While almost every Marylander and resident of the Chesapeake region is familiar with the iconic blue-and-yellow cans that contain Old Bay Seasoning, not everyone knows that Old Bay’s origins are rooted in the darkness of the Holocaust and Kristallnacht, the infamous “night of broken glass” that took place the night of November 9, 1938. It was on that night that Nazis in Germany and Austria torched synagogues, vandalized Jewish homes, schools and businesses, and murdered nearly 100 Jews. Viewed as the precursor to the Shoah, in the aftermath of Kristallnacht, some 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to Nazi concentration camps. Ralph Brunn was only 13 at the time; the massacre changed the course of his life forever. Brunn’s story is one of survival and of the newfound success his family enjoyed when they escaped Germany and emmigrated to the United States.

Ralph’s father, Gustav Brunn had processed and sold spices and seasonings in Germany. Following Kristallnacht, Gustav was arrested. Via a Frankfurt lawyer who, with a lofty sum of money, bribed the Gestapo and had Gustav released after two weeks. Less than one week later, Gustav, his wife, and two children sailed for America and settled in Baltimore. Three months later a large crate containing furniture arrived. Hidden in the nose of the container was an electric spice grinding mill, complete with a 10 Hp motor and a mixing machine, also complete with a motor.

Initially, Gustav struggled to find work in Baltimore. This forced him to start his own business which he named “The Baltimore Spice Company.” He rented an inexpensive space in downtown Baltimore and installed his mill and mixer. A trip to New York to a spice importer he had already dealt with in Germany provided his initial supply for the raw materials he required.

Customers for the spices were meat packers, pickle packers, wholesale bakeries, snack food manufacturers—many of which were in the Baltimore area. From the Wholesale Fish market across the street there was a substantial request for spices to season steamed crabs and shrimp. This is what initiated the idea for what we know today as Old Bay Seasoning.

Ralph Brunn served three years in the Army during World War II. He then finished college at Johns Hopkins University while working with his father at the company. “He built the foundation of the business, and I built upon that,” Ralph said. While Old Bay made up only a small percentage of the Baltimore Spice Company’s business, under Ralph’s leadership the company grew and opened factories across the world. In 1986, a year after the death of Gustav, the Brunn family sold the business to a British conglomerate. In 1990 McCormick & Co. bought the Old Bay line.

Now at the age of 100, Ralph says his family’s story is one of resilience, hope, and perseverance. In response to recent incidents of antisemitism, he said “The important thing is to call [antisemitism] what it is. And I want to see people outside of the Jewish community object to it as well.” Ralph believes Jews and others must remain vigilant and outspoken against antisemitism and all forms of hate.