Doing Things Right…
Hi all,
I’m so glad to be making my first entry on the blog for Anejo Foods, LLC!
Over the next few months, I’d like to use this space and this opportunity to tell my customers and fans a little more about the product that is Anejo pepper sauce– and maybe more importantly, a bit about the idea behind it. When I first began tinkering with the idea of a pepper sauce of my own about six years ago, I thought about what I liked about the sauces already out there. There are literally thousands, as I’m sure you’ve noticed at farmer’s markets and supermarkets everywhere. Some have been around forever, and we’ve grown up with them. Others are brand-new entries, trying in vain to come up with the jokiest or folksiest way to get their message across on increasingly bizarre labels, hoping to catch your eye as you pilot a cart through the store. I wanted Anejo to be something that you’d be as comfortable with as that first category, while avoiding the pitfalls of the second.
The best part of the old, established brands is the craftsmanship of many of them. My hat goes off to the grand-daddy of them all, Tabasco Sauce. There simply is no substitute for the crisp, clear taste of it. I wanted Anejo to aspire to that level of consistency and uniqueness of flavor, every bottle, every drop. At the same time, I wanted a sauce that would both enhance and compliment the foods you enjoy it with. That means that it had to be more than just heat. It meant that I had to make lots of batches, and give gallons of it away to my chef friends, to neighbors, and try it out on the kind of foodies that would give me the real, honest feedback I needed. I finally got to the point where Anejo is today– good spice, great flavor, and the kind of condiment that makes what your’e eating better. Every time, every bottle, every dish.
Next time, log in to see some photos of the process that makes Anejo what it is, and read more about what it takes to make an artisan-style product and get it to the restaurants and places that you enjoy it.
Until then, have a spicy day,
Chef Gary