BY KRISTEN CLOUD – The Shelby Report – June 4, 2014
When Executive Chef Clyde Van Arsdall first ground and bottled his habanero chili hot sauce (originally called “Orange Crush”) for friends and family in San Diego, he had no idea that 20 years later he would be refining the recipe and rolling out a line of handcrafted hot sauces nationally for his own company.
“We’re so excited to be ramping up production and moving into our new facility in Lemon Grove so we can really focus on serving our customers and expanding our presence on San Diego tabletops and beyond,” says Van Arsdall, founder and owner of Chingon Hot Sauce.
And with hot sauce production currently ranked as the eighth fastest growing industry in the nation, Van Arsdall’s timing couldn’t be better.
“These days, consumers are really appreciating and seeking out natural products made by artisans using local ingredients, and that’s our wheelhouse,” he adds. “Chingon Hot Sauces are 100 percent handcrafted and bottled in San Diego using all-natural ingredients, including the best chili peppers grown in California’s Central Valley.”
With three heat levels to choose from, Chingon Hot Sauce is sure to have a sauce to please every palate. “Big Rojo,” Chingon’s mildest sauce, is made from Red Fresno chilies; “Maquina Verde,” the medium heat sauce, is crafted using green jalapeno peppers; and the hottest sauce, aptly named “Stupid Hot” (the original “Orange Crush”), is produced from orange habanero peppers.
Chingon Hot Sauces currently are available online and served and sold at a number of San Diego restaurants, craft beer bars, breweries and community retail markets, as well as featured on Taco Tuesdays at Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres baseball team.
Most recently, gourmet retailer Sur La Table placed an order to be sold online and at its 100-plus store locations nationwide.
“Being a culinary professional and longtime adoring customer of Sur La Table, it’s a real dream to be recognized by the company on this level, and for Sur La Table to share our San Diego-born products with their customers online and across the country, well, we’re thrilled,” says Van Arsdall.
