Flipper's Fury

Origins - 2024-11-15

Hot sauce for the locals

It's all about food. My wife and I bond over making meals together, sharing new recipes, and cooking for the people we love. We love pushing our comfort level and exploring new spices. As a matter of fact, one of my favorite stores in Montreal - where I grew up - is the Anatol spice shop. They've got so much variety there. It's amazing how a spice shop can be a catalyst for creativity. You get to explore the world from your kitchen - Lebanese Shistaouk, Cambodian Seafood Amok, Spanish Paella, Moroccan Tagine, Mexican Adobo...

One key piece of our food-loving story involves my mother-in-law and her yearly garden. In recent years, she’s been venturing into growing different kinds of chilis, much to my delight. Coming from a Chilean background, I’ve always had a love for spice. It’s woven into the way I experience food, how I remember family meals, and what I crave.

When we moved from Montreal in 2020, her garden took on a whole new meaning. Every fall, she’s sent us a shoebox full of her chili harvest: all kinds of peppers, each one wrapped in love and a bit of heat. Last year, I went all out and made my first hot sauces. A chili sauce, a jalapeño dill sauce, and a mango habanero hot sauce. I handed them out to my friends, and they were a hit.

This year, the shoebox arrived again, packed full of peppers. I decided to make another batch of hot sauces, and I even ventured into making chili jam. It came out good, though a little too runny for my liking. But the sauces were bomb. My friends again told me to try to sell them. One of my buddies, who runs the local bar (shoutout to the Chieftain!!), was extra enthusiastic. He even asked if he could sell the hot sauce at his bar.

The Chieftain has a pinball theme, so when it came to naming my hot sauce, I knew I had to get creative. After hours of brainstorming and label designs that drove me slightly mad, I landed on “Flipper’s Fury.” Designing that label was a whole other adventure: countless versions, playing with AI, and lots of second-guessing. It turned out that the label design was harder than the entire process of cooking the sauce, sterilizing bottles, and all the rest. But finally, it clicked.

It was October, and the sauce had this bright orange hue, perfect for a fall vibe. I played up the Halloween spirit, designing a label that felt like a nod to pumpkins and jack-o’-lanterns. And then came the funny part: the eyes of my jack-o’-lantern looked like pinball flippers. It all tied together, completely by accident. The simplest things, sometimes, just work out.

So here we are. I'm just happy to create something that people can enjoy. Great things come from the simplest loves: food, family, and a bit of fiery flavor.