Open almost any kitchen cabinet in Louisiana and you'll likely find one namesake Creole seasoning standing out among the crowd of condiments.
Tony Chachere's has been a key ingredient in most southern dishes since its creation in 1972, but Louisianans remain divided about how to pronounce the brand's name.
A post on X, formerly Twitter, went viral this week, garnering nearly 250K views, when a user asked the Internet how to pronounce the seasoning blend. People took to the comments to share their take, with most stating that they strictly refer to it as "Tony's."
The heated debate is one that can easily be settled.
There is only one correct way of saying Tony Chachere, the name of the seasoning's creator who stars on the container as an animated character with a cartoonishly large ear peaking from his chef's hat, a pair of glasses and a white apron draped over a collared red shirt.
Chachere is pronounced "sa-shur-ee," the company's website and the mastermind himself said in a video recorded before his death in 1995.
The seasoning's history
Chachere, known as the 'Ole Master' of Creole cooking around Acadiana, created the Creole seasoning after he retired at the age of 65.
The Opelousas native was a creative at heart, even before the birth of his most famous product. Before retiring, Chachere was a pharmacist and a manufacturer of health and beauty aids. He succeeded in every field he pursued, including his positions as a traveling salesman and an insurance agent.
And, of course, like many southern natives, he loved to cook, fish and hunt.
In 1972, Chachere wrote, published and sold "Cajun Country Cookbook" from the back of his station wagon. Within a few weeks, ten thousand copies of his collection were sold, and readers begged him to sell his signature spice blend, his son Alex Chachere told The Times-Picayune in 1988.
Tony Chachere released "Cajun Country Cookbook" and quickly sold ten thousand copies to readers eager to see his Creole seasoning in stores.
He responded to the popular demand and manufactured his now iconic seasoning blend that immediately became a beloved by the state.
Tony's success
The seasoning's popularity grew in Louisiana and beyond, and by 1976, a 2,000-foot wholesale drug building was used to manufacture the seasoning.
The company has gone on to create a slew of other products throughout the decades, including marinades, dinner mixes and crawfish and crab boil products.
Just a week before his death in 1995, Chachere became the first inductee in the Louisiana Chefs Hall of Fame, and his legacy continues to live on. Two years ago, the company celebrated its 50th anniversary by opening Mr. Tony's Country Store, a gift shop at its headquarters in Opelousas.
In a 1987 interview with The Times-Picayune, Chachere said that when he would travel for hunting and fishing trips, he would always bring his spices: salt, chili powder and sweet basil. Even residents of far northern states wanted Tony Chachere's secret spices in their kitchens.
"In the Dakotas or Alaska, all I'd find were white pepper and salt," Chachere said.
"I'd leave my spice jar behind and soon they'd call — 'We ran out of that stuff. Send more.'"
