The Toad & The Butterfly, a Blog
Celebrating Motherhood
To all the mothers out there - mothers in all their forms - thank you for being you. It can be complicated, but the world is better for having mothers in it.
Small farms, big flavor
Small farms are more than just a place that grows food. They enrich the soil and the fabric of their communities while giving us a more resilient foodshed.
There is no wrong way
"What should I eat the caramel on?" I think that the better question is, "Is there anything that the caramel *doesn't* taste good on?"
The sweetest onions make the best hot sauce
I came up with the idea of smoking onions in the summer of 2016, when my husband and I were testing out our new smoker with the "will it smoke" game. Pro-tip: Smoked bananas are ... not good. Smoked walla-walla onions, on the other hand, are just bliss.
New micro time
We have three pretty spectacular new microbatch hot sauce for you to try. We had just a blissful tasting session and those bottles sure as heck made it home with me.
I love regulation
Every single recipe we make has to be reviewed by a Scheduled Process Authority and submitted to the FDA. We have critical control points of temperature and pH. We save partial bottles from every batch for a few days after production for the 2 pH tests that we have to take from every batch.
2025 is our year of trade shows!
Most companies start selling at trade shows when they are first trying to get their name out in the world. But BBVT is 21 years old and it finally seemed like a natural progression after getting our first street sign at 20 years old.
The newest Hot Ones sauce
The other day, my oldest daughter came home from school and told me that it was cool that her friends saw me on the news. I clearly have reached the pinnacle of small-fish-small-pond fame when my own child thinks that I'm cool. I couldn't be more proud.
