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Eater
3 days ago
- Business
- Eater
A Legendary Chicago Name Dips Into The World of Condiments
Walter Kinzie wants people to think bigger when it comes to selecting what they want to dip their foods into, to go beyond typical options like barbecue sauce. A direct descendant of John Kinzie, one of Chicago's first settlers; he's who the street's named after. Walter Zinzie founded Kinzie Foods in 2022, a sauce company with off-the-wall flavors including pickle, espresso, and Carolina Reaper Walter Kinzie encourages consumers to expand their usage to upgrade their Bloody Marys, dips, schmears, stews, and more. 'This was just a byproduct of growing up very, very poor,' says Kinzie. 'We couldn't afford to go get all the different condiments out there. We used barbecue sauce on everything. It wasn't something that was saved for smoked meats or brisket or ribs.' The flavors are tangy, rich, sweet, and spicy (the kind that provides a flavorful zing, not an uncomfortable burning sensation). Kinzie doesn't spend much time on research and development. With an informal cooking background, he makes small batches, tests the product, and if it's up to his liking, it goes to market. Kinzie didn't set out to be a food entrepreneur. As founder of Encore Holdings, Kinzie was already running a successful event production company out of Grand Rapids, South Dakota, which he started in 2010. Headliners for his event included Garth Brooks, Metallica, and Bon Jovi. It was this first business that gave birth to his second. 'I started sharing bottles of my aunt's barbecue sauce as a thank you for people I worked with,' says Kinzie on his gifting practice at Encore. 'I wanted to provide something really special for my clients, for the celebrities I work with, and folks like that, where they knew I made it. I never wanted a business out of it. The business was created out of a demand, not a desire.' Fiery, a spicy smoke sauce with more flavor than heat, was the first recipe his Aunt Ann created. It was home-cooked and jarred in plain Mason jars, which were gifted with no markings. The first label employed was hand-drawn by his daughter, printed, and glued on. As the flavor options grew, a simple green duct tape was used, and the name of the condiment was written out by hand. Over time, demand for Aunt Ann's sauces grew. So much so that Kinzie decided to start charging people for the bottles with the hope that it would minimize his workload. It had unintended consequences. 'I basically got to a point where I had to charge people because it was something that I couldn't afford to just keep giving away,' he remembers. 'I fully expected everyone to say, 'Hey, thanks for the gifts over the last several years, but we're not willing to pay for it,' and the exact opposite happened. More people started paying for it.' The company website went live on October 3, 2024, as a direct-to-consumer brand. Kinzie selected various markets across the U.S. to test his product at food shows and community events. Seattle, Cleveland, Denver, and Chicago were among the cities selected. Kinzie chose them because they were places where he 'didn't already have strong connections.' It was a way to test whether there really was interest in what he was selling or if his network was simply paying him lip service. One city stood out above the rest. 'Chicago really embraced our product,' says Kinzie. 'This is based on metrics; this isn't anecdotal belief. The market embraced funkier flavors like espresso and pickle, more so than any of the other markets we're in. It's no surprise to me, [Chicago] is a market that appreciates barbecue and is very food-focused and always on the cutting edge.' Armed with this information, nine months after the business launched, the entrepreneur decided to redirect all marketing and advertising dollars toward Chicago. Even with John Kinzie's Chicago ties, it's a city that Walter Kzine only recently started to get to know. However, it's a city that already knows him. 'I was staying at the Residence Inn on Kinzie Street during a sales trip last winter, and the lady that checked me in asked, 'Are you related to the murderer?'' says the founder. 'I was like 'I'm related to the guy that donated the land that the streets are named after' and she was like, yeah, and he murdered someone right outside where our hotel is right now.' I went upstairs, got settled, and the first thing I Googled was that.' Walter is a descendant of John Kinzie, a Quebec native who lived from 1763 to 1828. Beyond being credited as one of the city's first non-indigenous settlers, he's also credited with the city's first murder in 1812. He would flee Chicago before returning in 1816, where he spent his remaining years. Walter grew up in Edna, Kansas, and up until he began Kinzie Foods, he hadn't spent much time in Chicago. That's all changing, and it appears as if he's already beginning to see the twists and turns the city provides. '[John] had this very strange affinity with Chicago, with the land, unsuccessfully running for mayor, murdering someone, and now one of the most prestigious streets in the community named after him,' says Kinzie. 'That's a story made for Chicago, if you ask me.' And so is the tale of the man who returns to the city his ancestor helped build 200 years later, with a plan to make a name for himself. Kinzie's sauces can be purchased online, food festivals, and will be part of the Windy City Smokeout lineup. See More:
Business Insider
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
I invented the world's hottest pepper twice, in a top-secret location where my pickers carry firearms
I'm always working on new pepper breeds and have one even hotter than Pepper X. I'm not chasing records, though. I enjoy the challenge of making a hot pepper that tastes good. I closely guard my pepper creations. Some fields where I grow are kept at top-secret locations. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with pepper farmer and founder of PuckerButt Pepper Company, Ed Currie. Currie created the Carolina Reaper, which first broke the Guinness World Record for hottest pepper in 2013 and held that title until 2023, when another of Ed's creations, Pepper X, took the new title. It has been edited for length and clarity. We grow peppers across many secret farms in South Carolina. It takes eight to 10 years to create a new pepper, and there are always new pepper breeds I'm working on. People think I'm chasing records. I'm not. I like the challenge of making a pepper hot that also tastes good. Needless to say, we keep security tight around here. All of us are armed, including the pickers. A while back, one guy claimed to have stolen some Pepper X, but he was standing in the middle of a jalapeño and habanero field. So we knew it wasn't Pepper X. He got in a lot of trouble, though. Since then, we haven't had issues with thieves but there are other threats like coyotes and copperheads. We've got to be prepared. I don't know if you've ever seen a coyote, but they don't like humans too much. To anyone who wants to steal my hottest peppers, I say, you'll never find them. Those fields are kept top secret. Please help BI improve our Business, Tech, and Innovation coverage by sharing a bit about your role — it will help us tailor content that matters most to people like you. Continue By providing this information, you agree that Business Insider may use this data to improve your site experience and for targeted advertising. By continuing you agree that you accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . How we grow the hottest peppers in the world We're in a subtropical zone with ideal conditions: great soil, long growing seasons, and regular rain. I breed peppers with various techniques, one is crossbreeding with simple paintbrushes. I take a flower from one plant, brush it with the paintbrush to collect its pollen, and then transfer that pollen to another flower on another plant. Then I remove all the other flowers I haven't cross-pollinated, so only the cross gets to fruit. Maybe out of say 200 plants, you might get 20 that produce a fruit that is viable for you to go on with. And then what might reach maturity is maybe 10 of those. We don't use synthetic chemicals, our pest control strategy is bugs. I buy ladybugs, green lacewings, and praying mantises every year and release them in the field. They do a better job than any chemical. The real pests are deer who eat the pepper plants. One year, we lost over 30,000 plants in a weekend to a herd of deer. We now build fences around our crops, which helps keep them out. Hurricanes can also be an issue. One field had eight feet of water over it after a hurricane. We lost the majority of our crop in that field, but still had a lot more plants to replenish it. This isn't just a business for me I was a drunk and a drug addict until 1999. So really, for over a decade, my life was just finding how to make more money to do more drinking and more drugging. I'm in recovery from addiction, and I truly believe peppers helped save me and stay clean. Hot peppers can release endorphins and dopamine in the body, so it kind of takes the edge off that craving. In fact, we're working with doctors to explore peppers in opiate detox. A tummy ache is better than a methadone dependency. I start every day with pepper oil in my coffee. Then, I'll head to my pepper farms and taste peppers there all day. It's a regular part of my diet. We already have a new pepper that has enough data to beat Pepper X, but I want three more years of data before releasing it. I don't want any controversy when it comes out. We also have one that's coming in hotter than that, and we just started the data on that one, so it's going to be five to seven more years before we release that one. Going hotter isn't just about the heat, it's about economies of scale. We only sell about 2% of our peppers whole; the rest we turn into mash, powder, or sauce that can be added to hot sauce recipes. So, if you're using 55 gallons of habanero mash to heat something up, I can do the same with five gallons of Carolina reaper, or one gallon of Pepper X. So I get more bang for my buck. This story was adapted from Ed Currie's interview for Business Insider's series " Big Business." Learn more about Currie and the hot pepper businesses in the video below:
The Citizen
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Chilli fest to heat up Durban North this weekend
Chilli fest to heat up Durban North this weekend The Great East Coast Chilli Festival, presented by Titanium Media South Africa (TMSA) take places on April 26 at the Northwood Crusaders Sports Club in Durban North. Also read: Counting down to the Highland Gathering Backed by title sponsor TMSA and partners Kadipore and Ultibro Farms, the festival promises another red-hot experience from 09:00 to 16:00. At the heart of the event is the adrenaline-pumping Chilli Pod Eating Championship, drawing fearless contenders from across South Africa. In 2023, competitors battled through 16 intense rounds — starting with mild jalapeños and ending with the feared Carolina Reaper, once crowned the world's hottest chilli. Last year's contest peaked at 12 rounds, and 2025's showdown is expected to be even spicier. Now firmly established as Durban's premier culinary attraction, the festival is set to welcome spice lovers, foodies, thrill-seekers, and families from all corners of the region. 'We're thrilled to present a festival that showcases Durban's vibrant culinary scene while uniting food lovers, chefs, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders,' said festival founder Nick Papadopoulos. 'This event goes beyond just flavour — it's a celebration of culture, tourism, and community spirit, made possible through our partnerships with TMSA and East Coast Radio.' Guests will also enjoy award-winning entries from the Artisanal Sauce Tasting Competition, held earlier in the week, showcasing the talents of KZN's finest chilli artisans. Festival highlights include: The Fastest Bunny Chow Eating Contest Live Chilli Cooking Demos A Dedicated Kids Zone Chill Zone for Relaxation Celebrity Appearances and Influencer Meetups High-Energy Stage Performances TMSA Director Sheetal Cross said the festival is more than just heat — it's a journey through our rich culinary heritage and a powerful driver of economic empowerment. 'By spotlighting small-scale producers and innovators, we're honouring tradition while fuelling growth across key industries like tourism, agribusiness, and hospitality.' Tickets for The Great East Coast Chilli Festival are available via Quicket, with options ranging from individual passes to family packages. For media inquiries, sponsorships, vendor applications, or competition entries, contact Nick Papadopoulos at 084 505 0113, hello@ or visit For more from Northglen News, follow us on Facebook , X or Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
