At Gatewood Hall we are always on the search for new products! A few weeks ago one of our wonderful guests told me about a gourmet product that was created and made in Atlanta. I love Georgia products so I was interested…I quickly did some research and hooked up with Sue Sullivan the creator of a product called Hot Squeeze Sweet Heat Chipotle Sauce. Once I heard her story I knew that I wanted to try the product and meet her. So this past weekend I received my sample and started on my research (and you thought I was off being lazy on Saturday!) I am so happy that I looked into this because I love Sue’s products and after having the pleasure of meeting her I am excited to be a part of her adventure to get her product in the hand of everyone. It is clear that she is a passionate entrepreneur who is proud of her creation and wants to share it with folks and I just love that about her! I want to share Sue’s story and tell you about her two sauces!
Before Hot Squeeze, Sue Sullivan was a caterer in Atlanta, Georgia she began catering when her children were babies as a way to be a stay-at-home mom. Sue’s husband, who at that time worked for CNN, hired Sue for her first film production catering job. The business grew and grew and by the time her children were teenagers, she had taken on a business partner, renovated a commercial kitchen in her home and was working full time catering film production lunches.
Hot Squeeze began innocently enough as a chipotle glaze for a pork tenderloin served at one of those lunches. It was an instant hit, so she tried the glaze over grilled salmon and flank steak. Then she started using it in recipes for black bean chili, stews, and mashed sweet potatoes. It became a signature ingredient in her catering menus and a staple on their tables. Sue and her partner soon found that clients poured it on everything—meats, vegetables and even on salads, soon it had to be available at every lunch they served.
Word about the delicious sauce spread within the industry and film crews from all over the US, when on assignment in Atlanta, began to request catering from the “two women with the incredible sauce,” and they soon became known as the “Chipotle Sisters.” Clients begged them to bottle the sauce so that they could buy it at home.
For years Sue’s clients continued to tell her that she should bottle the sauce, and for years she would look at them like they were crazy — She was busy enough running a catering company and as she says she had no clue how to bottle a sauce.
As a self-proclaimed workout-aholic, Sue tells the story that her spin class instructor always asks that the group share their New Year's resolutions. In 2006, she told her class that she was finally going to get Hot Squeeze into a bottle. It took her 10 months to actually do this! She said that she asked a lot of questions, researched everything, and then took a leap of faith, but in October of 2006 the first run of 500 cases of Hot Squeeze was produced. (Sue says she felt a little like Lucy in the candy factory when she saw those first bottles come off the assembly line!)
So what exactly is Hot Squeeze Sweet Heat Chipotle? Well it is a very versatile sauce with personality. It's smoky (because of the chipotle, a smoked jalapeno pepper). It's spicy, it's sweet, it's sassy and it's sexy all in one bottle!
Use it as a condiment, like a steak sauce. But it’s not just for steak—it jazzes up everything on your plate from meat, fish, potatoes, to vegetables and even salad.
Use it as a finishing glaze. Let’s say you’ve just grilled up some salmon. Squeeze on the Hot Squeeze and watch as it coats the fish with a sexy glaze that tastes as great as it looks. Tired of baked chicken? Transform it into something exceptional with a little Hot Squeeze! Some say it’s got Asian nuances, others think southwestern and still others think barbecue. Once you realize how good Hot Squeeze is on food, try using it in recipes for chili, black beans, vegetable casseroles and soups, it adds that extra zip. Mix it with mayonnaise for a sandwich spread or add it to vinaigrettes for a new twist on salad dressings Hot Squeeze can be used as a stir-fry sauce and a bbq sauce. Hot Squeeze can be drizzled over goat cheese or cream cheese for an easy appetizer or used as a dip for egg rolls or meatballs.
Sue’s newest creation is Hot Squeeze Orange Ginger Zing (OGZ) It’s got a bold burst of orange and fresh ginger and just a little bit of zing. Like Chipotle Sweet Heat, this sauce was created to do everything! I used it on shrimp this week and served it with brown rice and it was outrageous. It tasted like a gourmet recipe that I had worked on for hours! Sue said people have even used OGZ on cheesecakes and ice-cream. And the great news is that we all know that Ginger is really good for you!
Both of the Hot Squeeze flavors puts an end to condiment clutter because you can clear out all those other bottles of sauce. With Hot Squeeze you’ve got it all—sauce, marinade, dressing, glaze—in one bottle! I’m already addicted. I LOVE THIS STUFF!! It is a sassy, all-purpose sauce that is good for you, too! All natural, fat free, low sodium, kosher and shelf stable. Each flavor has endless uses in your recipes and at your table…come try it this weekend…I promise you are going to be addicted too!
You know it is addiction when you are at one of the new "trendy & fancy" gourmet burger places in Atlanta and you are enjoying what once was your favorite turkey burger and you think to yourself..."Darn, do I have that sample bottle of Hot Squeeze in my car? it would be awesome on this!" Yep- I seriously did that!!
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