Roger and Alice Cromwell. Photo by Matt Gentry l The Roanoke Times.

I met Roger and Alice Cromwell at a story assignment last weekend. The story is about a deer processing facility (you can read it on Sunday if you want) but I thought the Cromwell story was also worth sharing.

They make a spice in their Glenvar home called Roger’s Kickin’ Chicken, and I got a chance to taste it on a grilled wing. It was quite delicious. Roger said they started making the blend in 2009.

“I’ve always been a cook even when I was 16,” he said. He came up with the spice mix and his brother told him he should make it for retail sale. They’ve been making it ever since and have added a spicy blend and an extra spicy blend to the line. Roger, who works at Advance Auto, mixes and bottles the blends in a room in his home that has been inspected by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

You might have seen the product at events such as Olde Salem Days or the Vinton Dogwood Festival. Roger said they go through a couple of hundred pounds of chicken at those events, where they sell chicken dinners.

If you are interested in trying Roger’s Kickin’ Chicken, you can find it at the Glenvar Minute Mart, visit the website or call 540-556-5169.