19 Years Later, Marinating Stick Planned for Stores

Mary Hunter, 73, loves to cook big roasts for her church. She learned that she had diabetes and high blood pressure and thought that she could only eat bland food from then on. In 1994, God gave her an idea: to cut open a pen lengthwise, put desired flavoring such as onion and garlic in the center, then stick it in the meat. After coming up with this idea, Ms. Hunter attended a class on patenting and obtained a patent. Three years later, she met David Smith, an industrial designer. Together they created over 20 prototypes of what she envisioned. After an idea sparked from seeing a Maxwell House percolator, they finally created a successful product. The marinating stick was given to two restaurants for testing, both of which gave positive results. The invention caught the eye of the company All-Clad and they wanted to make a deal. However, the deal fell through when All-Clad was bought by Group SEB. Ms. Hunter and David Smith decided to produce the product themselves. They were able to sell the marinating stick in a couple of food stores. Ms. Hunter’s son helped her get a spot on The International Home and Housewares Show. She was the undisputed winner and after 19 years of hard work, her invention will be sold in Target stores around the end of October. The marinating stick adds flavor to the meat and also keeps it moist.