ST. LOUIS — If there's one thing you need to know about the newest sauce in town, it's got heat, but it's not your typical hot sauce.
"It's gourmet, it goes on anything."
Reggie D. Smith is the face on the bottle and the man who created Pure Heat Gourmet Sauce. He made the recipe for chicken wings at a bar and grill he owned several years ago but didn't bottle it until now.
He said, “Fast forward to 2020: people kept asking for it. People at home during the pandemic - hey, when will you make some of those wings? So, I decided to bottle it, and it took off from there."
Pure Heat is picking up steam and is in 20 stores, as well as the Soulard Farmers' Market on Saturdays.
He said, "I want my children and grandchildren to say, 'Hey that's papa on that bottle there.' That's what I'm looking forward to."
And this weekend, even more people will get to know Pure Heat at a socially distanced cook-off called So You Think You Can Cook. It takes place on Saturday at the House of Soul in downtown St. Louis.
Safety is a priority for organizers with a certain number of people allowed inside at a time.
He said, "First of all, social distancing and masks are required. We have a patio with Washington Street being blocked off now. We have full street to promote social distancing."
10 contestants will make their best dish using his using a special ingredient - Pure Heat.
He said, "I have a great sauce that sets the food off. So hey, why not combine their food with my sauce?"
Dr. Eboni January, seen in a commercial for Pure Heat, loves it so much that her company, Boss-Ish protein meal replacement, is sponsoring the cook-off.
She said, "I see the importance of fellowship and having support and community. Community is what I stand for. I've tasted the sauce - it's an amazing cheat meal."
The event is free, food samples are free and judges will choose a winner who will receive a big prize of $1,000.
She said, "So, you have mental support from seeing people safely, and you get to support someone financially."
So You Think You Can Cook is August 29, 2020 at House of Soul at 1204 Washington Avenue from 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.
For more information, visit stlpureheat.com and facebook.com/STLPUREHEAT.
