LIFT UP LOCAL 035
Written by Pamela Patton
📷 courtesy of Amber Rose Photography
Michigan hockey moms are a rare breed. Shuttling their kids year-round to and from practice and games in rinks across the U.S. and Canada. They sit in ice arenas, cheering their players on, then spend time on the road in hotel rooms while their kids rest or do homework.
But in the case of Pam Aughe, RD and Lu Cannon, sometimes they develop a line of all-purpose seasonings that have cooks shouting, “Score!”
Pam and Lu became friends in 2015 when their sons played against each other and then on the same team.
Pam explains, “When we would be on the road, my son Zach and Lu’s son Alex didn’t want to sit in a restaurant for four hours trying to get our meal. So, I started bringing my electric skillet and slow cooker to games to cook in the hotel room. When the boys went down to the complimentary breakfast in the morning, I’d tell them to bring me some paper plates, forks, and packets of salt and pepper. Because I like to cook, and I am also a dietitian (Pam graduated from Drexel University, Philadelphia, with a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics), cooking nutritious meals just made sense.”
Lu, who worked in marketing and public relations for various companies, as well as sales and marketing for another spice company, was also tired of finding tasty and nutritious meals on the road for her son. “In 2020, we agreed that we needed to start a company to blend seasonings that we take to games, that the boys would love, and that made everything taste great. It seemed natural, given Pam’s background in nutrition and mine in sales, marketing and public relations. We’re a good balance—yin and yang—in working together.”
Pam and Lu started blending and mixing different variations, all with a foundation of flaked sea salt, black pepper and garlic. After they worked through five or six variations, they’d share them with their families, who were more than happy to offer feedback. They began marketing Celly Salt in 2021, selling online through their website. In 2023, they started working with a co-packer in Madison Heights, which allowed them to sell Celly Salt in retail locations like Meijer Market stores.
But what’s the story behind the name Celly Salt? Celly is hockey slang for “celebration” after scoring a goal. The three blends also incorporate a bit of hockey slang in their names.
“We agreed that we needed to start a company to blend seasonings that we take to games, that the boys would love, and that made everything taste great!””
“The Original Blend with the blue label has sea salt flakes, black pepper, and garlic, making it an all-purpose seasoning that is good on meat, chicken, fish, eggs, pasta, potatoes, popcorn, everything,” says Pam.
The original blend is the base of the other two blends: Chirpin’ Herb and Sin Bin Fire.
Chirpin’ Herb, with the green label, contains basil, parsley, marjoram, chives, salt, pepper, and garlic. Considered low-sodium seasoning, it’s good in oil as a bread dip as well as in mashed potatoes, soups, and stews.
Lu explains, “On the ice, ‘chirp’ is when players say things to each other that they wouldn’t necessarily want their moms to hear. Kids chirp little insults and goads to each other when they are on the ice. And the tagline, ‘Bar Down the Best,’ is a play on a hockey term. In hockey, ‘bar down’ refers to a specific type of goal where the puck hits the bottom of the crossbar and then drops directly into the net.” This shot is highly regarded by players and fans for its precision and aesthetic appeal.
Sin Bin Fire is made with cayenne, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and garlic, generating a seven out of 10 in heat. Pam adds, “The Sin Bin is slang for the box where players stay when they get a penalty. And the tagline, ‘It’s puckin’ hot,’ is a play on words that people find funny.”
The three blends are often sold in a three-pack called the Hat Trick Pack because scoring three goals in hockey is considered a hat trick. The trios are available in table shaker size, refills, and, of course, travel size.
Celly Salt can be found at the Capital City Market, Woodward Corner Market, and the Rivertown Market. It’s also found in some unusual places, including the Hockey Services Pro Shop at Wings West in Kalamazoo, On Your Game Pro Shop inside Patterson Ice Arena in Grand Rapids, and the Barn Hockey Bar in Chicago, where chefs use it in the kitchen and patrons find it on the table.
Celly Salt can be found in locker rooms, so to speak, too. The Red Wings chefs use it, and players have it on the tables. The Blackhawks gave it to their players for the holidays, the Blue Jackets have it on their tables, and the Wild bought it for their incoming draft picks last summer to put in their swag bag for healthy eating so they could take it home with them after being at camp.
Although Zach and Alex have graduated from college (where they also played hockey), Celly Salt is still a part of their lives.
“Zach majored in sports management and marketing and is working in Detroit for Little Caesars Fundraising in sales,” says Pam. Lu adds, “Alex dual majored in business analytics and intelligence and marketing and minored in biology and environmental sustainability. He’s a sales rep for a medical device in the acute field and covers Detroit, Ohio, and Indiana. Other reps show up with cookies and muffins, but Alex leaves behind a Hat Trick of Celly Salt as a thank you.”
You might say when it comes to adding lively flavor, Celly Salt shoots and scores!