A Bermuda chef has turned up the heat with the addition of new flavours to his range of seasonings.

Michiko Campbell has added a touch of spice and a flavour of the east, bringing the total of spices on offer to five after launching the original Chiko’s Smokey Rub last June.

Mr Campbell, a sous chef at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, said: “The spicy version came from people asking for a little more heat than the original one, so I did that.”

The recipe of the new seasoning is a secret — but contains chili flakes among the 14 ingredients, compared to 11 in the original rub.

Unveiled alongside the spiced-up version was a Middle Eastern-influenced rub, said to be ideal for grilled meats and vegetables.

Mr Campbell, who also serves as a Lance Corporal in the Bermuda Regiment, said: “The Middle Eastern one was created because I wanted to do a bit of a different culture, with a bit of a Bermuda twist to it.

“We’re multi-cultured in Bermuda and I wanted something that reflected that and Bermuda.” Like the other recipes, the Middle Easter rub is a secret, but contains cumin and a mix of 11 other spices.

Mr Campbell said: “Both of them are multi-use — chicken, fish, pork, beef and vegetables. The Middle Eastern one is particularly good on grilled stuff and you can make Moroccan sauces with it as well.”

Mr Campbell, 24, from Pembroke, added he had sold close to 4,500 bottles of his spices since he launched the first at Harbour Nights last year.

The original smokey rub — featuring paprika — was created while Mr Campbell was still a culinary arts student at Johnson & Wales University in the US. He later added a ham seasoning and a garlic infusion. Mr Campbell was inspired to go into business after he got rave reviews for the smokey rub when he started using it at family get-togethers and on steaks at RBYC.

The club was so impressed with the added flavour of the rub, which can be used on seafood and vegetables as well as meat, that he was asked to incorporate it as a permanent fixture in some dishes. The rub and other flavours have just been added to the range of products at Lindo’s supermarket in Warwick and Mr Campbell said he hopes the firm’s Devonshire store will stock it as well.

The rubs are also available at Brown & Co, the Chef’s Shop and HomeWorks, all in Hamilton, the Bermuda Shop in Dockyard’s Clocktower Mall, Bermuda Linens and Gifts in St George’s and Portraits of Afrique, on Cox’s Hill Road, Warwick.

The seasonings can also be ordered at www.chikossmokeyrub.com, by e-mail at chikosmokeyrub@hotmail.com or at www.facebook.com/chikosmokeyrub.