With dreams of going pro in baseball no longer an option, a young Troy Gagliardo turned to the culinary industry as his other calling. After opening two of his own restaurants (and watching them close), Gagliardo’s “keep it simple” approach gained popularity with WCCB Charlotte viewers of Troy’s Everyday Eats for more than a decade. He brought his personal spin on Southern cuisine to several restaurants, including those under the Bottle Cap Group like Ink n Ivy and Rosemont, as the restaurants’ corporate executive chef. He became a pivotal player in Bottle Cap Group’s restaurant and menu development while simultaneously operating his own local custom bulk and blended spice/breader company, Motown Spice Provisions.

When Bottle Cap’s capacity decreased due to the pandemic, Gagliardo decided to focus even more energy into proprietorship. It hasn’t been easy.

“We went from a team of 7 to 2 overnight,” he says. “At first, it was just my wife and me. Now, we are back to 3 with Karter [Morse], a production ninja. We’ve discovered we are actually very efficient and able to run a lot leaner. We’re learning there is always a better way.”

In fact, this past June was Motown Spice’s best month yet. Whether the client is a home barbecue enthusiast or local restaurant group, Gagliardo can tailor any order for his clients.

“I remember when I was the sole operator of Motown and received an order for 500 pounds of Fried Chicken Breader from UNC Chapel Hill Hospital,” Gagliardo recalls. “I couldn’t grasp how I was going to keep up with that demand. Now, we do around 10 times that much breader weekly.”

Even before the pandemic, Gagliardo was no stranger to setbacks and finding new ways to thrive. He doesn’t keep newly discovered strategies to himself, either. Gagliardo often helps other chefs and restaurants work within their own strained resources. When he sees a chef over-ordering, he advises them to scale down. Customers can order any amount with a bulk option, in ounce or pound increments. Gallon and quart size containers are also available. This flexibility has helped him grow a long list of satisfied customers, and has helped his clients in turn.

“I’d rather see them with adequate portions and some reserves to keep the lights on versus a hefty invoice for myself,” he explains. “I don’t feel like their vendor. I feel like their partner.” There are no minimum order requirements for Gagliardo’s weekly deliveries, and he prides himself on quality spices and small batch seasoning blends — never letting product sit on the shelf by turning inventory every 2 to 3 weeks.

Gagliardo learned these principles from Richard Griffin, whom he originally bought spices from as a restaurant owner and chef himself. “When I bought the business from Richard back in 2002, I wanted to maintain the same vision and standards, but with a new name,” Gagliardo says. “He built the operation from scratch and only bought the best. He would never sell something he was unhappy with like a batch of oregano that seemed off.”

The way he sees it, a solid partnership must be built on trust. That is why clients like Jim Noble, Chris Coleman, Greg Collier, Joe Kindred, Jimmy Pearl’s, Cabo Fish Taco, Showmars, Red Rocks Cafe, Olde Meck Brewery, Brewers at Yancey, and Husk Greenville choose Gagliardo above others for their supply.

Along the way in this industry, Gagliardo made time for other ventures, too. In 2015, he was able to check off one of his bucket list items: paying homage to his food roots by writing the cookbook Pseudo Southern.

“When food brings you home, that’s magic,” he says.

That’s exactly how his other growing business venture, Uncle Hamp’s Carolina Bacon, emerged. While judging a cooking competition in Charlotte, Gagliardo struck up a conversation about a bacon recipe he’d been perfecting with Bill and Jim Goodnight, current operators of Goodnight Brothers (whose family has specialized in the art of dry curing hams since 1948). They asked to try a sample and were awed by how similar it tasted to their uncle’s old-fashioned bacon. Together, Gagliardo and the Goodnight Brothers now produce the hickory-smoked bacon, which is gaining popularity with food service distributors like Sysco.

Food will always be home for Gagliardo, no matter the realm. Of course, he’s not shutting the door to future work as a chef, television personality, or writer; however, for now, he’s happy. He’s doing good business and doing right by others in business with him.

The professional dynamic shift for Gagliardo is complex, but according to him, “The most enjoyable change has been working directly with chefs and owners again on their ideas. Creating new things with them is very exciting.” It is daunting to keep the supply chain where it needs to be day-to-day, which changes weekly — and to keep the same level of production with half the staff. As he’s proven in the past, though, Gagliardo is up to the challenge.

“In this line of work, you can’t give up because there’s always a way — usually it’s the everyday small changes too, and not the big overhauling,” he says. “We need to talk to and hear each other. After all, we’re in this together.”

Motown Spice will launch a new retail site this fall, but customers can connect with Gagliardo to place custom orders online at cheftroy.com.

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