Good Housekeeping's
quick
&simple
Altoonan and her friend
spice things up for cooks
By Jennifer Babulsky
Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
Christine Binduga of Altoona grills chicken
made with one of the blends from her
company, Signature Spices.
dinner, she first had to become a culinary detective, searching for the right ethnic and
regional spices for her recipes. Often, the search forced Winings to order spices through
the mail or buy basic spices and blend them herself. “It was very expensive to do that,” she
said. At the same time she was searching for the proper spices, Winings and her friend of
more than 20 years, Christine Binduga of Altoona, had been talking about starting a
business together. Put together a desire for affordable, blended spices and a new
business and voila, Signature Spices, was born.
In November 2004, the friends created Signature Spices, which now offers customers a
wide assortment of spice blends as well as sauces, vinaigrettes, gift baskets, fine loose
teas, fruit preserves, scone and bread mixes, kitchen accessories and cookbooks, with dip
and cheese ball mixes on the horizon for the next quarter. The business also allows
organizations to sell its products as part of fundraisers. Products are ordered by
telephone, fax, mail or online.
So what’s so special about Signature Spices? For Winings, she no longer has to search
for the proper blend of spices. “It makes it very convenient, very easy and the ratios for
spices are already set,” she said. “For people with restricted diets, this is a healthy way to
cook because a lot of the spices can add flavor without harmful things.”
Binduga has no trouble admitting she was no genius in the kitchen. She rarely used spice
blends in everyday cooking, but now she finds cooking for her husband, Bryan, and three
children is easier. “I’ve found it’s given me a lot more options in meal planning and my
family more of a variety,” she said. “Most of our blends can be used as a dry rub on meat,
as a seasoning for vegetables or potatoes or used as wet marinades by adding them to a
liquid.”
Numerous manufacturers from across the country produce the products Signature Spices
sells and ship them already packaged to Winings, who fills customers’ orders. Binduga
said she deals with billing, taxes and sales.
While Signature Spices’ customer base is still growing, Binduga and Winings take pride in
the fact that they know they are giving their customers high-quality goods. “We did a lot of
research to find manufacturers that use the best spice growers and have the highest-
quality product,” Binduga said. “We do a lot of festivals and home tasting parties and we’re
starting to have a lot of repeat customers.”
Jenifer Hoffman of Spruce Creek is one of those customers. She’s been buying from
Signature Spices since the business first opened. “The biggest benefit for me is I’m a
terrible cook, but with their spices, you get something delicious. But it doesn’t take a lot to
do it,” she said. More than once, Hoffman has used Signature Spices Dutch Apple Pie
Spice and found she didn’t like to share. “I made a couple pies and I got greedy because I
didn’t want to give any away,” she said, laughing. As opposed to dealing with a
corporation or what seems like an endless line of customer service representatives,
Hoffman said she prefers having to deal with just Winings or Binduga. “It’s not like going to
a store,” she said. “You know what you’re getting and you get that personal touch.”
Learn more Visit www.SignatureSpices.com for cooking tips, recipes, additional information
on Signature Spices. Spice blends cost $6.50 for 5-ounce jars and $7.99 for 4-ounce tins,
sauces range from $6.99 to $7.99 and teas cost $7.99 for 4 ounces. To order items, visit
the Web site, call 1-866-214-3821 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, fax to 1-724-858-1302
or mail to Signature Spices Inc., 1912 Bellemeade Drive, Altoona, PA 16602.
Recipes
Signature Salsa
2 cups tomatoes, fresh or canned, diced
2 tablespoons Signature Spices Cantina Salsa Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Signature Spices Chipotle Blast (optional for heat)
Combine the above ingredients into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for several hours (better
if overnight) to let the flavors marry. Serve with your favorite Mexican dish or nacho chips.
Dutch Apple Crisp
Filling:
6 McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon Signature Spices Dutch Apple Pie Spice
1 tablespoon butter
Topping:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon Signature Spices Dutch Apple Pie Spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 9-by-9-inch pan. In a large bowl,
combine the filling ingredients and place in the pan. Prepare the topping by combining the
topping ingredients until crumbly and place on top of the apples. Bake for 45 minutes.
Loosely cover with foil if topping browns too much.
Source: Signature Spices
