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The Secret at the 2001 Fiery Foods and Barbecue Show
By Larry W. Greenly
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High
Noon: Chileheads braving the endless
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From the look on the faces of those who attended the 2001 Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show, it was a spectacular success. And if one word could possibly sum up that extravaganza, it would have to be "FLAVOR!" Exhibitors agreed that chileheads have become more sophisticated and are looking for more than just naked heat—they want products that will tantalize their tastebuds with heat and taste.
One exhibitor said, "After they’ve bought a superhot sauce for their collection or for torturing friends, they’re ready to explore flavor." Judging by the number of incredibly diverse flavors this year, other exhibitors must agree.
"I Come from the Land Down Under"
The prize for farthest distance traveled would have to go to the Byron Bay Chilli Company from the land of Oz. Owner John "Chilli Dude" Boland journeyed halfway around the world to participate in his first American Fiery Foods Show. He won the Australian Fiery Food Challenge held in Sydney, taking home the grand prize plus a free booth at the 2001 Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show, courtesy of the show producers.
Ten years ago, John and his wife wanted a change of pace, so they moved from California to Byron Bay, a small town of 4,000 people on the easternmost point of Australia where "it never snows." They missed good salsa, started growing chiles in their backyard, and concocted some Salsa Picante and Salsa Verde, which they considered to be reasonably authentic sauces. They then used the salsas on their tacos, burritos, and nachos they sold at local growers’ markets.
When regular customers began asking to purchase the salsa, John printed some labels and started selling the salsas separately. After they sold a few bottles to local delis, a buyer for Coles Supermarket in Queensland approached them and asked if they would like to supply a few supermarkets. From that small beginning of three outlets, they now have twelve products like Mango Barbeque Sauce with Chipotles, Fiery Thai Barbecue Sauce with Coconut, and Sweet Chilli Sauce with Lemongrass stocked by 300 grocery stores.
"Byron Bay Chilli Company helped introduce Aussies to chiles," John says, "and now they’re starting to put sweet chile sauce on everything." Americans may soon be putting Byron Bay’s sauces on everything, too. After winning three Scovie Awards for Thai Barbecue Sauce, Red Bean Salsa, and Salsa Verde, it’s only a matter of time before John’s products are in every supermarket. ( www.byronbaychillico.com.au )
Canadian Flavors
Halfway around the planet from Oz lies frozen Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, the home of Gordo’s Food, Inc. Owner Gord Hargreaves says he went through a midlife crisis and—believe it or not—at age 40 joined the Canadian Navy. Afterward, he drew on his navy chef experience and developed an all-purpose Greek Sauce for Greek-style ribs and souvlakia (skewered grilled lamb with vegetables). "Use it like ketchup," Gord says. "It’s excellent for vegetables, fish, and even as a base for pizza."
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Gordo’s Food, Inc. Owner Gord Hargreaves
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Several years ago, friends convinced him to bottle his Greek Sauce for Christmas presents. Eventually, the demand for his sauce grew so much, he quit his job to focus on developing more sauces. In the beginning, he was armed with only a grand vision and $20 in his pocket. His equipment consisted of a wire whip, funnel, measuring cup, spoon, two sawhorses, and a donated tabletop.
But Gord knew he had a great product; all he needed was some people to taste it. He’d would mix up a batch before dawn and drive to a trade show in a quest to find a spare booth space. Because he didn’t have enough money for the booth, he’d locate an independent grocery store, introduce himself to the owner and have him taste his sauce. After assuring the owner that he was going to sell a "ton of the sauce" at the trade show, he would ask for financial backing.
Gord says he was never turned down. He’d always sell enough product to pay for the booth and still have enough money left over to make sauce for the next trade show. This continued for two years until his product made its way to most major Canadian grocery stores.
The philosophy of Gordo’s Foods is "always look professional, use nothing but high- quality ingredients, and always maintain the proper consistency of each recipe." It must work because Gordo’s entered four sauces and won four Scovie Awards this year: 1st prize for Gordo’s Gourmet Spiced Apple Grilling Sauce, 2nd prize for Gordo’s Pepper Sauce, 3rd prize for Gourmet Greek Sauce, and 3rd prize for Teriyaki Sauce. ( gordos@gordosfoods.com )
A Taste of the Island State
If you hold a string on a globe of the earth with one end on Byron Bay and the other on Saskatoon, you’ll discover the middle of the strings cuts right through the Hawaiian Islands, home of Arturo’s Hot Flavors of Hawaii.
Arturo Montoya doesn’t exactly sound like a Hawaiian name and, in fact, his family originally settled in New Mexico in the 1700s. But in 1959, Arturo found his way to Honolulu, surfboard under his arm and a long tradition of Mexican cuisine under his belt.
Arturo immediately discovered there were no fresh tortillas and salsa on the islands, so after years of receiving C.A.R.E. packages of Mexican food from sympathetic mainland friends and relatives, he finally developed his own tortillas and salsas. In the late 80s, Arturo’s also developed a line of seven uniquely-flavored Hawaiian hot sauces, each named for one of the six Hawaiian islands and the ocean. They contain his own habaneros and at least one unique ingredient that’s grown on the island the sauce is named after: Kaua’i Hot Sauce has guava and passion fruit; O’ahu Hot Sauce has guava and hibiscus blossoms; Lana’i has papayas, pineapple, and ginger; Moloka’i has apple-banana, curry, and ginger; Maui has Maui onions, tomatoes, and habaneros; Big Island has lehua honey; and Makai Hot Sauce, named for the sea, has seaweed and ginger. With Arturo’s Maui Onion Salsa the number one seller in Hawaii, the name Arturo Montoya is finally sounding very Hawaiian. ( www.hotsaucehawaii.com )
Ravin’ About Moravian
Back on the mainland, other producers like the Moravian Cookie Shop, Inc. are baking quality products of a totally different genre. Long before the American Revolutionary War, refugees from the Moravian province of Czechoslovakia fled religious persecution, settled in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and, later, moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Among the treasured possessions they took with them were recipes for delicate, paper-thin Moravian sugar cookies.
Using a recipe dating from 1768, Moravian descendant Grace Foltz founded the Original Moravian Cookie Shop in 1938 to supplement her family income. When her company grew enough, she and her husband worked diligently to develop a mailing container that would safely protect "the world’s thinnest cookies." They finally came up with an orange-colored tube that became their trademark.
Today, the company boasts Moravian Sugar Cookies (seven flavors), Cheese Straws (mild to jalapeño), and Shortbread Straws (a new product with lemon, key lime, strawberry, or plain flavors). They’re very proud of their 1st place Scovies for Moravian Peanut Butter Straws and Habanero Straws. And yes, they still make the original Moravian sugar cookie. ( www.moraviancookie.com )
Savory Tapenades
Hopscotching to Saratoga, California will find you at the headquarters of Saveur Specialty Foods, the creation of Bette Mermis, a determined woman who traded a white nurse’s uniform for a crisp white chef’s smock. Bette picked the name "Saveur" for her company because it means "savory." Her specialities are tapenades—savory concentrates of pickled foods used to perk up condiments, spreads, and as flavors for meats, cheeses, and pastas.
Originally from Europe, tapenades are usually pureed and a bit salty, but Bette changed that and developed the first American-made tapenades in 1994. She made them country style, that is, chunky with olives, artichokes, mushrooms, and peppers that you can both see and savor. Her scientific background and extensive culinary education led her to some other firsts, like the first shelf-stable avocado product and the first American-made Greek almond garlic sauce.
Saveur makes and sells 20 different types of tapenades, relishes, marinades, dressings. Her unpickled tapenades are trademarked with a homonym: Top ‘n Nod. Even her jars are classy; naturally, the indefatigable Bette also designed them. ( saveur@best.com )
Up in New York state, three bikers in 1983 who loved good food started hauling a barbecue grill (actually, a 55-gallon drum split in half) around to motorcycle shows and various fairs—the genesis of John Stage’s Dinosaur Bar-B-Q.
No Extinction Here
John’s barbecue has a balance and flavor rooted in traditional Southern pitsmoke with a little Cuban influence thrown in for good measure. After a while, the bikers tired of the road and opened a take-out barbecue joint in Syracuse, New York. For a couple of years it languished, but adding a bar and live music in 1990 gave their restaurant the kick- start it needed. Now it’s nationally acclaimed and serves an eclectic crowd from bikers to U.S. presidents. A second Dinosaur’s has opened in Rochester on the banks of the Genesee River in an old train station. In addition, Ten Speed Press says that Dinosaur BBQ: An American Roadhouse Cookbook (due for release in May or June) will be the definitive book on barbecue.
Dinosaur’s half-dozen bottled barbecue sauces include Dinosaur BBQ Sensuous Slathering Sauce, Wango Tango Hot Habanero BBQ, A.H.U. Garlic Chipotle Pepper Sauce, Roasted Garlic Honey BBQ Sauce, Cajun Foreplay Spice Rub, and Mojito Marinade. ( abigail@dreamscape.com )
BBQ with a History
Rooted in Southern history as far back as the 1840s, Simmie J’s Barbecue Sauce is another great example of Southern pitsmoke barbecue. Owner Simeon Greene’s great- great-grandmother, Classie, was a slave in Georgia who created a great-great barbecue sauce recipe passed down through generations of Greenes.
Every 4th of July, the Greene elders would gather up some oak and cook up a batch of Classie’s sauce for their all-night pit barbecue. In 1988, Simeon resurrected the recipe and began production of Classie’s original smokey barbecue sauce.
Major food stores and professional chefs agree Simmie J’s Barbecue Sauce is rich in history and flavor. ( simmieJ50@aol.com )
Wow, That’s Cosmic, Man
Closer to home, Albuquerquean Scott Reilly started making dry seasoning blends for himself in 1997. His friends soon wanted jars of his creation for Christmas gifts (a recurring theme among exhibitors). Because New Mexico is such a favorable market for hot and spicy products, Scott says he had created the Cosmic Spice Company and turned pro before he knew it.
His Intergalactic spice blends have a long shelf life and are good on most anything, he says, including wild game. The versatile dry spice blends include Ancho Herb, Chipotle Habanero, and Cashew Sesame. They’re joined by some imaginatively-named and flavorful sauces such as Cosmic Cranberry Habanero, Atomic Apricot Habanero, and Molecular Mustard. ( scooter@swcp.com )
West Indies Sauces
Finally, the Caribbean features two excellent sauce manufacturers.
Microbiologist Erica McIntosh of St. Vincent, West Indies, started out as a government chemist, but about 15 years ago founded a company called Erica’s Country Style. With a selection of hot sauces, relishes, and cocktail dips highlighting local curries and Scotch Bonnets, Erica’s products grace tables in New York, Toronto, and the Caribbean. Tourists also appreciate her collector bottles. ( ecs@caribsurf.com )
Susie’s Hot Sauce in Antigua started in 1960. Rosie McMaster, who took over as managing director in 1990, says the Caribbean has a lot of flair, taste, and beauty and her products are a natural reflection of those characteristics. Blended with local Scotch Bonnets, West Indies Red Chiles, and habaneros, Susie’s Hot Sauce has a Caribbean flavor that complements all types of food. "The secret," Rosie explains, "is that Antigua is a very dry island, and fruit (like chiles) that grow there are very solid, juicy, and sweet." ( www.susiesoriginalhotsauce.com )
Psst! That really is the latest secret, chileheads. Flavor.