Like a lot of people, I spent the early days of COVID stuck at home in Los Angeles, trying to make life feel a little more delicious. Everyone was baking sourdough bread, and I was right there with them — flour in my hair, proofing baskets on every surface.

But bread wasn’t enough for me. I wanted flavor that popped. Around that time, I fell head over heels for a dish at a local restaurant called Turkish eggs — poached eggs swimming in garlicky yogurt, topped with a pool of spicy, fragrant chili oil. It was the kind of dish you think about long after you’ve finished eating.

The next day, I went home determined to recreate it. I learned to make chili oil from scratch, tweaking and tasting until I had my own version — complex, layered, and so good it made my bread jealous. Friends started asking for jars. Then friends of friends.

Those first jars were as DIY as it gets — I didn’t have fancy labels yet, so I slapped on googly eyes because, honestly, they made me laugh. People loved them. It wasn’t just chili oil; it was chili oil with personality.

Pretty soon, I was spending more time making chili oil than taking photos (and I’m a photographer by trade). That’s when Spice Witch was born — a small-batch, flavor-obsessed brand dedicated to making every home-cooked meal just a little more magical. What started as a quarantine project turned into a business that now ships to kitchens all over the country.