I was born and raised in a small Texas town just north of Big-D. I graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a BS degree. I
also completed the Networking Technologies Program at Southern Methodist University, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. I ended up
in California due to my involvement in the microelectronics industry.
Based on development work performed in 1998-1999, my engineering team and I earned two U.S. Patents, awarded in 2001 and 2003,
respectively. My career in microelectronics spanned more than ten years, and the majority of it was working on DOD-related projects
involving advanced weapon systems during the time of the Cold War. Fascinating stuff!
Over time, my career took me more into business management and business development activities. I have been involved in the founding and
management of several start-ups during the past three decades or so, along with an assortment of other technical and managerial positions.
Throughout that time, cooking was always an interest.
Cooking has always been a part of my life. My interest originated in my Grandmother’s kitchen and alongside my Mom. I still have fond and
clear memories of being there with them as they prepared great ‘down home meals’ of that time. That is also where I learned about raising a
garden and canning. Being of German descent, my Grandmother always made her own sauerkraut. One of my uncles was the local butcher, working
in the grocery store directly behind where we lived. My first experiences in a butcher shop were with him when I was about five years
old.
I got serious about cooking in 1968. I was working in a semiconductor device research and development lab in Dallas, TX. My immediate
supervisor was a PhD-EE. A brilliant young guy, a talented musician, and a graduate of the Neiman-Marcus cooking school. His interest in
cooking was the catalyst for what became a continuing journey for me, and I will always be grateful to him for that.
Over time, I created my first seasoning blend, now known as “Taste of Texas”. Over the past several years I have tweaked it and developed a
variety of uses for it - and I am proud to say that it was always well received. Several times I considered trying to get it into the
market, but each time the effort was thwarted by extraneous issues, yet I continued in the developing of additional blends. Earlier this
year, I decided it was time to get this done.
As the idea for the company began to take form, and especially after my great friend who is an Executive Chef joined the business, the
vision for a gourmet specialties business became our ambition. And here we are!
64TH Street Specialties Founder — Jack Ellis
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