Homemade Salsa Makes It To Market Shelves
Gabriel Mendez figured his salsa was pretty hot stuff. Now he’s got the plaque to prove it.
The Mexican-born Spokane resident, who started selling his salsa a mere three months ago, took first place in the commercial competition at the recent Pasco Fiery Foods Festival.
For years, Mendez made salsa for friends as a hobby. Finally, one of his co-workers suggested he market it. Mendez Salsa is available at most Tidyman’s supermarkets (including those in Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene) and at some Rosauers stores in Spokane.
It’s fresh salsa in a plastic tub, marked with an expiration date and kept cold in the produce or deli sections. A 16-ounce container sells for $3.79 to $3.99, in mild, medium or hot versions.
Unlike most salsas, which get their heat from jalapeno peppers, Mendez uses habaneros - the hottest chiles around. For the Pasco contest, he cooked up an extra-hot version with a deceptively slow-building burn, which we had the privilege of sampling. (Our cold cleared up almost immediately.)
Next on Mendez’s ambitious agenda: guacamole and bean dip.
More firepower
Three products submitted by Mango ‘n Chili, Spokane’s prime purveyor of incendiary sauces, also placed in the Pasco competition.
Ring of Fire, a habanero hot sauce made in San Diego, was the winner among commercial hot sauces (the non-salsa, condiment-type stuff).
In the commercial barbecue sauce category, first place went to Crazy Cajun All Purpose & Bar-B-Cue Sauce from Thibodaux, La. - which lists “brewed coffee” as its first ingredient - while Dave’s Gourmet Greatest Grilling Sauce, a mustardbased sauce out of San Francisco, finished third.
All are available at Mango n’ Chili, 9301 N. Division (468-5292 or 1-800-468-5292). Look for their new store next month in the Schade Brewery Public Market, 528 E. Trent.
Natural resources
If your tastes run more to healthy than hot (not that the two can’t co-exist peacefully), be sure to check out the annual Autumnal Equinox Celebration this Friday and Saturday at Lorien Herbs & Natural Foods, 414 E. Trent.
Free samples of more than 30 products will be available, including honey-sweetened ice cream, naturally flavored sodas, cereals, wheat-free pastas and frozen Indian dinners.
There’s also a charity carnival to benefit the Spokane Food Bank, Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursey and Aids Life Link, and a Boy Scout car wash.
For information, call 456-0702.
, DataTimes MEMO: We’re always looking for fresh food news. Write to: The Fresh Sheet, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call 459-5446; fax 459-5098.