Most Marines hit the pubs on leave overseas. Not Jim Sinden. During his 21 years and three times around the world in the Corps, Jim made it a point to fraternize with the natives and learn their local culture. From the French Riviera to Somalia, Jim tasted exotic, indescribable, yet memorable, foods. Today, his palate and passion bring us the best sauces available in Fredericksburg. Jim’s BattleField Gourmet produces premier Habanero, Cayenne, Jalapeno Pepper sauces, Salad dressings, Marinades and BBQ sauces. His small batch operation emphasizes the quality control, consistency and personal attention that earned him the "Virginia's Finest” trademark label.
“I have always been a cook,” says the former latchkey kid out of Poplar Bluff, MO, whose family life created culinary adventures. His mom was a model in Hawaii, his stepfather a native Hawaiian, his stepbrother a professional skateboard rider.
“We started skateboarding on the same day. He became a pro, I became afraid.” Less modest about his culinary talents, Jim stayed in the kitchen under the influence of Polynesian and Hawaiian tastes.
His food quest on hold, Jim joined the United States Marines, retiring in 2002 as a Project Officer at Quantico. In Crystal City, he was an executive with Cherokee Information Services, a government contractor. Looking for change, Jim took a sales position with Mercedes-Benz and Volvo of Fredericksburg. One day, he sold a car to a writer and threw in a bottle of his Battlefield Gourmet BBQ Sauce, the Brown Sugar & Maple blend. The writer fell in love with the car and found column space for the fabulous sauce.
“Genetics,” says Jim on how he arrived at cooking. And experience: “I base my life on eating at $200 a plate restaurants, going home and replicating the flavors I tasted.” The “take-home chef” will grab items from the grocery shelves, go home and decide what to create. He refers to his imaginary but future restaurant for his litmus test on every recipe: “Is it on the menu?”
Jim’s lifelong journey stirred his culinary passion. It is so apparent when he speaks. He is so believable in his confidence to succeed. In 2003, Jim began making sauces for himself, testing them on friends and family. He grew peppers with a buddy and experimented with original sauce concoctions. His ex brother-in-law test-marketed a sauce where he worked and returned home to announce that Jim had a winner. Over 15,000 tasters have tried his products in Ohio, Florida, Chicago, California, Missouri, Alaska and Texas. Many are now converts, including wholesalers.
Jim’s first two recipes received an offer of 80,000 dollars from a Texas franchise with national chains and “That,” says Jim, “is what started the whole fiasco!”
He now has 25 products going, including a beef jerky, and Habanero and Jalapeno pre-marinated hamburgers, with sights set on pre-seasoned and marinated ribs, chicken, and beef steaks. His goal is to produce five Battlefield brand sauces then sell that brand and launch his “McCoy’s” brand -- similar but in a smokehouse setting. His Polynesian “Kimo” brand will pay tribute to his Hawaiian experience and to his stepbrother, Pat Ngoho. “Kimo” [meaning “Jim”] will carry a label depicting Pat with a surfboard.
“It may be a non-profit” [like Neuman’s Own], a small departure from Battlefield, whose labels call for support for national battlefield preservation.
Currently, Battlefield produces sauces by the gallons for restaurants and by the bottles for retail. Locally, the Made in Virginia Store on Caroline, Twin Bow Market on 208 in Spotsy, and the Virginia Gourmet & Gifts on 610 in Stafford carry some. Major retailers – Bass Pro Shops, Martin’s Markets, and Total Wine & More – may take it to the next level.
“The biggest challenge is convincing them I can handle and deliver large quantities of products.”
His secret is Bobbee’s Bottling, Inc. near Raleigh-Durham, NC. Bobbee’s chef works with Jim present to make 80-gallon quantities of Jim’s gallon recipe. Jim loves Bobbee’s but would like to find a local distributor, a Mom & Pop type, “To keep the money in the city and state… I’ll be in Virginia the rest of my life.” That says a lot coming from this well-traveled cook.
“What’s for dinner?” the writer asks the cook. Using his “shop-fast, take-home and create” method of preparation, Jim decides on bacon-wrapped seared scallops, and sauce from scratch. “Probably a light cream sauce.” Probably very good!
The writer eats more than he cooks but respects the craft. He’ll reach BattleField Gourmet at Jim@battlefield-gourmet.com A Personal Note from Chef Jim Sinden: I would like to add information that was not included in this article to identify true, key guidance to my success and what has positively influenced me in this sometimes crazy venture. My father "Mack Sinden", a retired Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force and Florida state food inspector has been instrumental by constantly providing guidance and direction of "how to do it legally" with references to federal and state requirements. At times, his information was discouraging due to the complexities and market entry challenges in the food industry. Despite realities of the difficulties, he is, was, and remains a valuble sounding board ready to assist in my pursuit. Without him, BattleField Gourmet would not be where it is today. Thank you! My mother Barbara Ngoho, kept me in line and "made" me assist in family cooking. At time's it was a burden, but boy did I learn how to chop potatos and peel shrimp. She often wanted me to "come up with something" for dinner which led me to do what I do best, go through the cabinets and throw things together. She is an amazingly great cook. It was a no-brainer in her mind who was doing the BBQ. Her support and excitement was obvious yet planting desires and talents in me that wouldn't come to light for years. Thank you! My Step father Pat Ngoho, WOW! What an amazing influence on my spectrum of food diversity and entre offerings. He inspires me in ways he would never realize. He has to be the best chef I have ever known. Not only known for his exquisite cooking talents, his love and care for my mother is priceless. For that I thank you. I have so may wonderful memories of my culinary upbringing that there is no way I can list them all. Many comical, many disasterous but mostly down right fun and memorable. | Chef Jim's interviewed with the FrontPorch paper's local Book Review by Fredicksburg's own Frontporch Publication published January 2009 | | | The College Student’s Survival Cookbook By Jim Sinden, Head Chef and Saucier, BattleField Gourmet
Here’s a sneak preview at a book near ready for publication. Call it a recipe warming to temperature. Author Jim Sinden takes us from penny-pinching Ramen Noodles to creative recipes any co-ed can whip together, eat well and save money for textbooks.
Sinden is a retired United States Marine and former government contractor living in Fredericksburg. He’s an MBA in Business Management from California Coast University in Santa Ana, California. He’s been a CEO, a Head Chef, a President, an Entrepreneur, a Sales Director, a Business Development Director, and a Marketing Director.
His 12-plus years of college, and almost as many years in the woods as a United States Marine eating “Meals Ready to Eat” (MRE’s), motivated him to write this cookbook for college kids. As a child growing up mostly in Honolulu, Jim often resorted to creativity and experimentation with foods including sushi, sauces, Ramen Noodles, crackers, cheese and marinades. He used to walk the beaches of Hawaii spearing fish, catching octopi, squid and mussels. This diverse culinary creativity spawned an adventurous mind for cooking and creativity.
As a Marine, Jim became a literal genius with food experimentations as a self-proclaimed chef, doctoring his MRE’s for palatability. He ended up managing numerous kitchens and creating over 27 different sauces, marinades and food products, now being marketed under his BattleField Gourmet label [See FP’s One of Us, December 2008].
In addition to Ramen Noodles, Jim pays culinary respect to such college-bound staples as “Steak-ums”, Macaroni, Cheese wiz, Velveeta, microwavable popcorn, and the greatest dorm room inventions since the bunk bed -- the mini refrigerator and microwave.
“Many, much too many days and evenings were spent ‘inventing’ new ways to come up with recipes to excitedly consume MRE’s and whatever was left in the refrigerator,” says the author. Beer included. This survival cookbook is loaded with recipes to keep the thriving college student attentive when desired, and do it on a tight budget. The recipes included can be intertwined, jumbled up or omitted. Just remember to blame too many pounds of Velveeta for Jim’s cheesy humor in the book.
The book begins with a chapter on the kitchen tools you’ll need for the dorm or budget apartment, then enters the lessons of “Velveeta 101” [other than as bait for catching mice, Velveeta cheese had seldom before been chronicled for its highly-evolved culinary uses]. Jim has standing on this. His experience includes kitchen battles with roommates from L.A. – that’s Lower Alabama -- from whom emerged his “need to have” and “good to have” items.
Once the book comes out [a great gift for the college-bound student or the sophomore leaving the dorm for independent housing], we’ll link you to an order form online. While still on the backburner, Jim hopes this simmering little preview will push him to move the project forward, full steam ahead.
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