I wanted your first note of the year to come from the hot sauce part of your life. Happy New Year! I hope you’re in good health and I’m counting on 2022 being a great year ahead.

I’m here to share a recent conversation I had, which is now on the Craft Hot Sauce Podcast. Sometimes when I write this newsletter or market a hot sauce, it’s not my most natural channel of communication. The podcast has grown to be my favorite way of connecting with the wider craft hot sauce community and sharing those experiences with you. 

Through the podcast format, I have the time and permission to explore a wide range of experiences, insights, and stories that all lead to why that person has dedicated a ton of their efforts to making hot sauce.

We put a lot in and get a lot out from each episode. Each guest has a different journey and reason for doing it, but in the way everyone is different, we can also all relate and learn a lot from every one of the guests. 

I think you, like many in the community, also have that one of a kind path and connection with cooking, flavor, peppers or hot sauce. It’s what inspires Craft and keeps us curious and hungry.

It was a pleasure to dust off the mic with Bruce from Hoots Sauce who joined from Somerset, England. I first heard of Hoots Sauce after Bruce signed up for our newsletter and shared his maker story with us. 

The picture of his fermented fire roasted scotch bonnet peppers immediately grabbed my attention. They were cooked with some interesting Scottish and French influenced ingredients like turnip and garlic confit.

Bruce shared where he gets his love for fire cooking, how experiences from 15 years of cooking in restaurants lead him on a journey searching for more, and then how a near death experience led him to going all in, eventually creating a Scottish inspired hot sauce and encouraging others to be curious, not judgemental. 

I didn’t mean to pump up the episode to this degree, but why not for our first guest in 6 months! Click below to listen to my conversation with Bruce from Hoots Sauce. 

Also if you’ve listened to the podcast and have enjoyed it, we’d love for you to leave a review or share it out to your network 🙏 

I have two interviews lined up with people I’ve been wanting to have on for a couple years. Free hot sauce to anyone who guesses it! :)

Lastly, thank you so much for all the orders of hot sauce! It has been the busiest stretch for us in this 5 year journey selling hot sauces. It makes us happy knowing that every bottle we ship brings enjoyment and flavor to dozens of meals.

We were sold out of some popular hot sauces that are now back available so, check out the sauces we just restocked. Shipping for one bottle is the same as the cost as shipping four, so get yourself a little bundle!

Benito's Hot Sauce

The Vermont based hot sauce company was one of the first lines to get on our website. We interviewed their founder Ben four years ago who talked about sourcing local and creating flavorful sauces. Their habanero and chipotle infused maple syrups go quickly so check out their collection below. 

Bayou Gotham Hot Sauce

For Scotty Peppers, the founder of Bayou Gotham, hot sauce and fresh homegrown produce have been a part of his life since his childhood in New Orleans. His grandfather, Roger Baumer, was a plant manager and brother to Baumer Foods founder Alvin Baumer. Together, they laid the groundwork for turning Crystal Hot Sauce into the bonafide hot sauce empire it is today. Check out his lineup of sauces and story that was born in the Bayou and aged in Gotham!

Hab Sauce 

The Sweet Spicy Soy Sauce from Hab Sauce is back along with their Smoked Habanero Cherrywood sauce. We'll be sharing a few more of their sauces shortly, but stock up on these classics first. We also interviewed David on the podcast last summer. You can listen to the interview here. 

Thanks there! Have a good one!

Brian