Hot sauce, craft beer and baked goods pique our interest this month.
by Marilyn Hawkes | Photo by Mirelle Inglefield
Red & Green Hot Sauce
Soon after Scottsdale brunch hot spot The Eleanor opened in 2023, executive chef Kent Macaulay started whipping up a red hot sauce to splash on egg dishes. He bottled the fiery blend of Fresno and habanero chiles and offered it to customers with their orders. “The next thing we knew, the bottles were going into purses and walking out,” says co-owner Steve Ellefson. “I love that. Who doesn’t go into Taco Bell and grab a handful of Fire sauce now and then?” Since the red version proved to be so successful, Macaulay gave green sauce a go, using poblanos, Anaheims, jalapeños and serrano chiles, along with garlic, onion, salt and vinegar. The sauces are selling like hotcakes – more than 30 bottles a week, Ellefson says. “People love hot sauce with their breakfast.” Both styles come in 5-ounce bottles ($7 each) and are available for purchase at The Eleanor.
The Eleanor
3207 N. Hayden Rd., Scottsdale
480-685-2525, theeleanoraz.com
Lager, Pilsner & IPA Cans
After a branding refresh last year, Julian Wright of Pedal Haus Brewery canned three of his most popular craft beers: Day Drinker, White Rabbit and German-style Pilsner (16 oz., $3-$5 each, retail). Day Drinker, a classic American light lager, is made without any of the fillers used in larger domestic brands, Wright says. “It’s very pure, light-bodied and low-alcohol.” Hazy IPA White Rabbit has a slight hop and citrus aroma with almost double the alcohol of Day Drinker, “but drinks pretty smooth,” he says. Lastly, Wright brews the German-style beer with pilsner malts from Europe that give the beer a nice structure, one he compares to tannins in wine. “It has a beautiful mouth feel and is similar to beer you’d drink in Germany.” Available at Total Wine, AJ’s, Whole Foods and other retail outlets.
Pedal Haus Brewery
Three Valley locations, pedalhausbrewery.com
All-Natural Baked Goods
Baking and cooking from scratch started out as a hobby for local baker Jamie Cunningham, and a way to ensure that she and her family would have healthy options with no processed or artificial foods. Today, she makes and sells a slew of baked goods under her Jamie’s Kitchen label, from whole wheat sandwich bread and cinnamon rolls to banana bread and granola ($5-$14). Cunningham mills her own wheat berries for flour and uses cage-free eggs and cane sugar, always opting for high-quality, clean ingredients in her products. She also makes a slew of other sweet treats, including sugar cookies, biscotti, snickerdoodles, Rice Krispies treats, scones and brownies, along with dairy-free protein bites. Cunningham’s customers report back that her breads are so much easier to digest than others, and that they can finally enjoy eating a sandwich. “That’s really rewarding for me.” Find Cunningham’s products at Uptown Farmers Market, McCormick Stillman Railroad Park and Esso Coffeehouse.
Jamie’s Kitchen
jamieskitchenphx.com
