ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — There is a new spice business being run out of a St. Pete kitchen that started in the most unusual of ways. The mother and son owners were facing the most challenging battle of their lives and their one true refuge was cooking.
“I’m a warrior and I’m a strong human being,” said Jayden Morrison.
Morrison is proud of his toughness, he was just 10-years-old when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
“I really wasn’t worried but my mom was very worried because you know it's a mom thing,” said Jayden.
“I was hysterical obviously when I first found out because as a parent that is not something that you want your child to experience,” said mother Lorisha Biddings.
The good news was Jayden had an excellent chance of recovery, the bad news, he found himself stuck at home.
“I just didn’t feel comfortable with him playing basketball during his chemotherapy so he was home more, he wasn’t traveling with his team or going to tournaments,” said Biddings.
Morrison wasn’t about to sit around feeling sorry for himself, he was so inspired by his own mom’s cooking that he wanted to help out in the kitchen and even create his own spices.
“I really like cooking and food and different flavors so one day I told my mom 'I would like to be my own business owner,'” said Morrison.
They started mixing, stirring and tasting.
“It can be tough because you got to make sure it's like pinpoint accurate so you don’t want to make any mistakes or anything because if you do it could be too salty,” said Morrison.
Right there in the kitchen, Jay’s Spice Palette was born.
“I have three spices available right now,” said Morrison. “The idea is to make people have good-tasting food with all-natural ingredients.”
Morrison is now a 6'4 14-year-old who has been in remission for more than a year. Even though he has returned to basketball, he continues to score new recipes in the kitchen.
“It helped me because it gave me another thing to think about like, ‘what am I going to make next and how can I change this to make it better,’ and things like that,” said Morrison.
The sweetest part isn’t the food, it's the bond between mother and son.
“He gives me strength because he’s so strong and he just takes it how it is,” said Biddings.
For more information, go to www.jaysspicepalette.com
