here was a neat article from the Canadian paper called The Province entitled:

‘Hot-sauce guy’ spices up life in adopted community
Immigrant from Togo supports family with award-winning recipe

In the article, it describes Edmond Segbeaya…

As the sole employee of his business, Segbeaya cooks, sells and markets Ebesse Zozo sauce — often on the streets of Nelson where he is known as “the hot-sauce guy.”

Segbeaya, 41, landed in Nelson five years ago after a decade-long diversion in Germany. He had fled there without his wife and twin daughters after demonstrating against a military dictatorship in his homeland of Togo, Africa.

Togo? We thought Canada was a bit of a stretch for hot sauces once upon a time, but Togo is something different all together.

Some 3 1/2 years later, his family reunited in his adopted homeland, Segbeaya found himself without a job — until he started his hot-sauce business “by accident” when he discovered habanero peppers at the grocery store.

The peppers, among the hottest on Earth, were a staple at every meal in Africa. Whenever they turned up at the store in Nelson, he would buy the entire crate, rousing the store manager’s curiosity.

Curiosity? Or perhaps questions about his sanity? There are a finite number of things you can productively do with an entire crate of habaneros…and this is one of the better ones.

When Segbeaya said he was making hot sauce, the manager asked to taste it and quickly decided he could sell it at his grocery store.

“I never make hot sauce for sale in my life and suddenly I start making hot sauce that people like,” Segbeaya said. His sauce is sold in B.C., Newfoundland, Ohio, New Mexico and Texas.

Ohio? REALLY? Now this really will require some more investigation. If these sauces are found in this fine state, then we will definitely have to track down a few bottles. If not, we’ll catch up with Mr. Segbeaya at ZestFest and get some from him there.

You can find Ebesse Zozo sauces on the web at http://www.awassi.net/index2.html

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