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Hot Sauce Harry's, an international distributor of hot pepper sauces, started with an idea during a vacation in the Caribbean. Tired of buying tee shirts as souvenirs and interested in local cuisine, we found a variety of hot sauces in small groceries and restaurants and brought them home to use and to give to friends. Our collection grew as we discovered Louisiana, Mexican and Jamaican sauces.
With so many in our own collection, and a growing interest in sharing our finds with friends, we set up shop in the Dallas Farmers' Market back in 1993. We went to the Fiery Food Show in Albuquerque, and found more sources! During our August 1997 cruise to the Caribbean islands of St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Martin/Maarten, St. Thomas and Dominican Republic, we found 40 new sauces to add to our own collection which is now housed in our Dallas showroom.
Although our own collection continues to grow, we now help others start to collect hot pepper sauces. So, how can you begin?
An easy way to begin is to purchase one (or all three) of the Hot Sauce Collection Posters by Jennifer Trainer Thompson. Go to an office supply store and buy a package of small fluorescent dots. Use these to identify which sauces you have in your collection by placing the dots on your poster as you add each sauce. These posters are great conversational decorating pieces, and are made even more interesting by identifying which sauces you have collected.
Other sources for a beginning collector are The Great Hot Sauce Book, Hot Licks Sauce Book, both by Jennifer Trainer Thompson, A Field Guide to Hot Sauces by Todd Kaderabek, and The Hot Sauce Bible by Chuck Evans and Dave DeWitt. Get manufacturers to sign your books by the sauces illustrated.
Some people collect sauces by quantity: How many can I get? While this is fun when you start, you'll end up with literally thousands of sauces. Be sure to keep track of your sauce collection by itemizing your list on your computer or in a notebook. Carry your list with you everywhere! You never know when you'll find another sauce to add! If you get more than one, trade with another collector or use to liven up your recipes.
Many collectors specialize. We have one customer who wants only 50 sauces in his collection - one from every state in the US. Others collect only Caribbean sauces or Mexican sauces. You can commemorate a special trip or vacation by buying a sauce in each locale. Another of our collector-customers, a biker, collects the NFL sauces, collegiate sauces, special events and festivals.....are you getting the idea?
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