History

I've always been fascinated by the balance of sweet and hot in foods from around the world, particularly in cuisines from Asia and the Caribbean. The fruit-based salsas I began to experiment with in 1998 seemed to be a good foundation of sweet to build upon. The fact that the end result the finished product would be quite healthy was appealing as well.  I started with more of a pico de gallo (fresh, uncooked salsas), made from nectarines and pineapples and developed the proportions of other ingredients.  After trying several different types and blends of peppers, I finally decided that the mighty habaňero was the ideal heat to accompany the sweet.

The trouble was no matter how ripe the fruits were, I had to add some sugar to the mixture to achieve the proper balance of sweet with the heat. A new grocery chain to New Orleans put mangoes on a loss leader sale of 10 for a dollar over the 4th of July week the following summer, so I decided to try them in the recipe. They provided the perfect level of sweet to balance with the heat. Furthermore, I found that I could give the texture a boost and further develop the flavors of the fresh ingredients by heating them. Heating the product also allowed me to home-can the salsa so it could be shared with others.

I had long been associated with an on-line magazine and participated on its forums. I sent jars of it out to folks to try and the response was stunningly positive. Soon I had people asking me to make it for them the next time mangoes went on sale. A couple of years later, I saw the annual sale had been posted and made it known that I was making a batch, how much it would cost per jar and the shipping costs. By the end of the weekend I had orders for over 250 pints... and that was with standard UPS residential shipping… which was as much as $25 a case! Clearly, this product had some potential.

After filling those orders I realized that my own home kitchen was not adequate for the task of making the product.  Soon thereafter the grocery chain left the New Orleans market completely, taking my supply of cheap mangoes with them. So I only made small quantities of it when mangoes went on sale and shared it with family and close friends. Of course there were always people saying "You really ought to produce this commercially". But I was working and busy being a husband and father so it sat on the back shelf of my mind.

Then came Hurricane Katrina in 2005. New Orleans was many feet under water and my life completely shifted gears--literally overnight. I relocated to suburban Atlanta where my wife and children quickly settled into new lives. Since my wife was in a profession much more in demand (and much more highly paid) than mine, she took a new job here and I became a "stay at home dad." I began to study the process of getting my products made commercially in my (limited) spare time. Slowly and methodically - with many setbacks - I managed to get the job done and am now able to offer you the opportunity to try my SweetHeat™ for yourself.  I hope you enjoy my products wherever you find yourselves to be.

- Jason Clabaugh
Founder, Big Orson's Sauce & Salsa Factory, Inc.