How Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning Got Its Eccentric Name

At first glance, Slap Ya Mama seems like an unlikely name for a Cajun seasoning blend — or anything else. When Anthony "TW" Walker and his wife, Jennifer ("Mama Jen"), started searching for a name for their newly created Cajun seasoning, TW felt the same way. As an attorney and owner of a convenience store with a 24-hour deli, TW believed the name would upset some customers. Mama Jen disagreed.

The Walkers first began blending their own Cajun seasoning in 1996, when Mama Jen decided that the Cajun seasoning they used in their deli was too salty. Cajun seasoning's traditional ingredients — black pepper, red pepper, garlic, and salt — were readily available, so the Walker family sat down to create a seasoning blend that would add a kick to their deli foods without oversalting them. Their sons, Jack and Joe, pitched in by mixing the spices in a pickle jar, rolling it back and forth on the carpet.

When deli customers started buying jars of the seasoning, the Walkers knew it was time to expand the business. Mama Jen insisted that the Cajun seasoning be named Slap Ya Mama, partly in tribute to TW's "World Famous Slap Ya Mama Atomic Potatoes," a dish featuring russet potatoes, bell pepper, onion, and plenty of Cajun seasoning. Mama Jen knew that a fun, catchy name would attract customers' attention. She claimed that Slap Ya Mama was the perfect name for the Walkers' spicy Cajun blend.

It turns out that "slap your mama" is a commonly used phrase, at least in some parts of the United States. The phrase describes something delicious, as in, "This [food] is so good it'll make you slap your mama." It can also be said that "Tastes so good, make you wanna slap yo mama" describes a food that's so tasty that the person eating it gets mad because their mama never made it for them. Of course, most folks would never dream of slapping their mamas, especially if their mothers took the time to cook made-from-scratch meals at home.

Judging from the popularity of Slap Ya Mama products, Mama Jen Walker was right about the name. The Walkers already knew their Cajun seasoning would sell. All they needed was a foot in the door — an eccentric name, in this case — to convince grocery stores to carry their product.

Slap Ya Mama aficionados use the seasoning on, well, almost everything. Naturally, they use Slap Ya Mama in traditional Cajun dishes, such as gumbo and boudin balls, but they also sprinkle the spicy blend on scrambled eggs, roasted veggies, chicken, fish, and french fries.

If you're looking for further proof that Mama Jen's unusual name for the Walkers' Cajun seasoning was the best choice, here it is. TW's real-life mama, Wilda Marie, gave the name her blessing.