In Indonesia, where my wife Maggie is from, there’s a drink called kopi jahe. Ginger coffee.
I saw it on menus for a couple of years before I finally tried it. One night at a café with Maggie and some friends, curiosity won.
I loved it.
That combination stayed with me after we returned to Alabama.
Years later, while I was developing the ENAK lineup, my brother posted a picture of a beef filet he’d cooked with a chili coffee rub. My mind went straight back to kopi jahe.
What would happen if I took that ginger-and-coffee combination and built a seasoning around it?
I started working on a blend with ginger as the anchor.
The night I first made it, I cooked burgers. I didn’t tell Maggie I’d changed anything. I sat and waited for her first bite.
Her face lit up.
A week or two later, I cooked a steak at work and shared some with my boss. Same reaction.
That was enough for me.
— Philip, Founder of ENAK Seasonings