Buckley smoked food entrepreneur wins 'Best Smoked Salmon in Pacific Northwest'

By DANIEL NASH
Bonney Lake-Sumner Courier-Herald Reporter
October 8, 2012 · 4:17 PM

Buckley food entrepreneur Steve Shindel, founder of Steve’s  “Hot” Smoked Cheese & Salmon, won the title for “Best Smoked Salmon in the Pacific Northwest” at a state competition. Shindel won in the professional division of the Salmon Tales celebration’s Smoked Salmon Contest, Sept. 22 in Westport.

“Winning that honor was worth going down there,” Shindel said. “And I can use it for my business and advertising.”

He attributed the win to his use of kill-fresh salmon, a pre-smoke dry rub, and a refusal to brine or use liquid smoke.

This was the official first year of the Westport Salmon Tales festival, dedicated to the waterside city’s history of fishing.

Shindel has smoked cheese and salmon for five decades, but he made it a full-time business in the past decade. He has five contractors working with him, and his products are distributed to stores and restaurants in 17 states. He just introduced a jalapeno cheese.

He can be reached at 253-632-5537 or oldsmokey05@msn.com.

Contact Bonney Lake-Sumner Courier-Herald Reporter Daniel Nash at dnash@courierherald.com or 360-825-2555 ext. 5060.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.

So keep your comments:

  • Civil
  • Smart
  • On-topic
  • Free of profanity

We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters. We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please refer to our Terms of Use for full detail on participating on our site.