Shellie Mierwald - Sweet Heat Gourmet

Interview with Shellie Mierwald of Sweet Heat Gourmet

Shellie Mierwald, Sweet Heat Gourmet (Photo used with permission.)

Meet Shellie Mierwald. Chile head, owner and recipe guru of Sweet Heat Gourmet, Shellie is the first interview for Two Frys featuring women proprietors of the Hot Sauce industry.

Shellie, what has Sweet Heat Gourmet been up to this summer? We're back at our local farmers market working with our local farmers and getting fresh ingredients for our sauces. Our Strawbango Hot Sauce did really well this year and was sold out in 2 weeks! We're also gearing up for the Great Fiery Foods Show in Chicago this August, and the Bowers Chile Pepper Festival, of course.

Allen told me you recently won an award. Which award was it and for what sauce? Congrats. Thanks so much! The last award we won was a golden chile at Zest Fest, we won for best fruit based hot sauce with our Pineapple and Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce. We also came in second with our Apple Bourbon BBQ Sauce, and won a 2nd place Scovie with Bulgogi Asian BBQ Sauce. Also, Al "Buddah" from I Love It Spicy gave us a Lenny for "Green Sauce of the Year" for our Roasted Jalapeño Hot Sauce.

Wow, you have recently won a great amount of awards and recognition from the Hot Sauce industry. It is much deserved and Allen and I love all the hot sauces we have tried from Sweet Heat Gourmet. Are you currently offering any specialty sauces this summer? If so, which ones? I made a Spiced Strawberry Chocolate Fudge Sauce with strawberries from Bee Tree Farm that's been selling really well. I might try adding different fruits to this sauce.

Shellie and David Mierwald, Sweet Heat Gourmet at the 2015 NYC Hot Sauce Expo

Are you working on new hot sauce and/or BBQ sauce recipes. If so, can you give the readers insight into what you are concocting? I have some beautiful raspberries from Bee Tree I'm thinking of turning into a hot sauce, and bringing back my Grilled Peach BBQ Sauce made with peaches from Orchard Hill Farms.

Can you give me some background on what influenced you to start your own hot sauce company and when it came together? Like a lot of companies, I had started out making sauces with local ingredients for friends and family who kept saying "you should sell these!" I had graduated from culinary school in 2011 after being a stay at home Mom, and didn't want to work in a kitchen 90 hours a week away from my family. So one day I started looking into starting my own sauce business and before long Sweet Heat Gourmet was born in 2012.

Are you trained as a chef? You share a lot of wonderful food recipes on your Facebook page. Yes I am! Many moons ago, I got a job as a prep cook in an upscale restaurant in Connecticut. I worked my way up through the ranks and one night the head chef threw a fit and quit in the middle of the shift. So I took over and was running the kitchen when I was 19. I got away from culinary when I had a family, I worked to put my husband through college. I knew I'd find my way back to the kitchen and did when I started at Penn College in Williamsport, PA in 2008.

Shellie (Sweet Heat Gourmet) and Allen (Two Frys) at the 2014 NYC Hot Sauce Expo

How many farmers markets supply you with the peppers you use and the other ingredients such as the fruits used in the fruit based hot sauces? Right now I source my ingredients from 2 local farmers markets in State College (PA), and our hot peppers come from Meadow View Farm in Kutztown. One of our good friends from Clan Stewart Farm are growing a lot of hot peppers for us this year.

What is your favorite pepper and why? My favorite pepper is the Fatalii. I think it has a fantastic heat that's not overwhelming and a nice citrus flavor. I love using fresh lime juice to bring out the citrus flavor in the pepper.

Do you feel more women own hot sauce companies these days? Yes I actually do! There's a woman here in State College that makes spicy jellies and jams that was a huge help starting my business, Janet Robinson who owns Pipers Peck. She goes to Bowers as well. And I've talked to a few other women who started their companies, Therese Baron of Baron's International Kitchen, and Amy Beck from iBurn.com had been a huge help as well. It's a nice, supportive network. I've also enjoyed conversations with Lisa Derr and Kat Walsh from Bigfat's. Stephanie Lowenstein from Red Hawk Premium Peppers is also a good friend.

Can you pick one favorite hot sauce and BBQ sauce from the Sweet Heat Gourmet line? My favorite hot sauce is the Sinclair's Fatalii Hot Sauce, and for BBQ sauces it's our Bulgogi Asian BBQ Sauce.

Which hot sauce is your top best seller? Definitely the Pineapple and Ghost Pepper, but the Key Lime Pear is gaining popularity.

Some products from Sweet Heat Gourmet from the 2015 NYC Hot Sauce Expo

We plan to cook with the Key Lime Pear Hot Sauce soon. Shellie, what role does your husband have in the company? I remember you told me at the NYC Hot Sauce Expo that he redesigned all the labels. He's a fantastic support for me. He helps when he can, he has a full time job as a software engineer. He did redesign the labels and it was quite a task! He also designs and runs the website, and he makes and bottles our 3 hottest sauces. I wouldn't be where I'm at without his support and encouragement.

It is great to have support from your husband. Shellie, do you feel there are too many hot sauce companies out there? No not at all! I love seeing what the small batch hot sauce companies bring to the table. It's such a fantastic community. I've gotten a lot of support and advice from hot sauce makers like Cajohn Hard, John Dilley, Chris Cullen, Ed Currie, Scott Zalkind, Eyal Goldshmid, James Beck, Al Goldenberg, and on and on and on. I try to live with a pay it forward attitude and help others when I can. I love the chile head community.

It is great to have that kind of support from your fellow chile heads. Which do you prefer, doing weekend markets or hot sauce expos, and which sells more product? I love them both equally. I love being connected to my community, but attending shows like the NYC Hot Sauce Expo are like pure highs. And not to mention it's like a big reunion getting to see people such as you and Allen, (Aw, thanks) Brian and Marilyn Meagher, etc. It's just a ton of fun!

Meet Your Farmers. Sweet Heat Gourmet. (Photo used with permission.)

What advice can you give to women who want to start their own business and may be hesitating? There will never be the "perfect" time. Just go for it! Just take your time and explore your options. Ask questions, there are a lot of people who would be happy to help! (My email is shgourmet@gmail.com) It's worth taking the risk! Just go for it.

To learn more about about Sweet Heat Gourmet and to order their products, please visit: http://www.sweetheatgourmet.com/

-Sophia/Two Frys

Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie fresh out the oven

While I was on vacation in northern California, I made two Lemon Meringue Pies for my father in law, one for Father's Day and the other the day prior to leaving. I used the recipe on the Jello Brand Cook & Serve Lemon Pudding Mix, since it is the one his Mom always made for him. To save time, I used Marie Callender's Pastry Pie Shell. My father in law does not like a whole lot of meringue either, so if you want a heaping amount of it you can double the recipe.

Pie crust cooling

Pie Crust
Ingredients
1 Marie Callender's Pastry Pie Shell

Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Thaw frozen pie shell for 10 minutes.

Using the tines of a fork, prick the bottom and sides of the pie shell.

Bake for 12 minutes or up to 15 minutes; until browned.

Let cool completely before filling; about 30-40 minutes.

Pie filling cooking

Pie filling thickened

Lemon Pie Filling
Ingredients
1 Jello Brand Cook & Serve Lemon Pudding Mix

3/4 cup Sugar

3 Egg Yolks, beaten (Reserve Egg Whites for Meringue)

3 cups Water

Second Lemon Meringue Pie I made my father in law :)

Directions
In a medium size saucepan on low heat, combine using a spatula the Lemon Pudding Mix, sugar, 1/2 cup water and egg yolks.

Stir in remaining 2 1/2 cups water. Increase heat to medium.

Bring to full boil stirring constantly. It will thicken quickly.

Cool for 5 minutes, then stir half way and repeat after the 5 minutes is up.

Pour lemon filling into pastry pie shell.

My father in law with his slice of Lemon Meringue Pie

Meringue
Ingredients
3 Egg Whites
1/3 cup sugar

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Using stand or handheld mixer, beat egg whites on high speed until foamy.

Gradually beat in sugar until stiff peaks form.

Immediately spread over filling sealing to edge of crust.

Bake for 10 minutes or up to 15 minutes until meringue has browned on top.

Cool at room temperature for 4 hours and place in the fridge for to set.

Serve and enjoy!

Half of the Lemon Meringue Pie. Both pies were wiped out real quick!

To make Pie Crust from scratch, I recommend Ina Garten'srecipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/perfect-pie-crust-recipe2.html

-Sophia/Two Frys

Smashburger

Smashburger

Allen's Bacon Cheeseburger

Sophia's Classic Smash

Smashburger opened in our neighborhood a few weeks ago and on Friday we we went there for burger night. I never had Smashburger before and I was quite pleased with the Certified Angus Beef burger and great taste.

Allen's Smash Fries

Sophia's French Fries

I ordered the big Classic Smash with american cheese, smash sauce, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions on an egg burn with large French Fries. The burger was juicy and the Angus taste, sublime. It was burger heaven for me. I love the french fries, which are thin cut with a little crispy bite and soft inside.

Allen's Bacon Cheeseburger with Smash Fries

Sophia's Classic Smash with French Fries

Allen ordered the big Bacon Cheeseburger with Applewood smoked bacon, american cheese, mustard, ketchup, pickles and onions on an egg bun. The bacon was superb and the burger juicy and full of that Angus beef taste us carnivores crave. Allen opted for the large Smash Fries with olive oil, rosemary and garlic and he loved them. I will try these fries next time. Allen said the Smash Fries were really yummy and could taste each of the ingredients.

Allen super excited to have Cholula on the table

Sophia's Classic Smash with lots of ketchup :)

I like that Smashburger have servers to clean the tables and our server was really attentive and more than once asked if we needed anything. Allen and I experienced great customer service and a manager even came up to us and told us about doing a survey online (info was printed on the receipt) and you get free fries on our next visit. We told him we would return next week and we will. Smashburger surpasses other fast food burger joints in Riverdale, and we appreciate having them in our neighborhood.

Smashburger interior of logo. 

For further information on Smashburger, please visit:
www.smashburger.com

-Sophia/Two Frys

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Steak Burritos

Chipotle Mexican Grill opened up just a few weeks ago in our neighborhood. This is a great thing for us since we used to travel into Manhattan on movie night to eat there. Last week, we ate at Chipotle and ordered the same thing, steak burritos. Each of our burritos was packed with the following: cilantro-lime white rice, black beans, fresh tomato salsa (mild) and (hot) for Allen, and sour cream. Allen asked for the house hot sauce and he also added extra Tabasco Chipotle, so his burrito was super spicy.

Allen getting ready to add more hot sauce to his steak burrito

The ingredients are fresh, Non-GMO and everything tastes great. I smothered extra guacamole and salsa from our tortilla chips on my burrito. We also ordered freshly made tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole. Next time we go we will try something new. Our customer service experience was pleasant and the place was crowded. It is cool having Chipotle walking distance from where we live.

Tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole

For further information on Chipotle Mexican Grill, please visit:
www.chipotle.com

-Sophia/Two Frys

NYC Hot Sauce Expo 2015 Page 1

NYC Hot Sauce Expo 2015 Page 1

High River Sauces Presents The 3^rd Annual NYC Hot Sauce Expo

April 25 & 26, 2015

Brooklyn Expo - 79 Franklin Street - Brooklyn, NY

Sophia and I attended the NYC Hot Sauce Expo on Saturday, April 25, 2015. We arrived right when doors opened so we could get plenty of photographs without massive crowds in the way. It was a good thing we started early since the crowds flooded the Expo by late afternoon. The location was at the new Brooklyn Expo, which is accessible to mass transit but we came from Riverdale (Bronx, NY) and opted for a car service each way.

NYC Hot Sauce Expo VIP area grillin'

Allen Fry - Two Frys at Expo 2015

Sophia Fry - Two Frys at Expo 2015

Buffalo Wild Wings indoor booth

The Brooklyn Expo space was beautiful with an open and spacious layout that let in the natural light and there was ample room to get around between each row of hot sauce booths. There were many hot sauce vendors lined up for multiple rows, and we visited each one. The VIP area inside was set up with vendors offering craft beers, alcohol and extended outdoors to food and more vendors to those who purchased VIP passes or were on the VIP list. Sophia ate a burger, Kale salad, and potato salad from the outdoor VIP area and said everything tasted great, but her favorite was the Kale salad.

Indoor VIP area at 10:00 AM before the rush, LOL!

Sophia also bought Honey BBQ Wings from Buffalo Wild Wings and was chased by a bee shortly after. Adjacent to the outdoor VIP area, there were plenty of vendors as well. I did my share of hot sauce tasting, shopping, networking with my fellow Chilihead friends, and met new peeps as well. There were plenty “spicy” related events throughout the day: Bonfatto’s Spice Cream Ice Cream Competition, Grimaldi’s Pizza Eating Contest, Spicy Taco Eating Contest, B-Dub’s Blazin’ Challenge (Chicken Wings Competition) and award ceremonies: Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Screaming Mi Mi Awards.

Sophia enjoying her Buffalo Wild Wings

Inaugural Hot Sauce Hall of Fame 2015 Inductions were:

Chip Hearn (Peppers.com - “King of Wings”)

Dave DeWitt (Author and “Pope of Peppers”)

John Hard (Owner of CaJohn’s Hot Sauce)

Dave Hirschkop (Owner Dave’s Gourmet-Insanity)

Edmund McIlhenny (Created Tabasco 1860’s)

Congratulations!

For Screaming Mi Mi Award winners: see link at the end of the blog article.

A & B American Style Hot Sauce:

It was great to see local company A & B American Style again this year at the Expo. A & B had a nice selection of their sauces both original and new this year. Their carrot based Original Pepper Sauce is a must have for your pantry. Also available from A & B is their new Pepper Sauce with Garlic and a More Heat version of the Original Pepper Sauce. A & B products contain nothing artificial and no sugar as well. Also try NYC Rooftop Brooklyn Grange Edition Hot Sauce. This local company gets more and more popular every year and they have a nice and courteous staff. Their moniker “We’re about flavor. Not just heat.” is a great self explanation of their sauces.

A & B American Style Hot Sauce

Mild to Wild Pepper and Herb Company:

It was cool seeing our friends from Fort Wayne, IN Mild to Wild. They are the creators of many excellent sauces including the Patriotic Semper Fry (Red Savina Sauce) and Stupid Hot. Mild to Wild also has an impressive line of rubs and seasonings for your cooking and BBQ needs. I shall also mention they offer various tasty BBQ Sauces. Mild to Wild has some great hot sauces including extreme sauces like Hazmat, Fatality and Backdraft. Also try their new Ghost Garlic Sauce and Ralph's Righteous Habanero Sauce.

Mild to Wild Booth

 Horseshoe Brand:

Horseshoe Brand had a beautifully designed tasting carriage that looks very professional for events. The shelved booth offered a wide variety of Horseshoe’s flavorful hot sauces. The variety of hot sauce flavors they make is really great. Horseshoe Brand offer 6 or more sauces that are attractive to the mild to hot heat loving public. The heat seekers will love the XXXtra hot flavor as well as other varieties like Roasted Garlic Hot Sauce, Habanero Hot Sauce, Cajun Hot Sauce and Chipotle Hot Sauce to name a few. I was very impressed with their booth and carriage. Horseshoe Brand uses no pepper extracts and use only high quality peppers from around the world. Horseshoe Brand is locally hand-made in historic Rhinebeck, NY.

Horseshoe Brand

Silverleaf International:

Based out of Missouri City, TX the Silverleaf booth had a nice lineup of Salsas and Spicy pickled and infused items. Silverleaf make some of the finest Marinated Garlics I have ever seen. Silverleaf also makes a fine line of Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia) items like Ghost Pepper Salsa, Ghost Pepper Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and now a Ghost Pepper Salsa Verde. If you enjoy spicy marinated garlic, I recommend Silverleaf. You can make many foods and party snacks with their product line. The salsas will certainly be a hit with your chili head friends. Silverleaf also make a Scorpion Pepper Salsa. Silverleaf are a member of the “Go Texan” Organization for Texas made products.

Silverleaf International Booth

Silverleaf International Tasting

Silverleaf International garlics and much more...

Born to Hula:

It was great to see our local friends from Highlands, NJ Born To Hula. We are big fans of their Reaper of Sorrow and Smokin’ Pineapple Hot Sauces. We have cooked with or reviewed both of these sauces on our blog. They also have several other yummy tasting sauces from Mild to Super Hot. Although some of the sauces are hot, the whole line of Born to Hula is about great flavors. It was nice to speak to Ed Bucholtz again, and see his wife. We plan some future reviews of some of their other sauces.

Ed Bucholtz of Born To Hula and Allen Two Frys

Born To Hula Smokin' Pineapple

Born To Hula selection a great sauce line

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NYC Hot Sauce Expo 2015 Page 2

NYC Hot Sauce Expo 2015 Page 2

High River Sauces Presents The 3^rd Annual NYC Hot Sauce Expo

April 25 & 26, 2015

Brooklyn Expo - 79 Franklin Street - Brooklyn, NY

Hoboken Eddies:

It was awesome seeing our buddy Hoboken Eddie (Chef Ed). Eddie is always a character and a pleasure to be with. We spent time hanging out with Chef Ed and talking shop. Eddie has a great line of sauces for all people’s needs from Mild to F/N Hot. All of Chef Ed’s sauces concentrate on mega flavor. His sauces are handmade with love. We talked about sauce, flavors and smoking peppers with Chef Ed. Ed is one of my fave local hot sauce friends and he loves his fans and customers. It shows in his interaction with the public and in his humor. Ed not only makes hot sauce, but also cooks at various events all over the place. I can recommend any of Ed’s flavorful sauces as they all shine. We have both cooked with Ed’s sauces on the blog and have had great successes. We hope to see Hoboken Eddie at more events this year if they are close enough to attend.

Chef Chris Santos with Hoboken Eddie and Allen Fry Two Frys

Hoboken Eddie Loves Ya!

Hoboken Eddies Booth

Hoboken Eddie talking sauce

Hoboken Eddie Decor

Rattler BBQ Sauce (Chef Chris Santos):

It was great meeting Chef Chris Santos, resident Judge on Food Network’s Chopped. We tried his new hot sauce, Rattler and purchased one. We chatted with Chris and Sophia took a photo of Chris with me. Throughout the day, we chatted here and there with Chef Santos. He was very friendly and talkative with his fans. He also mentioned he was looking forward to a Two Frys review of the sauce we purchased from him.

Chef  Chris Santos and Allen Two Frys

Chef Chris Santos created Rattler BBQ Sauce

The Chef Chris Santos "Chopping Block"

Dragon’s Blood Elixir Hot Sauce:

It was cool seeing Dragon’s Blood Elixir again this year. They had a nice variety of different hot sauces to sample and for sale. I personally thought the Avocado Hot Sauce was wonderful. Dragon’s Blood Elixir offers a good sized line of sauces of various heat ranges and tasty flavors.

Dragon’s Blood Elixir Hot Sauce Booth

Dragon’s Blood Elixir Hot Sauce nice flavors

High River Sauces:

It was great seeing Chris Caffery, as we are fans of his music going back to Savatage days. Sophia chatted about the new album he is recording and a new hot sauce in the works. The t-shirt designs were awesome and we both bought several different designs. Steve Seabury and High River are the driving force behind the NYC Hot Sauce Expo and have a wonderful staff and line of hot sauces, which are all great. Based in NY, High River makes some of our fave hot sauces like Tears of the Sun, Hellacious, and Rouge. Also try their Carolina Reaper (The Worlds Hottest Chili Pepper) Hot Sauce, Foo Mama Choo. High River creates a variety of sauces for every type of heat palate. Two Frys can recommend the whole line.

Chris Caffery from High River Sauces

High River Sauces Hot Sauce

High River Sauces Booth

High River Sauces T-shirts and Expo T-shirts

Heartbreaking Dawns:

We had a wonderful visit with Chef Johnny and his wife and cute as heck daughter this year. NJ based Heartbreaking Dawns was one of the first local hot sauce companies we networked with in the early stages of our spicy sauce and food reviews. Johnny has been a friend for several years now and we make an effort to go see him when he does events close to the city. Heartbreaking Dawns (HBD) has some of our most favorite sauces out there. From Allen’s favorite, the milder Classic Gold to the hotter Reaper Sauce we use for roasted veggies. With HBD you know even with the extreme heat sauces, flavor is in the frontline then comes the burn. As Allen says, flavor is key.

Chef Johnny HBD and Allen Two Frys

Heartbreaking Dawns Booth, we both love HBD sauces big time

 Bronx Baking Co. Pretzels:

Bronx Baking Co. had a booth selling their yummy Pretzels. Allen spoke to them about ordering some Bacon wrapped pretzels. The friendly and informative staff told him about where they are made in the borough and who to contact to place and pick up an order. This is great because they are local to us as we live in the Bronx. These pretzels are way better than the soft pretzels vendors sell all over NYC. I plan to do more on our blog with Bronx Baking Co. in the future.

Bronx Baking Co. Booth, soft pretzels go great with hot sauce

 World Famous Hot Sauce:

World Famous Hot Sauce was in attendance and the booth had a cool nautical theme. This matched their branding and was definitely impressive. We are looking forward to cooking or making some party snacks with World Famous soon. 

World Famous Hot Sauce had a cool Nautical themed booth

Queen Majesty Hot Sauce:

Brooklyn, NY based Queen Majesty Hot Sauce currently offer 2 products: Jalapeño Tequila & Lime Hot Sauce, which was recently featured on Two Frys and Scotch Bonnet & Ginger Hot Sauce. Allen enjoyed the Scotch Bonnet & Ginger Hot Sauce and loved how the ginger complimented the heat of the Scotch Bonnet. It was nice to talk to them and we recently met them at a previous local event.

Queen Majesty Hot Sauce Booth

Queen Majesty Hot Sauce Scotch Bonnet and Ginger

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