About the Dude

 

 

I'm a Nocatee Dude with a passion for rare and unique hot peppers.

One of my earliest memories as a child is walking through and working in the garden with my parents. Growing up in the Chicago suburbs didn't lend itself to having a productive garden. The short growing season greatly limited our garden to mostly zucchini, tomatoes, jalapenos, etc.

Almost a decade ago, on my honeymoon, I had a transcendent experience with Jamaican Yellow Scotch Bonnet Peppers. The peppers were HOT but still had a great flavor. They have the kind of heat that gives you just enough to make your scalp sweat, but not so hot that you can't keep eating whatever concoction you put them in.

Then in March 2019 we moved to Jacksonville. During the COVID-19 lockdowns we were living in an apartment waiting for our home in Nocatee to be built. Like a lot of other people at that time, I was looking for something to do with all the extra time at home.

I ended up starting a few Datil and Cayenne plants in small containers on our balcony. The yield was meager, but it was enough to make a couple dozen bottles of hot sauce. I gave them away to some friends and didn't think much else of it. Within a couple days I had other people messaging me "Dude, where's my sauce?!"

Since then I've made it my mission to seek out and cultivate some of the rarest hot peppers I could find to create one of a kind Hot Sauces and Spice Rubs.