92-Year-Old LI Man Honors Late Wife With Thriving Spice Business

GREENPORT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- At age 92, Earl Fultz has turned his everlasting love for his late wife into a love for the spice of life.

Years after retirement, Fultz, of Peconic Heights, made his dying wife Gloria, a promise: he would turn her family recipe into a household name -- cHarissa.

"What she wanted to happen was to fill the void, find something meaningful to do with your life other than practice shuffleboard," Fultz said. "I do choke up sometimes talking about her."

Made by hand on Long Island's North Fork, the special seasoning was an instant hit, CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported.

"I would go to the farmer's market and we'd come back with heaps of greenbacks," Fultz said.

The taste is unique. Gloria, a Moroccan Jew, had altered an age-old seasoning to appeal to her American family's palate, mixing cumin, lemon juice and olive oil and sea salt.

Soon his condiments and rubs were getting kudos from gourmet magazines and winning awards, including one for best start up in the nation. It's now served up in Yankees Stadium.

And Fultz has big plans, hoping to soon roll out single-serve packaging of the sauce -- perfect for seasoning hamburgers and other items on the go.

The company has also invested in its first mass mixing machine -- allowing the company to expand production from 200 jars a day, to 6,000 jars a day.

"Earl proves that you're never too old to follow your dream," Jeri Woodhouse, vice president of cHarissa, said. "To me, every day when he looks at that jar, he thinks of Gloria."

Fultz says he is inspired by the Newman's Own Foundation and wants to ultimately start a charitable foundation with his company's profits.