Denzel’s Gourmet Foods Ltd. | The Hot Zone Online

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Denzel’s Gourmet Foods Ltd.

By: Joe & Linda on September 11, 2005- 7:12 pm

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Denzel Sandberg is a man amongst men. From atop his throne in the Okanagan Valley, he generously lofted a pile of sauces our way. Had we known they would be this good, we surely would have wanted to taste them much sooner. Thanks, Denzel!

Who knew that Canada was such a hotbed of hot & spicy foods? From the wilds of British Columbia, we present Denzel’s Gourmet Foods, purveyors of hot sauces, spice powders, barbeque sauces, and other gourmet goodies. From the label graphics to the sauces themselves, these are quality products and we’ve enjoyed trying and using them all. The sauces have a simple list of ingredients, but a somewhat complex taste profile. To find out more, we caught up with Denzel himself, who was luxuriating on a fishing trip, to have him answer a few questions for us….

When you’re creating a sauce, what’s been your favorite ingredient to use and why?

I really don?t have what I?d call a favorite ingredient. Lately I?ve been trying to take advantage of the fantastic produce I have available to me locally. I live at the top of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. It?s kind of like the Napa of Canada, full of orchards and vineyards and an amazing array of fruit and vegetable farms, many of them organic.

What unique challenges have you faced with your business as it has continued to grow?

It?s been real tough for me to break into the American market. I?m a small batch producer, and as such my costs are probably a bit higher than most hot sauce makers. I?m also real particular about using the best quality ingredients I can find. I think my pricing might scare off some distributors. Growth here in Canada though has been real steady.

We really like your labels & graphics. Can you tell us a little about those?

My partner Blake Cookman designs all our labels, and he also maintains our website. Usually we start with an idea, and he takes it from there. It definitely helps to have someone in house that is so artistically inclined.

Let’s say that you meet someone new who’s never tried any of your products. What one item would you give them to try that you think is best and would inspire them to try the rest of your products?

I don?t think that I have a signature sauce so to speak. I sort of break the sauces into 3 groups. I have the Chipotle sauces which are the Lil Smokehouse, Gourmet Jalapeno, and the Colonel Corn. Then there?s the 3 fruit sauces, Molten Mango, Mom?s Apples and Cinnamon, and the Peaches and Scream. I call all those sauces the designer sauces. And then there?s the hot sauces, Pineapple Punch, Gourmet Habanero, Dangerous Goods, Kamikaze and Fire Hazard. If I had to pick one sauce that would have the most universal appeal, I?d have to say the Gourmet Habanero, simply because it?s a real basic pepper sauce, and it really does go good with just about anything.

Do you have anything new in the works to release soon that you’d want people to know about?

I actually have quite a few new things. I?ve been selling a roasted corn chipotle sauce called Colonel Corn that?s been quite a hit here locally. I?ve also got a nectarine chipotle and a saskatoon berry chipotle that are badly in need of names. And I?ve got a BBQ sauce that?s made with a local organic beer put out by Crannog Ales called the ?backhand of god stout?. I?m calling that Denzel?s BeerBQ Sauce.

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

Dangerous Goods: vinegar, onions, habanero peppers, garlic, salt, basil

Fire Hazard: vinegar, habanero peppers, onions, garlic, salt, basil

Kamikaze: vinegar, onions, habanero peppers, ginger, garlic, salt, sesame oil

Lil’ Smokehouse: vinegar, onions, jalapeno peppers, garlic, salt

Mom’s Apples & Cinnamon Habanero: vinegar, roasted apples, onions, brown sugar, habanero peppers, cinnamon

Pineapple Punch: vinegar, onions, habanero peppers, garlic, salt, pineapple

Awards

Denzel’s products have been snowballing in awards over the past few years. Check out how they have done at the Fiery Food Challenge, Fiery Star Awards, and an amazing showing at the Scovie Awards. With all this success, the future looks pretty bright!

Joe’s $0.02

Dangerous Goods: “Dangerous Goods” is damn right, this is one of the hotter natural sauces I’ve tried recently. I could actually taste the roasted part of the habaneros, along with bits of garlic, which made this an ideal addition to any Italian dish we tried it on. Be warned, though, that a little goes a long way.

Fire Hazard: Ah, this is the Denzel version of the classic habanero sauce. Come early, come often, and bring some flame-retardant undies! Given the simplicity of the ingredients, I was unsure whether it would live up to my standards for a habanero sauce. HEAT!!! I should have known it would be a scorcher when I saw the habanero seeds in the mildly thick sauce as I lathered it over some food. Not quite as hot as the Dangerous Goods sauce (above), but enough to delight the palate of the capsaicin-crazed amongst us.

Kamikaze: A strong hint of ginger gives this sauce some extra oomph. I think it could have used more ginger, but it seems to complement the habanero taste quite well. The habanero’s heat plus that of the ginger make it a little hotter than I expected, which is a good thing. It’s medium consistency and lathers onto food quite nicely. A little of this on some pork BBQ baked in the oven was heavenly.

Lil’ Smokehouse: Despite not being the chipotle fan that Linda is, I found this as one of the two sauces I used most in this bunch. It’s medium-hot, a little tangy, and has the consistency of a salsa. There’s a tangy taste that meshes well with the smokiness of the chipotle that makes this quite delectable. Useful at any meal.

Mom’s Apples & Cinnamon Habanero: This has such a unique taste that I really didn’t know how to use it. Quite complex in flavor, the sweetness of the apples & cinnamon are tempered by the acidity of the vinegar. Not sweet enough to use as a dessert condiment, but just dandy on the lighter meats (fish & poultry…I used turkey) and really good to make plain rice something special. As far as the “sweeter” hot sauces go, this is certainly one-of-a-kind.

Pineapple Punch: At first, I was led to believe that this was one of those sweet hot sauces that are becoming popular nowadays. It only took one teeny-weeny taste to find out otherwise. With a mere hint of pineapple, this habanero sauce packs a punch! A little garlicky and only mildly thick, I thought it tasted better the more of it I ate. (By that reasoning, after another gallon of it, it should be my favorite sauce in the universe. But I digress….) The pineapple, though, is a nice taste feature is makes this sauce a bit unique compared to many others on the market…and lacks nothing in the way of heat either.

Linda’s $0.02

Dangerous Goods: Well, this sauce will get your attention, that’s for sure. There are some really great things that stand out though. Consistency, for one. I love the chunkiness of the fresh ingredients. But the garlic is really what stands out. You won’t be warding off vampires, but you’ll get their attention.

Fire Hazard: Wowsa! Fire is right. This is not a sauce for the faint at heart, much like the previously mentioned sauce. A very bold, but adaptable sauce that makes everything you put it on more flavorful. Try this with chicken covered with jalepeno jack cheese and a pasta side. I did, and it was fantastic!

Kamikaze: With definite asian undertones, this sauce does not dissapoint. I think it’s the sesame oil that really makes this one unique…at least for me. This is the sauce to use on a spicy sesame noodle dish. Bar none!

Lil’ Smokehouse: Being the chipotle fan, I can tell you that this is definitely the one I use most. Honestly, I use this more as a dipping sauce than a hot sauce. It’s just so mild and tasty that it has a permanent spot on the kitchen table. Very chipotle without being overwhelming.

Mom’s Apples & Cinnamon Habanero: Wow! This sauce is unique. You expect something completely different from the title. It packs a tangy punch and is not bombarded by sweetness at all. I like this especially on fish.

Pineapple Punch: I had this on my first meal home from the hospital…turkey with gravy. Sounds like it wouldn’t be that great, right? Wrong! While the title says pineapple, the pineapple isn’t so pungent that you can’t use this sauce on just about everything. Unbelievably versatile.