Interview: Salamander Hot Sauces

Last week, I had the pleasure of trying some amazing hot sauces, made and served right here in Park Slope. The batch we tried was made in the kitchen of Fifth Avenue's Backyard and served with their BLT, Meatloaf and Lobster Salad Sliders, as well as their amazing New England Clam Chowder (Photo below).

After the feast, we had some questions for Salamander's owner, Timothy Kavarnos:

Where are you from originally and what brought you to Park Slope?
I am originally from CT. I moved to Park Slope in 2001 because I had a friend that lived here and I always loved the vibe whenever I had come to visit. Once I settled in I took several jobs around Manhattan then eventually took a job at Stone Park Café. This is when I truly fell in love with the area. The food and the people are incredible here.

I tried your hot sauces and they really are amazing, especially with the great food at Backyard. Lots of flavor, plenty of heat but not overwhelming or distracting.
What made you want to create your Salamander hot sauces?
I have always loved hot spicy food and with my schedule it can be challenging to cook good meals. I needed something I could add to quickly take a boring dish and turn it into a fantastic meal. With these hot sauces I can sauté some meat or vegetables and easily add dimension. The commercial sauces in the stores are not great for this type of cooking so I created my own. I wanted sauces that complimented a variety of foods while adding flavor and heat, sauces that can take a simple dish to the next level.

Where can consumers buy or try your sauces?
Salamander Sauces are served in Brooklyn at Backyard and Stone Park Café’s brunch, if you are in Mystic, CT you can try them at Kitchen Little. Currently the sauces are not available for sale.

What's the next step for Salamander ?
The next step is to raise the funds for commercial production, to accomplish this I will be launching a crowdfunding campaign in the next few weeks.

Where do you see your company in five years?
Based on the response I’m getting on these sauces, in five years Salamander should be continuing to grow and thrive. There are several more sauces in development and near completion plus there are plans for a few other items but we’ll let those be a surprise!

You can follow the Salamander on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SalamanderSauce, on Twitter (@SalamanderSauce) or sign up for the newsletter at http://eepurl.com/wKoYX

-Mark Caserta