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Hello! Let me say thank you for stopping
in on my web site. If you opened this page, then I guess you have an interest
in who I am and how I got started in this adventure.
My nickname throughout
my high school years was bear. I like to think it was because I had a
bear hug that was all that. It's either that or because of my genetic
make up. I had a full beard in my junior year and was larger than most
other kids. Keeping the bear moniker just seems natural.
Ok, the history.
I guess it all started about 24 years ago when I had my very first Chicken
wing. I had never had hot and spicy food before that fateful night, and
I suppose you can say that was my jumping off point. Back then I broke
a sweat with normal wing sauce, before sauces and wings became insane!
I graduated from that night at a friend's house to going out to restaurants
for wings with a group and then getting a desire for the hotter.
I was
able to take a tremendous amount of heat and enjoy it and started challenging
the cooks. They soon would come to the table to see if I could really
eat what they prepared. I still believe that some used radioactive materials.
My roommate at the time got hold of some Thai Chili Peppers and made a
sauce out of them. The results were a very satisfying meal and a split
lip that took months to heal. Thanks Kevin. After that, I started to refine
my tastes and was now looking for the perfect burn with the perfect taste,
at least for me.
At one point, I decided to make my own sauce. I knew
what I wanted and didn't want. Commercial hot sauces, in my estimation
at least, have way too much sodium. I wanted a hotter sauce than what
was commercially available, with more flavor and less salt. For 15 years
I tried, making Guinea Pigs out of friends and family until I got it right.
It was common place for me to bring a gallon jar of sauce to all the family
functions, asking what they thought and how they liked it. I achieved
a sauce that is full of taste, low in salt, all natural and with no artificial
flavors or preservatives. Heck, my mother even loved it when I made a
batch for her using pepperchini. (We are considering on whether to market
the milder version for the light weights).
My pepper etiquette has come
a long way since then. I no longer try to eat atomic sauces or challenge
cooks. I appreciate a full bodied, aromatic sauce almost as a fine wine.
Not too hot, not too thin, not overpowering or rude. Just right. My sauces
are a burn you'll yearn for once you have tried them. My family uses it
for chips and dips, barbecue and broiling. I like to say that Bhig Bear
is love in a bottle, and I hope you will agree.
The saying goes that behind
every successful man is a good woman holding him up, and boy is my Michelle
that. Not only was she the force behind convincing me to bottle my sauces
and make it available for the WHOLE WIDE WORLD to enjoy, she even came
up with the spelling of the company name. Michelle has a discerning palette
and although not a fan of super hot foods, she uses my creation on loads
of stuff, from pizza to steak. And mind you she is not alone in this.
A friend used it as a salad dressing and claimed he couldn't get enough
on the greens. Many friends and family have also used my sauce in different
and interesting combinations.
If you are one of those people who have
tried any of the Bhig Bear family of sauces on something different and
unusual, even weird by normal standards, please don't forget to add your
culinary adventure on the submissions page. Let's share the love!
We are
a new company with lots of ideas for new products. I promise I will not
market something unless I or my family loves it. If you want a guarantee,
here it goes. You will love my sauces, or you won't. Period.
Once again,
thank you very much for stopping by, and please, buy something!!
The Bear
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