Tom Pfleider and Joe share a common background in the medical field, not to mention a taste for hot & spicy foods. Tom’s generosity in granting in a few bottles of his amazingly good (and nearly used up) products for use in The Hot Zone Online’s kitchen lab is one that we’ll appreciate for many weeks to come. Thanks again, Tom!

Our trip to Las Vegas in October 2004 was a profitable one…and not because of how well we did at the slot machines. We attended the finals of the ICS National Chili Cookoff outside the Mandalay Bay casino. Underneath one of the bigger tents was located a booth for The Art of Chipotle, then known as Schizophrenic Chipotle. We greedily gobbled up samples of all their products, and made a mental note that we MUST get some for our own fiendish kitchen uses. With those in hand, we spoke with Tom Pfleider, philosopher-king of Pfleider Foods, about his delightful chipotle products….

When you first tasted the sauces that would become The Art of Chipotle products, did you have any idea how successful they would become?

I first tasted what is now “Sweet Heat Addiction” at a backyard barbeque and decided to start Pfleider Pfoods. I knew that this was a unique taste that I could use as a foundation for other products. When we sampled family and friends they all raved about Sweet Heat, but we knew we had something special after winning awards in our first competition (Fiery Foods Challenge) hosted by Chile Pepper Magazine. Since then we have assembled 20 awards in our first year and all our our products have been honored.

What is the most enjoyable aspect of your involvement with The Art of Chipotle?

I have been an entrepreneur my entire career. Pfleider Pfoods is the fourth company that I have started, but it has definitely been the most fulfilling since it began with a simple recipe. It gave me the opportunity to take a product and company from conception to the broad marketplace and control every aspect of product development, marketing, sales, distribution, promotion and everything in between. The highlight has been the response to our label which features my family depicted as pepperheads. I created these images using favorite family photos altered with Photoshop software. We won a Scovie with this design and continue to get acclaim from all areas of the industry.

Is there any one award you have received that you covet most, or one that you haven’t yet obtained that you would most like to have?

Two awards come to mind: Winning 1st and 3rd in the Medium Heat Sauce category of the Scovies and sweeping the “Chile Specific” category at the America’s Zesty Best Food Show. View image My company is focused specifically on chipotle products and a medium, pleasing heat, so these awards were particularly gratifying. I would certainly like to add a NASFT award in the future, since that encompasses the entire specialty food industry.

Anything new in the stable at The Art of Chipotle? If so, what?

I have several new products are planned for release in the future. Many of these a ready for introduction, but we are proceeding carefully to make sure that we control results and have distribution set up. Our goal is to position our brand as the gold standard for chipotle products. You can count on seeing a fruit based salsa that gets amazing reviews at our demos and shows. In addition, its likely you will see a bean dip, bruschetta topping and a Bloody Mary mix in the next phase of products introduced.

Awards

The Art of Chipotle products have won a bunch of awards, both regional and national. Check out their MEDIA ROOM to see their impressive list of accomplishments!

So what’s in all this stuff? An Ingredient List!

Crazzberry Fiesta: Raspberries, brown sugar, chipotle paste (dried and smoked jalapeno peppers, tomato paste, water, vinegar, salt, citric acid), water, cranberries, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, cilantro, salt, fresh garlic, chipotle seeds, xantham gum

Fresh Cream Indulgence: Water, chipotle paste (dried and smoked jalapeno peppers, tomato paste, water, vinegar, salt, citric acid), whipping cream, tomato paste, pineapple juice concentrate, unsulfered molasses, soybean oil, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, oregano, xantham gum

Smokey Red Sensation: Water, chipotle paste (dried and smoked jalapeno peppers, tomato paste, water, vinegar, salt, citric acid), tomato paste, unsulfered molasses, soybean oil, garlic, chili powder, cumin, pineapple juice concentrate, salt, xantham gum, oregano

Sweet Heat Addiction: Brown sugar, chipotle paste (dried and smoked jalapeno peppers, tomato paste, water, vinegar, salt, citric acid), water, fresh onion, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, cilantro, fresh garlic, salt, chipotle seeds, xantham gum

Gourmet (Chipotle) Paste with Adobo: Chipotle paste (dried and smoked jalapeno peppers), tomato paste, water, vinegar, salt, citric acid

Joe’s $0.02

Crazzberry Fiesta: I joke with people that I use hot sauce on everything BUT breakfast cereal. Well, this is one that you could use on breakfast cereal and not have the taste suffer one bit. The cranberries give this sauce a unique twist compared to other chipotle & fruit sauces out there, and it fits the bill for about a zillion different dips you can amaze people with. Also good as a glaze for chicken on the grill, although you will cry about every drop that spills onto the coals. Awesome stuff.

Fresh Cream Indulgence: I tried this sauce last, and quickly wish I hadn’t waited so long. The creaminess of this sauce is understated, yet not too heavy. Mixed with a little salad dressing, it makes a condiment that makes almost ANY sandwich taste amazingly good. Not as sweet as the Crazzberry Fiesta, it was a sauce I found worked better IN recipes than lathered over food…about 174 different recipes, that is.

Smokey Red Sensation: This seemed to be the spiciest of the bunch, but palatable on a wide range of foods. The taste of the jalapeno peppers is a little more evident since it is somewhat less sweet. If this sauce were a tad bit thicker, it would be the perfect BBQ glaze, but I made it work all the same. It’s even just as good over cream cheese as its sweeter brethren products.

Sweet Heat Addiction: Sweet with a little spicy kick, it’s still mild enough to appeal to most people’s palate even if they are sensitive to heat. Great chipotle flavor, the smokiness is delectable. We did a side-by-side comparison at a cookout with this sauce grilled on chicken with another chipotle sauce, and there was none left of the SHA-laced chicken at the end of the day. Proof that there IS accounting for taste. Tasty.

Gourmet (Chipotle) Paste with Adobo: This is the base for all the above listed products. I have only ever used those chipotles in adobo that you can buy in a can at the grocery store. Then you have to mash ‘em, blend ‘em, or whatever to work them into a recipe. This paste is tons better, if only for that. Oh yeah…it tastes pretty damn good in its own right as well. For use in anything you might use chipotles.

Linda’s $0.02

Crazzberry Fiesta: What an amazing and versatile sauce. I loved playing around with this one and came up with a recipe that was a hit with virtually everyone I know. I took it to a party and served it at home and not only had rave reviews but little left. I have said in the past that I have a hard time working with things that are so sweet, but not this. I can’t wait for Thanksgiving to come around because I can think of a billion things that the cranberry taste is going to work with.

Fresh Cream Indulgence: For some reason I expected this sauce to be sweet, so it was a bit of a shock to find out I was wrong. However, that really led it in a different direction for use. I love chipotles so every one of these sauces was an extreme pleasure to try. This sauce is in a league of it’s own, though. Smooth, creamy and spicy. You don’t find this one out there much, folks. Try using this sauce in recipes that call for coconut milk; not in place of, but in addition to. Yum! For instance, Jamaican peas & rice. Just add one cup of the Fresh Cream Indulgence to make up part of the 4 cups of liquid in that recipe. Unbelievable!!!

Smokey Red Sensation: Trying this sauce by iteself, you will be able to pick out the cumin right away…it’s unmistakable. So, I’d say this would be a first pick add to chili. However, what I really like this sauce for is steak. No, not as a marinade. I love this for a steak sauce. It’s smoky, bold and not too complicated, unlike the processed taste of most other steak sauces on the market which have too many preservatives and sugar. Try this as a fresh alternative.

Sweet Heat Addiction: This is THE perfect barbeque chicken glaze. The smokiness of the sauce mixes well with the smokiness of grilling. On top of that it adds just enough sweetness to bring out the flavor of the chicken. My mother liked this sauce so much (and she doesn’t usually like a whole lot of sauces) that she asked if we could get it locally. Honestly, we served this at a barbeque and had none left when the day was done.

Gourmet (Chipotle) Paste with Adobo: I don’t know of any product that makes chili easier. I used to spend time buying chipotles in adobo sauce, then fishing them out and cutting them up for addition to my chili. Well, no more. Just pull out this convenient jar and spoon some right into the chili. Fabulous and time saving.

Don’t just take our word for it! Here are some online reviews of these products:

Hot Sauce Blog review

Give these reviewers a shout and ask them to review The Art of Chipotle’s products as well:

Alien Zombie
Carl’s big list
Feeling Saucy
Saucerater

Want to review The Art of Chipotle’s products for yourself? Go here and leave your own opinion:

www.rateitall.com/t-1125-hot-sauces.aspx
www.thehotpepper.com/viewforum.php?f=3

Recipe Ideas

The first one is our creation, and the rest are courtesy of The Art of Chipotle. Enjoy!

Linda’s Crazzberry Nut Craze

16 oz. tub soft cream cheese
1 c. Crazzberry Fiesta
1 c. chopped pecans

Blend cream cheese and Crazzberry Fiesta on low setting until blended then high setting until whipped consistency. Add nuts and mix until blended. Serve as spread or dip for bagels, crackers, or veggies.

Pineapple Sunburst Salsa

? c. diced tomatoes
? c. chopped onions
minced fresh cilantro
? c. fresh pineapple
? c. Sweet Heat Addiction Chipotle Sauce

Combine ingredients & serve with tortillas or chips. Great topping for fish, chicken, Mexican entrees, or use for pizza topping.

Black Bean Dip & Spread

15 oz. can of black beans
6 oz. Art of Chipotle sauce of choice

Mash to a paste with a power hand mixer. Serve as a side with Mexican entrees, inside tacos or burritos made with tortillas, or with egg dishes. Sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese for a dip or spread.

Green Apple Chipotle Salsa with Chicken

1 cup diced Granny Smith apple
? c. diced red ion
? c. diced red bell pepper
? c. chopped fresh cilantro
? c. apple juice
? c. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. Gourmet chipotle paste
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

In a bowl, mix apple, onion, bell pepper, cilantro, apple juice, vinegar, and paste, then set aside. Grill or saut頣hicken until juices run clear. Serve salsa over chicken.

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