Old Spice Contest at Marczyk rubs salt in old wound

Did you resolve to clean out your kitchen cabinets for the new year? Your time spent sneezing your way through your messy spice shelves could pay off: Marcyzk Fine Foods is holding its annual Old Spice Contest, and you can enter until 8 p.m. today. Here's the deal: Bring your...

By Patricia Calhoun

January 7, 2013

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Did you resolve to clean out your kitchen cabinets for the new year? Your time spent sneezing your way through your messy spice shelves could pay off: Marcyzk Fine Foods is holding its annual Old Spice Contest, and you can enter until 8 p.m. today.

Here's the deal: Bring your old spices to one of the two Marczyk stores (either the original on East 17th Avenue or the second store on Colfax) , and the oldest of all wins a Pete's Picks Pack of a dozen spices from Spicely Organic Spices , which the markets now stock, as well as a $10 gift card. See also: - Chef and Tell with Pete Marczyk - Top five food trend predictions -- Indian spice! Meatless Mondays! - Marcyzk Fine Foods: Denver's Best Wine Shop for Bottles Under $15

I've already submitted my ground oregano with the expiration date of 1990, but in some ways, I've already won -- or lost, depending on how much you enjoy embarrassing stories. Because at a potluck dinner party several years ago at my house, when Pete Marczyk asked for pepper, I handed him some Scotch Buy ground black pepper -- expiration date 1988. The humiliation of handing such an accomplished cook that particular item was only partially assuaged by the fact that it gave rise to the Old Spice contest.

Here are the rest of the rules:

All entrees must be in their original containers with a "use by" or "sell by" date clearly marked.

There must be some spice in the container.

Deadline: 9 p.m. January 7 at Marcyzk Fine Foods for a January 9. announcement

May the oldest spice win!

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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