'Chefs' Find Ways to Make Food Fun

It started with a potato and a stick, the Tatostix, and has slowly moved from there to a full line of seasonings and fun food products.

“Tony and I were out eating at a restaurant, and I got French fries and he got the baked potato with sour cream and onion,” said Sam Saleh, who owns with Tony Elk, a resident of East Brunswick for more than 10 years. “I was kind of jealous. I said, ‘why can’t I have sour cream and onion with my fries.’ ”

The answer was simple: there was absolutely no reason he couldn’t, and the pair went to work on a line of seasonings for potatoes, French fries and their Tatostix that includes sour cream and onion, ketchup, flame grilled BBQ, wild Buffalo, garlic parmesan, salt and garlic pepper, salt and vinegar and cheesy cheddar, making it easy for you to have almost any flavor on almost any food.

Chef’s Fun Foods, located on Harts Lane, made it’s jump into the food industry with Tatostix, a spiral cut potato on a skewer, then moved on to waffle sticks before developing it’s line of seasonings. In fact, all of their products are available online, at restaurants and bars such as Dave and Buster’s, and the “amusement” industry. 

“We started using the potato on a skewer, and then developed the seasonings, so we had our food in the door,” said Elk. “We expanded from not just amusement, but to bars. Anyone who fries things can do the skewer, then they can incorporate the seasoning into the fries.”

While they’ve done a good job at selling their product so far, Saleh and Elk have their sights set on getting their products into retail outlets, an entirely different challenge, they say, and encourage people to use the seasoning for everything from popcorn and fries to steak and fish.

“It’s good for fries, popcorn, vegetables, fish, it’s a unique blend of flavors that you don’t find everyday,” said Saleh.

While getting their poducts for sale in area and chain stores may be a challenge, the duo appear to be up for the job. While only Saleh has experience as a cook, both are experienced businessmen, with backgrounds in accounting and re estate.

"We were both entrepreneurs and both have unique skills. That's important in any partnership," said Elk.

For more information on Chef's Fun Foods and to place an order, visit  www.chefsfunfoods.com. If you like what you see, then feel free to post a recipe there as well. Visit them on facebook at www.facebook.com/chefsfunfoods.

Accompanying this article is a YouTube link to EBTV3's Business Spotlight on Chef's Fun Foods.