About Us
Casa M Spice Co® started the way most good things do around here: at the table. "Casa M" is exactly what it sounds like — the House of M — and from the beginning the idea has been simple: the welcome mat is always out, the food is always seasoned right, and strangers are just friends we haven’t cooked for yet.
Our founder spent his career choosing between two loves — chemistry in the laboratory and chemistry in the kitchen. The lab won the day job (a PhD in Chemical Physics from Tulane will do that), but the kitchen never let go. Casa M Spice Co® is what happened when the two finally joined forces: spice blends engineered with a scientist’s precision and a pitmaster’s soul, built so that anyone — from first-time griller to certified BBQ guru — can season like they know exactly what they’re doing.
Because that’s the whole point. Great flavor shouldn’t require guesswork. Every blend we make is crafted, tested, and tasted until it delivers — every shake, every time. From our Texas home to tables, backyards, and smokers across the country, we make one promise and stand behind it: Spice Confidently®.
THE TEAM
Just like the ingredients in a good spice blend, our team is a set of diverse personalities and talents that balance each other out and combine into something fantastic. We’re as enthusiastic about taking care of people as we are about food — we stand behind a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee, and we genuinely love hearing from you. Say hello anytime.
Mike Hernández, PhD
Chief Spice Officer
Mike is a devoted husband and a serial entrepreneur who has started and run businesses continually since he was a teenager. From the time he graduated high school, he knew he loved chemistry and physics — he just wasn’t sure whether he wanted to practice them in a laboratory or in a kitchen. Ultimately, blowing things up in a laser lab won out: he earned his PhD in Chemical Physics at Tulane University in New Orleans. But he never lost his passion for chemistry in the kitchen — which is exactly how Casa M Spice Co® came to be.
Along the way he’s become an FAA-licensed master parachute rigger, a skydiving instructor, a NAUI SCUBA instructor, and an avid photographer on land and under the sea. He’s a self-proclaimed amateur celebrity chef, a bona fide BBQ guru, a certifiable chile fiend, a nice (enough) guy, and a lollygagger extraordinaire.
Manny Hernández
Chief Operations Ninja
Manny was born and raised in southern Arizona but now calls Dallas–Fort Worth home. Though his professional pedigree shows 25 years in mortgage credit, he has always been a consummate foodie with a passion for experiencing every kind of cuisine. An avid world traveler, Manny has run with the bulls in Pamplona, gone SCUBA diving with hammerhead sharks at Cocos Island, explored Morocco’s cultures and cuisines, floated the Danube through central Europe, journeyed through India to the Taj Mahal, and wandered the Mayan wonders of Chichen Itza.
When he’s not hunting new flavors for the Casa M Spice® line, you’ll most likely find him blowing bubbles on a dive in front of the family place in Cozumel.
Dane Rodriguez
Spice Wrangler
Dane is young, hungry, and motivated, with a huge appetite for success. Originally from southern Arizona and in Dallas–Fort Worth since 2016, he’s here to stay. A former collegiate athlete with a degree in Business Operations & Project Management, Dane is the one making sure your order lands safely and on time. He takes tremendous pride in his work and believes there’s no detail too small when it comes to customer satisfaction.
When he’s not wrangling spice orders, you’ll find him at a game, at the gym, or traveling with friends to learn a new city.
Joaquín Peqúin
Chile Mascot
Joaquín made his world debut at the FC Dallas “Y’all Means All” match on June 18, 2022, to a major-league welcome, delighting crowds and posing for photos with the fans. These days you’ll find him at most of our events — FC Dallas matches, trade shows, and retail sampling days. He maintains his own social media accounts, so feel free to like and follow accordingly.
THE CHILE PACK
Every proper casa needs a pack, and ours comes fully seasoned. Five dogs, five chiles — three gentlemen, two ladies — because around here even the four-legged staff are named with intention.
Serrano
Herd Management
An Australian Cattle Dog — Blue Heeler through and through. True to the breed, he considers it his sworn duty to keep the entire household moving in an orderly fashion, preferably toward the kitchen. Serrano brings the heat, and he runs the tightest operation at Casa M.
Bell
Herd Management
Serrano’s partner on the herd desk and, like her namesake, the sweet one. Don’t let the ice-blue eyes fool you — nothing moves through this casa without Bell noticing, and she files a full report at dinner.
Tepín
Tiny, Red, and Spicy
A PomChi who looks so much like a red fox that we’ve stopped correcting people. He’s named for the chiltepin — the tiny wild “bird’s eye” chile that’s barely bigger than a peppercorn and still brings serious heat — though around the casa we shortened it to Tepín. Tiny, red, and spicy: the name fits him perfectly, and he knows it.
Reaper
Flavor Security
Catahoula, Great Pyrenees, and Cattle Dog — all in one, jet black and enormous. Reaper is named for the hottest pepper on Earth and is, naturally, the gentlest soul in the house. Don’t tell the delivery drivers.
Jalapeño
Flavor Security
The same triple mix as her brother — she of the brindle necklace and the white-speckled chest. Jalapeño handles the perimeter, and nothing gets to the smoker without her sign-off. Between the two of them, coverage is total.
From our table to yours,
SPICE CONFIDENTLY®
