Dr. Mike Hernandez — The Chemistry Behind Casa M Spice Co®

Dr. Mike Hernandez — co-founder and Chief Spice Officer of Casa M Spice Co® — holds a PhD in Chemical Physics from Tulane University. He applies a scientist's rigor to flavor: engineering low-sodium spice blends where chemistry, not salt, does the heavy lifting.

That's not a tagline; it's the method. Every Casa M blend starts from the question a chemical physicist would ask: which compounds actually carry the flavor, and how do you balance them so heat, earth, smoke, and sweetness arrive in the right order? The result is a lineup that has earned more than 80 national awards while carrying up to 85% less sodium than conventional seasonings.

Dr. Mike develops and tests every recipe in Chemistry in the Kitchen®, Casa M's recipe hub — from smoked Texas brisket to weeknight vegetables — and writes them the way he ran his lab: precise quantities, repeatable steps, no hand-waving. Before spice, he co-founded and ran a healthcare cyber-security company; along the way he's been an FAA-licensed master parachute rigger, a skydiving instructor, a NAUI SCUBA instructor, and an avid underwater photographer.

Casa M Spice Co® is family-owned and made in Texas. Meet the whole team →