My name is Andy, and I’m the owner and cook behind Umami Salt. 

Having spent the last decade working in kitchens and cooking for high-end private events, I am no stranger to the concept of umami in food. Just about every chef I had worked with had some go-to ingredient to boost that savory, huge depth-of-flavor, deliciousness quality up in their favorite recipes.

My first mentor added sundried tomato and anchovies to his pasta sauce. The other cooks in the back-of-the-house (including me) would love when he made staff meal because his sauce was so good. 

I had another co-worker chef who made some pretty amazing modern-tasting-menu-type meals. Her secret? She added high quality fish sauce to meat marinades and curries to kick the savory flavor up to new heights.

While these were great tricks, they had their limits. Sundried tomatoes couldn’t be added into just anything without changing the color and texture of the final product. Anchovies and fish sauce weren’t vegetarian friendly, and if you used just a little too much, your dish could become a funky, fishy mess quickly.

I wanted a quick umami hit so versatile that it could be used in literally any savory dish. Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, you name it.

I wanted something that was subtle. That instead of changing the final flavor of dish, it simply boosted the star ingredients to new heights. 

And finally, I wanted something that was simple. While I am personally okay with the use of MSG in food, I wanted something really subtle that synergizes well with the existing umami in food. I wanted as minimal of an ingredient list as possible while still being functional and (mostly importantly) tasting great.

The mix of mushroom powder and flaky sea salt that would later be called Umami Salt did all those things. It became my not-so-secret ingredient– I wanted to share it with fellow chefs, family, and friends. They loved it, so I thought you might too.

If you’re here reading this, chances are you love food and you’re already a good cook. But when your friends and family try your cooking with umami salt, sharing this stuff is optional. It can be your new secret ingredient.