EDITOR'S NOTE: This article originally appeared on June 11, 2024.
Being raised in a family that grew their own vegetables, raised their own livestock, and believed you should see where your food comes from influenced Marc Cardinali from a young age.
“I was always babysat by amazing cooks as a child in an Italian family,” Cardinali, owner and founder of Cluck & Squeal Seasoning & BBQ Rubs, says.
His first job at the age of 17 was making pizza with a wood-fired oven, and he has been cooking with fire ever since. In 2008, he bought some outdoor cooking equipment and was learning the American barbecue style called low and slow, which essentially means cooking at a low temperature for a long time. Around that time, he created the blend, which is now called All Purpose Seasoning & BBQ Rub.
He introduced this original seasoning at a large family party, adding it to the roasted pork being served. “Everyone flipped out with the uniqueness. It pleased everybody at the 50-person gathering,” says Cardinali.
What started as a hobby quickly became a word-of-mouth success. Cardinali was cooking with his seasoning at a local festival, where he met Nick Di Carlo, owner of Lakeshore Living Outdoor Elements in Stoney Creek. “After he sampled it, he and his family went crazy, and he wanted 500 jars. I’m like, I don’t make this as a product. I just make it for my family. He’s like, 'No, you have to make this a product.'”
After Cardinali found a local company with a high level of global certification that could make his recipes and deliver the 500 jars, people drove from as far as two hours away because their children were eating vegetables thanks to the flavourful seasonings.
Since its initial success, the original award-winning recipe has been used by chefs and pit masters across North America and has become a staple in kitchens for its complex flavour profile and versatility. The savoury herbal richness enhances all types of meat, from steak to seafood and fish, and is also great for soups, dips, pasta, potatoes, pizzas and more.
That’s true for all of the products in the Cluck & Squeal line-up, which incorporates six different core products, including three in the Himalayan Line made with the high-quality salt known for its high mineral content that offers numerous health benefits. Tasty Hot is a chili blend designed to add a kick of heat to any dish and Pigman One 4 All Seasoning & BBQ Rub was developed with hunters in mind but works for any dish.
Today, Cluck & Squeal products are carried by over 200 Canadian retailers and 50 American retailers and shipped worldwide, from Australia to Afghanistan. This international appeal to all palettes seems to be a key to the success of the products.
“I also hear that it triggers memories. At demos, I’ve almost had people in tears where it reminded them of someone, their aunt or their mom,” says Cardinali.
The Waterdown resident has been working on creating a natural convection air system for seven years that he says will probably be ready to launch this year, adding registered Canadian inventor to his list of achievements.
For more information, visit the Cluck & Squeal website or follow @cluckandsqueal on all social media platforms.
