauce, we worked closely with the folks at Tarvin Seafood, Shem Creek, SC. As locals and visitors alike visit Tarvin to buy fresh-off-the-boat shrimp, Tarvin also offers locally made condiments. They asked (pleaded?) with us to make a Cocktail Sauce. Cocktail sauce isn’t the most unique/diverse of condiments, but after much testing we came up with a winner. We use LOTS of horseradish, lemon, and black pepper; we also add our own Coconut Suka (spicy coconut vinegar) to give it that extra pizazz. We all want a store bought cocktail sauce that you don’t have to doctor up. Our Zesty Cocktail Sauce is the answer!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
We are a Veteran Owned Small Business. Cris is the veteran. Cris: Throughout my 26 year career, I’ve been tested many times, as most vets are. When I went to Navy Dive School, I was 28 (the oldest), a female (the only one in my class), and a reservist (1 of 2.) Pool Week (a difficult week when many students drop out) was quite a challenge but my (some) class and I got through it, celebrated over the weekend and made it to class on Monday. We were diving the BBAT tower: the buddy breathing accent tower and although we passed a major milestone, we were still dive candidates and treated as such by the cadre. I splashed into the water, did a quick check of myself and gear, and came to the surface with a closed fist. That means there is a problem: usually you’d surface with an OK sign. The cadre was irritated; come on, Miller, get your sh%t together. An instructor in the water said “Get her out.” I was hauled out of the water, twin tanks and all. I kept assuring everyone it was fine but there was something wrong with my leg. I walked to demonstrate my capability. My lead instructor looked at me, said “Don’t look at it” and pressed the red emergency button. The whole base went into effect. All drills/instruction ceased and students and instructors mustered in their areas. I was still confused; I was able to walk the 72 stairs down the tower fine; what was all the hubbub? Turns out, there was a jagged piece of metal protruding from the tower and on my roll in, it caught my thigh and slashed a 5″ gap. I was hustled into medical, numbed down and stitched up. Several layers of stitches closed the back of my leg and I was unable to dive. This resulted in a medical hold. Being a reservist, that meant I needed to modify my orders but it also meant rolling back into another class. I had already proven myself to my current classmates but now I had to stay longer and do it all over again to another class of young, fit men. I could have quit then; no DOR but a medical issue. Instead I persevered, healed, and met up with my new class. Fast forward to graduation day: I was awarded the class Honor Man: a title earned by achieving the highest scores on academic and physical tests. My instructor presented me with the plaque, apologizing that is said “man.” There had never been a female awarded that honor.
It just goes to show that if you keep striving, doing you absolute best, and ensure you are prepared for the journey that the sky (or ocean) is your limit.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
When Bob and I started Burnt and Salty, we had long conversations about how we would grow the business. Guerrilla marketing, trade shows around the country, expensive PR firms. The one thing Bob said is he wanted to “Be Cool.” When I asked him to elaborate, he mentioned a few of his mentors and said they were always ‘cool’ even if it was not the most advantageous thing to do. Now, we try to make cool decisions: who to partner with, who to work with, who to trust to sell our product. I believe it has slowed our growth, but in a good way. Now, we are certain the folks on our team are on our team for good. Our dedicated customers and fan base are solid, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.burntandsalty.com
- Instagram: @burntandsalty
- Facebook: burntandsalty
Image Credits
Robert Donovan