Consumer Critique - Gustus Vitae Spices

Gustus Vitae, is a family company creating innovative flavor launches in the gourmet spice world, is shaking up the seasoning aisle-again. Now they've launched Kid's Menu, a first-of-its-kind line of gourmet blends crafted specifically for kids, families, and picky eaters.

As someone whose kids were extremely picky when they were younger, but still wanted to introduce new flavors and not have bland meals, this is a definite need for some families!

Options include:

• Chicken Tendies & Fries: Everything but the crunch. Savory, golden, kid-craveable.
• Beef Burgers, Tacos & Meatballs: Big flavor for little appetites. A weeknight workhorse.
• Italian Pasta & Pizza: Classic herb-forward Italian blend. No spice, all yum.
• Instant Dip/Dressing: Dairy-free and endlessly versatile-stir into yogurt or mayo for instant fun.
• Butter & House Favorite Spices: Like melted comfort in a tin. Great on toast, popcorn, pasta-anything.
• Veggie All-Purpose Seasoning: Turns even the pickiest eaters into veggie fans.

The Kid's Menu is full of flavor, but not spicy. Gustus Vitae is also conscious of modern health trends - lower sodium, never irradiated, free from MSG, nuts, soy, wheat, and gluten. They're also small-batch and hand-packed in California with responsibly sourced ingredients.

I had a chance to try out the French Fry Seasoning Set, named one of Oprah's Favorite Things last year. The set includes six options:

• Everything But The French Fry Seasoning: Garlic, Onion, Sea Salt, Paprika, Cane Sugar, Black Pepper, Red Bell Pepper, Parsley, White Distilled Vinegar, Chives, Red Cayenne, Butter (Sweet Cream, Salt, Annato Color, Non Fat Milk Solids).
• English-Style Savory Salt & Vinegar Seasoning: Garlic, Sea Salt, Vinegar (White Distilled Vinegar, Maltodextrin), Rosemary, Parsley, Thyme, Chili Pepper, White Pepper.
• French Onion Seasoning: Sea Salt, Onion, Sugar, Dill Tips, Chives, Garlic, Basil, Chervil, Tarragon, White Pepper, Parsley.
• Rosemary Sea Salt: California Sea Salt, Rosemary.
• Green Jalapeño Sea Salt: Sea Salt, Green Jalapeño, Garlic, Onion, Cilantro Powder.
• Garlic Basil Sea Salt: Sea Salt, Garlic, Basil.

While they're designed for seasoning fries, they really work on a lot of different things. We tried them on other roasted vegetables and meats, and had a fun little taste-test. As a family our favorites were French onion and garlic basil, and all of us were surprised that we even liked the jalapeño version.

One fun touch - the tins are magnetic, so they stick to each other, making it easier to stack in the pantry.

Right now you can purchase on the website and Amazon, with future plans to launch into grocery stores.