All Spice Cafe | Chipotle Olive Tapenade
Today we meet the creator of All Spice Cafe + one of April's Featured Products - Chipotle Olive Tapenade - JD Cowles. We were honored to sit down with JD to discuss the origins of All Spice Cafe, what drives his creations and to learn more about his entire, heat filled, product line.
Company Name
All Spice Cafe
Founder/Creator
JD Cowles
Location
Venice, CA
Company Launch (Year)
2006
What Inspired You To Start Your Company?
Buffalo style hot wings! I started making a hot sauce back in 1980 for use at parties,
barbecues and anything else that hot sauce tastes great on. Never gave it serious thought until the mid 2000's. I used to bring quart bottles to work and as people moved around to other states and countries the demand for the sauce started getting greater and greater. In the fall of 2006, 3 sauces, Caribbean Spice, Chipotle Garlic and Cayenne Habanero were entered in the 2007 Scovie Awards at the Fiery Foods and Barbecue Show in Albuquerque, NM. In November, I was informed by the show that 2 of the products won Scovie Awards, the Cayenne Habanero took 3rd place in the Habanero
Category and the Caribbean Spice took 1st place in the Caribbean category. My first thought was to quit my day job ;) and start making sauce full time! I went to the show in March to talk to other hot sauce makers to see if any of them do it full time, to look for a co-packer, label company, etc. I was already carried by a couple small stores in southern CA and picked up my first Whole Foods store in Venice their opening weekend in Sept 2008
Tell us about your products.
Cayenne Habanero - the original sauce inspired by those tasty Buffalo wings.
Chipotle Garlic - the most popular product by about 3 to 1. Delicious chipotle and garlic flavor. I think it makes a great sauce for tri-tip!
Caribbean Spice - most award winning product with flavors of allspice, nutmeg and
cinnamon. Great with seafood, chicken, beans and rice and grilled pineapple.
Jolokia Ghost Pepper - an extreme hot sauce with one of the worlds hottest chiles, the Ghost Pepper. Great flavor with good heat!
Chipotle Olive Tapenade - inspired by some of the tapenades I've tasted
that were a little too oiled down and missing some heat. Tried making a batch for a
neighbors barbecue and everyone asked when it would be available as a product.
Jolokiberry Jam - a spicy strawberry jam with ghost pepper and balsamic vinegar. Makes a dekicious margarita and is great on vanilla ice cream with some chocolate sauce drizzled on top.
Ghost Adobo Rub - inspired by the Puerto Rican adobo rubs - a mix of garlic, onion, sea salt, black pepper, Ghost Pepper, cumin and oregano.
Ghost Jerk Rub - the same spices from the Caribbean Spice with added heat from the Ghost Pepper.
Ghost Pepper Grinder - crushed Ghost Pepper in a grinder - very hot, use with caution! ;)
Sweet Chile Popcorn - a caramel corn with red jalapeno pepper, mild.
Sweet Habanero Popcorn - a caramel corn with habanero pepper, XXX hot
Sweet Ghost Pepper Popcorn - a caramel corn with Ghost Pepper, Extreme heat
What Does “Artisan” Mean To You?
Small batch, high quality gourmet products and an in-depth knowledge of what goes into them.
What Drew You To Food?
I LOVE to eat! ;) My Mom is a fantastic cook and I grew up helping in the kitchen at a young age.
Where Does Your Food Inspiration Come From?
The looks on peoples faces when they taste the food
What Products Are You Working On Now?
Working on a spicy barbecue sauce and a spicy finishing sauce. Initial tastings have been great!
Do You Have a Favorite Product?
Not really. A lot depends on what I'm eating. I probably use the Chipotle Garlic, Cayenne Habanero XXX and Chipotle Olive Tapenade the most.
Latest Ingredient Obsession?
Truffle with Ghost Pepper
What Did You Have For Dinner Last Night?
Taco Tuesday lasagna. A group of friend and I occasionally enjoy making tacos on
Tuesdays. I forgot yesterday was Tuesday and had a couple boxes of lasagna noodles. I asked my friends if they wanted to have lasagna for dinner and they responded "It's Taco
Tuesday!" I replied "It's Taco Tuesday Lasagna" It was amazing!
What Person, Living Or Dead, Would You Most Like To Have Try Your Product?
Not too sure about that, Oprah Winfrey??? ;)
What Other Local Food Artisans or Chefs Do You Admire?
Nyesha Arrington, Mark Mollica from La Vecchia Cucina
If You Had To Choose Your Last Meal, What Would It Be?
Grilled lobster, picanha (Brazilian BBQ), macaroni and cheese with fontina cheese, truffle oil and Ghost Pepper flakes (Chaya Venice), sautéed zucchini with vidalia onions, a killer salad and finished off with t piece of pumpkin cheesecake with a dollop of Jolokiberry Jam and whipped cream.
Favorite Restaurant or Food Experience?
Sat night gourmet dinner while camping at San Onofre State Park - 20 lbs of tri-tip roasts, 30 lbs of chicken, 10 lbs of pork tenderloins with all the fixings around a great bonfire!
What’s Do You Enjoy Doing Outside of the Kitchen?
I really enjoy live music of all kinds. Don't get the opportunity to see it as much these days but would love to start playing again.
What’s Your Favorite Kitchen Soundtrack?
Just about anything form the Gipsy Kings
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