The Toad & The Butterfly, a Blog

This is the third time that we have been called out in Food & Wine - more than any other craft hot sauce maker in the world. I’m incredibly proud. But the coolest part of getting national attention like this is knowing the folks who helped us get here.

When we bottled up the Pride Pack 🌈 Sauces we had a little bit leftover of 4 of the hot sauces. I didn't tell anyone about it because I wanted to give the Pride Pack 🌈 it's time to shine.

Growing up, I always associated corn with the East Coast. I grew up in California, which has an abundance of great produce, but you can’t get corn picked just hours ago when you live in the "big city."

I became a Guster fan when I saw them opening for Barenaked Ladies in 2000, and then more so when my now-husband and I bonded over our love of the band. And then even more so when Guster’s lead singer and I bonded over our love of all things weird and wonderful.

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to speak in the Fermentation Tent at the Vermont Brewfest. I spoke there last year and had a great time, but this year we'd already sold out of our only fermented hot sauce, Rum Barrel Fermented Smoked Jalapeño. I needed something new to bring with me.

Word of mouth built this company one bottle, one jar, and one customer at a time. It worked - for over 20 years. But over the last year I realized that nobody can tell our story the way I can.

Walking those fields last week reminded me that every bottle starts long before we light the smoker or pour the sauce. It starts with choosing the right varieties, healthy soil, and months of tending a crop that we'll eventually turn into hot sauce.

My favorite thing about making new micros every month is that we're pushed to be creative on demand. Sometimes creativity comes in a flash of insight, but there is a special earned feeling to creativity that you have to build as a skill.

This is exactly what I want Pepper Patrons to feel like. A chance for connection and learning, understanding why ingredients taste the way they do, and share in the experiments happening around our kitchen.

This month we went into the freezer and pulled out some peppers that don't always get the spotlight. Boldog Hungarian peppers. Velociraptors. Beautiful, classic cayennes.

When we sat down to decide what we wanted to do for Pride this year, I knew I wanted to do something different. One person suggested that we simplify things. Then another suggested we make it more complicated.

If you’re putting together your own picnic condiment kit, this sauce pulls it all together.

The April Microbatch drop features a no heat, a low heat and medium sauce that makes folks lose their ever-loving minds.

There’s a moment every year when you smell that first grill firing up and you take a deep breath. Dinner moves outside. Friends linger longer. And whatever’s on those grates deserves better than ketchup.