A Bay of Plenty foodie who started out selling spice pastes and salts at markets and grew a 100,000-strong online following has her sights set on making her brand a household name.

A chef by trade and a mum-of-two, Cherie Metcalfe built Pepper & Me with the aim of “making really good food, really easy”.

The Pāpāmoa-based brand, which turns 10 next year, now boasts more than 80 spice blends, pastes, sauces and more, and is stocked in more than 300 outlets nationwide.

“I think we are on our way to being a staple in Kiwis’ pantries everywhere, which is really cool,” Metcalfe said.

She started Pepper & Me after she became pregnant with her daughter, Pepper, and could not go back to working nights as a chef.

“It was literally like a case of what can I do, and salt at the markets was it, but it was never supposed to be a big business.”

Pepper & Me has grown to the point where, on a random Tuesday, Metcalfe said they did 1800 orders in four hours.

“Our customer base is so there and so dedicated. I love watching it. I love seeing it.”

The business has sold more than three tonnes of its “addictive” Sanders Seasoning.

“I use that a lot when anything just needs a bit of oomph, like just a bit of depth of flavour.”

She has just created her third cookbook, Seasoned, which she described as Pepper & Me’s “greatest hits”.

The book is filled with more than 90 of Cherie Metcalfe's "most-loved" recipes. Photo / Supplied

“This one is very special. Basically, the whole aim is making really good food, really easy for people.”

The book is filled with more than 90 “not complicated” recipes, from one-pot dinners and crowd-pleasing salads to sweet treats for dessert.

“This is everyday, this is the favourites and it’s the recipes that have been the most loved over the last nine years.”

Metcalfe said the recipes were “not fancy – it’s everyday food”.

They incorporated some of the brand’s best-sellers.

TikTok Trending Seasoning, Sweet Sesh Hot Honey, Man Grind, Out the Gate and, of course, Sander’s Seasoning, to name a few.

As a cookbook collector, Cherie Metcalfe hoped Seasoned would be a favourite for others. Photo / Supplied

Pepper & Me produced more than a tonne of its Sesh Oil, with Sichuan chilli, per month.

Metcalfe said she looks at product development like solving a problem.

“What could people add to their cooking to have something amazing at the end without having to add all these fancy ingredients or like 10 complicated steps?”

Seasoned follows her first cookbook, Keepers, in 2020, and second, Together, released in 2022.

As a cookbook collector, she hoped her third cookbook, Seasoned would be a favourite and become some people’s most-used cookbook.

Seasoned was self-published, and the Pepper and Me team came together for recipe creation and compilation, design, proofing and subediting.

“I think everyone’s sick of looking at recipes online and having to go through 150 minutes of ads every time they pull up a recipe.”

She said Seasoned was a mix of heart-warming, old-school and classic recipes.

Seasoned is available for pre-order and is on sale September 12 from selected bookstores and the Pepper and Me website.

Slow-cooker Chicken Chilli from Cherie Metcalfe's third cookbook, Seasoned. Photo / Supplied.

From Seasoned: Slow-cooker Chicken Chilli

Serves 8, GF

A five-minute meal to prep and chuck into the slow cooker that makes enough for dinner for three nights! Perfect for chicken nachos, enchiladas, on rice or with salad, or served topped with grated cheese, a dollop of guac and sour cream, and a handful of nacho chips. However you like it, it’s a family favourite for sure.

Ingredients

• 2 onions
• 3 x 400g cans beans of your choice (kidney, black, four bean mix)
• 400g can corn kernels
• 3 chicken breasts
• 400g can creamed corn
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 150g Pepper & Me Mexellent Paste
• 3 tbs Pepper & Me Ding Dong Sauce (optional)
• 1 tbs Pepper & Me Man Grind
• Flakes, to season

Method

1. Finely dice your onions, and add to the slow cooker.
2. Drain the cans of beans and corn kernels, and rinse (unless you’re using chilli beans in sauce, then pop the whole can in). Add them all to a slow cooker.
3. Dice the chicken breasts and add to the slow cooker along with all of the remaining ingredients.
4. Stir well, then slow-cook on high for 3–4 hours, or on low for 6 hours.