Who We Are!
I began my spurtles journey when my sons arrived and I had to nourish them fast and easy with lots of love, several times a day to feed their high energy. They both arrived at about the age of two, when toddlers need huge love and nourishment.
My youngest arrived malnourished and I fed what I knew to be nourishing and soothing, that was porridge oats also known as oatmeal. He would say “Mama, wan powwij, wan powwij” and this was after he learned to speak. He had arrived without uttering a word and I was directed towards speech therapy for him. I, of course, suggested to the experts that I needed time with him and that we needed time with each other. I needed to create a bond with my little one first and not throw him with strangers to tamper with his speech development. After two weeks, he was happy to chatter away! Cool Kid!
I fed him porridge five times a day with milk, banana and yogurt that he gobbled up and couldn’t get enough of, day after day. It worked for him as he, in the early years, couldn’t recognize the signal of hunger. I had to continually remind him to eat and not to await drastic hunger pains. Today, it remains his go-to meal and snack! Oats really are a complete meal once you add a food containing vitamin C.
After experiencing first hand what a bowl of porridge can do for life and happiness, I happened upon an ad in a magazine that mentioned The Golden Spurtle contest. This prompted me to enter The World Making Porridge Championship in the highlands of Scotland. What a wonderful experience that was! The organizers were enthralled to meet my family and also to hear my reason for being there and I think it touched many hearts. I was the first Canadian to be accepted into this contest and was even interviewed for the CBC podcast.
To enter I ordered a spurtle online. Much to my disappointment, it was made of toxic wood. Then, the spurtle I received in Scotland, split after a few uses at home. These mishaps led me to designing my own. With the help of carpenters and woodworkers. I went from my local carpenter to Terry Moore of blackbearwoodworking.com to Peter Coolican of coolicanandcompany.com. Along the way we came up with an ergonomic design that is the backbone of my company today. At that time I ordered hundreds of spurtles that Nathan Clarke of torontowoodturning.com turned on his lathe and with his patience, added the Porridge Mom logo using a brand that was tooled out of solid brass.
When it comes to the chosen wood, hardwood maple was the natural choice. Not only is it one of the hardest woods available, which means it won’t disintegrate or split in hot food, is naturally anti-bacterial, is non-toxic in hot food and it won’t split or crack after many uses.
When it came to my logo and Care of Use tags, I went to my neighbour of many years, Michelle Diano, a talented Graphic Designer who helped me decide on my logo for The Porridge Mom Inc. and choose the right layouts and printing and translations my company required. The Porridge Mom Inc. was born.
Today, with numerous stores east and west of Toronto carrying these unique spurtles, my goal is to have every cook use a spurtle just like you would use a wooden spoon. Spurtles are the best, no, the ultimate stirring utensil. Every kitchen deserves a spurtle and every cook loves using them.
I have websites that have morphed over the years. From www.theporridgemom.com to spurtles.ca, I thank Sophie Itenson of Quill Designs and my eldest son, Zachary Ryback for tremendous and beautiful web design ideas.
By Denise Wright Ryback.