Biography
Our Story
Growing up in a Haitian household, there were a variety of dishes that my mom and aunt cooked for the family. Dishes ranged from griot (fried pork), legume vegetables with turkey or ham, Djon Djon (black mushrooms rice) and Sòs pwa (Haitian bean sauce) to name a few.
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With those and many other dishes, there was always homemade Pikliz available. Pikliz is Haitian pickled coleslaw with cabbage, carrots, garlic and Scotch Bonnet peppers in vinegar, that provides a spicy compliment to any dish. Not matter what dish was in front of me, Pikliz was mixed in with my food or served on the side. However, mom was never pleased saying I can't eat that with everything she cooked. She lost that battle.
Living in South Florida, a melting pot of different cultures, you get exposed to a variety of foods. I was always seeking some type of hot dish/sauce for my palate such as homemade Jamaican jerk, picante from Latin household, Garam masala to a variety of American hot sauces. No matter where I’m eating: at home or at a restaurant, the first thing I look or ask for is some form of hot sauce. Always a bit disappointed when none are available or when one is provided, it doesn’t have that heat for my taste buds.
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My love for hot sauce evolved into gardening my own peppers ranging from jalapeños, serrano peppers, yellow scotch bonnet peppers to chocolate scotch bonnet...purple bonnet to some islanders. My passion for hot sauce manifested into making homemade pepper sauces that were obviously hot.
Even though the level of the heat caused sweat to trickle down my forehead, to me - the hot sauce was missing flavor. I love heat but I also love flavor. Therefore, I began to experiment with an assortment of other ingredients to give the sauces flavor.
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My creations over the years were for my own enjoyment but then family and friends began to inquire about my concoctions. Their inquiries turned into relishing the different hot sauces I created over time.
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When working on a certain pepper sauce concoction I tried to emulate from a previous cook, I created a sauce that provide the heat with a sweetness that was flavorful and blended well with the heat. I worked on improving the recipe and gave it to others to enjoy. Then, I started to get requests for more of that same sauce, but I never produced them for selling purposes…I enjoy cooking, creating just using imagination.
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At the time, I was only receiving feedback from family and friends. I wanted to make sure my sauces would appeal to a wider range of people outside of my own tastebuds. Therefore, I made more to give out to co-workers and even strangers at stores, gas stations and other places for objective opinions and critiques and put in some revision. After making sure the sauce has kick but not overpowering the flavor, I believe this is a sauce that you would truly love to have on any dish. That hot sauce with flavor. WOODPEPPER SAUCES was created.
Founder
Woody Jean-Gilles
