Bob Stifel loves getting in the kitchen and preparing a good meal for people and he’s done that for more than half of his 55 years of life.

The Falls Church resident also knows there are people out there who want to be able to prepare a meal for their family and friends but may be confounded by some recipes. It’s that group of people that led Stifel to start Bob’s Best Quality.

Only four months old, the company sells two types of dry rubs to cook with and an apple pie mix that includes everything but the crust and apples.

“I’m reinventing myself after 27 years in IT,” Stifel said Monday inside The Local Market. “I recently decided life was short and you need to follow your dream.”

A 1978 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York, Stifel has his home kitchen certified by Virginia to produce his product. On his blog, Stifel posts recipes people have created using his dry rubs. Stifel says he and his wife, Theresa Stifel, who owns Stifel and Capra, are “Falls Churchites.”

Customers who walked into The Local Market Monday to see his demonstration were privileged to see the secret to Stifel’s method to making the perfect apple pie for the holidays – six Granny Smith apples, store-bought fresh piecrust and his pie mix that includes all the seasoning you’ll need. One by one, people tried samples of two pies he made using his method, stopping some in their tracks to turn back with a smile and a few good words.

“When I was creating this mix, I thought if an extreme novice could make a pie in an hour, I may be onto something,” Stifel said. “I love to bake pies but some people are afraid of pies.”

After years of working for others, Stifel said it’s liberating and scary to have his own business. He resigned from an IT job in April before launching his own business in July. He says there is a lot of work involved but the reward of working from home makes it worth it.

“To be home when the kids get home from school to hear about their day is great,” Stifel said.

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