the backstory

chef Krista
Van Wagner

I was born and raised in Buffalo, NY. My love for cooking began at a very early age when I had the chance to help my grandfather in his Tavern called Curly’s. Having this wonderful restaurant experience inspired me to attend the Culinary Institute of America, the country’s top Cooking School. Upon graduation, I had the opportunity to cook in a variety of restaurants around the USA, Europe, Jamaica and Grand Cayman.

Hellicious Hot Sauce & Jerkalicious Hot Sauce
the sauces

HOW IT STARTED

Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, the home of the Chicken Wing, I thought it would be fun to create a delicious Hot Sauce that would add heat to all kinds of foods—including Buffalo Wings! As an Executive Chef at a Runaway Bay, Jamaica Resort, I discovered the Scotch Bonnet Pepper. With an incredible unique flavor, this fiery pepper was the answer to zip up those wings. Another culinary opportunity took me to Hell, Grand Cayman, a town named for what appears to be the smoldering remains of a Hell fire. This location inspired me to continue to develop my recipe, and so the perfect recipe was created and the Hot Sauce was born. The Sauce consists of all natural ingredients –sautéed onions, garlic, fresh thyme, scotch bonnet peppers and tomatoes simmered for hours. And unlike most other hot sauces aged with vinegar in oak barrels, the sautéing & simmering creates a whole new experience. First you taste the flavors up front and at the end, experience the heat from the scotch bonnet pepper. One important health benefit is that this Hot Sauce has a very low sodium content! As you can imagine, the Hot Sauce was a popular item in the local gift shops as a souvenir to be brought back home from Hell!