Matt Ingersoll writes about all things food and drink, covering new restaurants and following the most delicious foodie trends in the state. Reach him at [email protected].
Justin Hoang of Nashua is the executive chef and co-owner of Luk’s Bar and Grill (142 Lowell Road, Hudson, 889-9900, luksbarandgrill.com) and Bellissimo Italian Steakhouse (194 Main St., Nashua, 718-8378, bellissimoitalian.com), the latter of which opened in the former Fratello’s space back on March 31. Born and raised in Nashua, Hoang worked his way up the culinary ranks at Luk’s, starting as a dishwasher before getting an opportunity to work as the chef and create menus for the restaurant. He followed suit at Bellissimo when that eatery opened earlier this year, bringing a number of signature dishes to the space that include filet oscar, saffron lobster risotto and steak tip Gorgonzola alfredo, as well as brick-oven pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, appetizers and more. Both Luk’s and Bellissimo are part of a restaurant group that also includes Joey’s Diner and The Black Forest Cafe & Bakery, both in Amherst.
What is your must-have kitchen item?
It’s a toss-up between a chef’s knife and a pair of tongs. I really don’t know which one I need more, but those are the two things that I absolutely need to be able to function in the kitchen.
What would you have for your last meal?
That would be Irish eggs Benedict.
What is your favorite local restaurant?
The New Taj India in Nashua. … I get the makhani chicken, which is basically a butter chicken, and then garlic naan and white rice. The sauce they have in that chicken is just unbelievable.
What celebrity would you like to see eating at Luk’s or Bellissimo?
Gordon Ramsay, because I watch just about every show that he’s on. … As intimidating as he comes off as in those shows, I think he’s a phenomenal chef.
What is your favorite thing on any of your menus?
That’s a tough one. I love the steak Gorgonzola alfredo. It’s on both menus, but it started at Luk’s. I made that dish because I’ve had different interpretations of it at other restaurants and I kind of meshed together what I found I enjoyed, and now it’s one of our most popular dishes. … At Bellissimo, my favorite is probably the truffle risotto with scallops. It hits different palates and there’s so much depth in that dish.
What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?
I think we’re in a transitional phase right now, but one trend that has just passed was definitely the sweet and spicy combination, and then the chicken sandwich [trend] has also come in really hard. … One of the most popular ones we have is a hot honey chicken sandwich. It’s a panko-crusted chicken breast and I make a hot honey sauce that takes me like three hours. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and spicy.
What is your favorite thing to cook at home?
Basically anything that I don’t have to cook. I cook all day long, so I’m a huge advocate for DoorDash when I get home.
Bacon jam From the kitchen of Justin Hoang of Luk’s Bar and Grill and Bellissimo Italian Steakhouse
1 cup caramelized Vidalia onions 1 cup cooked bacon, chopped ¾ cup dark brown sugar ½ cup fresh black coffee 1 cup water 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Add the onions, bacon and brown sugar to a saucepan and simmer until the sugar is melted and incorporated. Add the water and coffee and reduce to a jam-like consistency. Take off the heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar. Season with salt to taste.
Featured photo: Justin Hoang, executive chef and co-owner of Luk’s Bar and Grill in Hudson, and Bellissimo Italian Steakhouse in Nashua. Courtesy photo.
A 3,000-year-old root indigenous to the South Pacific islands, kava is used in tea-like herbal beverages consumed socially at establishments known as kava bars. Around 200 such bars exist across the United States — and a new one has just arrived in New Hampshire.
Root Awakening, now open on Main Street in Nashua, is being touted as “New England’s first kava bar” by owner Greg Gately. Kava, he said, is lauded for its relaxing effects on the body and mind, and it’s also a popular natural remedy for anxiety and muscle and joint pain.
“What I like to say is that it slows down that 9-to-5 tick. It calmly relaxes you,” Gately said. “It’s definitely something that you want to finish off in two or three big gulps, like a shot … [and] instead of saying ‘Cheers,’ in the islands we say ‘Bula.’ It’s the celebration of life.”
Gately, whose mother is from the South Pacific, was born and raised in California’s Bay Area before moving east to New England for college. He said he first became introduced to the Fijian root and its properties through a friend, who owns several kava bars out on the West Coast.
A fresh kava drink with a pineapple chaser. Photo by Matt Ingersoll.
“I really started drinking it heavily when I started going for my MBA program,” he said. “It helped me focus whenever I had a big milestone and had to put my head down and hit the books for four or five hours. … Kava really allows you to kind of focus in a really good, natural way.”
Inspired by his kava bar-owning friend and looking for his next move in life in the wake of the pandemic, Gately began looking for spaces last year to launch his own kava concept.
Root Awakening, he said, was built on the foundation of providing visitors with a “non-alcoholic alternative social experience” to traditional bars, using kava beverages as its vessel.
Three kava root varieties — sourced from the Fijian, Vanuatu and Tongan Islands of the South Pacific — are currently available at Root Awakening. Premium raw kava drinks come in a single-serve 10-ounce “kava shell,” or a plastic cup made to resemble half of a coconut shell. You can also get them in larger serving bowls called tanoas — small and large-sized tanoas are respectively 80 and 120 ounces, serving two to three and four to six kava drinkers.
“We chop down the roots, dry them out and then we grind them into a fine powder,” Gately said. “It’s going to then be brewed up almost like a tea. It gets rinsed in a giant tea bag, and then I squeeze out the active ingredient, which is called the kavalactones.”
The result produces “an earthy and pungent” drink that Gately likes to top off with a customer’s choice of a pineapple or strawberry as a chaser. He also serves single-serve mango-flavored kava shots that can be mixed with any beverage of your choice, as well as a total of five flavors of Leilo, a ready-to-drink canned kava product available in 12-ounce cans.
So far, Gately has reported “literally 95 percent” of his patrons to be first-time kava drinkers.
“I almost have an elevator pitch now about what kava is and what to expect,” he said. “A lot of folks are nervous about their first drink. They’ll look at the person they’re with and they’ll say to each other, ‘Are you ready? On three.’ … Usually my first-timers will drink two to three shells.”
As an alternative to kava, Gately does also offer multiple flavors of East Coast kombucha on tap. He also carries drinks like cold brew coffee, ginger beer, coconut water and orange cream soda, and hopes to soon expand his menu to include small perishable food options. Community events like trivia nights, open mic nights and comedy shows are also being planned for the space.
Root Awakening Kava Bar Where: 300 Main St., Unit 603, Nashua Hours: Monday through Saturday, noon to midnight, and Sunday, noon to 10 p.m. More info: Visit rootawakeningkava.com, or find them on Facebook and Instagram @rootawakeningkava Root Awakening requires customers to be at least 18 years of age or older to consume kava beverages. Drinks should not be taken with alcohol or prescription medications.
Featured photo: Greg Gately of Root Awakening Kava Bar in Nashua prepares ground kava root for two single-serve premium raw kava drinks. Photo by Matt Ingersoll.
• Culture and community: A citywide celebration of cultural diversity through local food and music, the Lowell Folk Festival is returning in person for its 35th year, from Friday, July 29, through Sunday, July 31, across multiple areas of downtown Lowell, Mass. According to a press release, this year’s festival will feature 18 ethnic food stands operated by area nonprofits and community groups — each will offer a different traditional cuisine that showcases their heritage. Booths will be set up near three of the festival’s four stages, featuring everything from Greek, Filipino, Jamaican and Indian foods to Middle Eastern, African, Brazilian, Polish and Armenian options. There will also be two days of cooking demonstrations and discussions, taking place on Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m., at Lucy Larcom Park. According to the release, these will include moderated presentations with home cooks showing various comfort foods from their cultures, like Polish pierogi, Greek potato fries, Lithuanian vegetable and chicken stews, Vietnamese spring rolls and more. A full schedule of live music and dance performances hailing from all around the world are also planned across each of the festival’s four stages, while local art and craft demonstrations will take place in the courtyard between the National Historical Park Visitor Center and the Brush Art Gallery. Admission is free. Visit lowellfolkfestival.org.
• Fresh food fast: The Common Man Roadside just opened its newest restaurant and cafe inside the Tru by Hilton Manchester Downtown hotel building in the city’s Millyard (451 Commercial St.), Bill Boynton, director of public relations and community engagement for Granite State Hospitality, which owns each store, confirmed. Similar to its sister locations in Hooksett, Plymouth and across town on South Willow Street, The Common Man Roadside features various made-to-order and grab-and-go items, with an emphasis on takeout and mobile and online ordering. All feature eclectic menus of appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, salads, pasta, pastries, ice cream and various hand-crafted coffees and other drinks. Among the already popular new offerings, Boynton said, are crispy cod and Nashville hot chicken sandwiches. The interior look of the eatery features an open kitchen with an homage to the past that includes reclaimed wood from New Hampshire barns and brick salvaged from the former Concord rail station. Extensive inside and outside seating is available, as well as a “live edge” wood bar. The Common Man Roadside Market & Deli’s Plymouth location, a restaurant within a convenience store, opened in October 2019, and the South Willow Street location arrived the following summer. Current hours on Commercial Street are Monday through Saturday, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit thecmanroadside.com or follow the company’s newest spot on Facebook @thecmanroadsidenhmillyard.
• Can it: Flag Hill Distillery & Winery (297 N. River Road, Lee) recently announced the release of Incognito, the company’s first canned wine. According to a press release, Incognito is a “wine disguised as summer,” featuring a blend of Flag Hill’s raspberry and Cayuga white wines that’s lightly carbonated, with one can equalling two-and-a-half glasses of wine. Cans are currently available at Flag Hill’s store and tasting room, and distribution to other stores is also expected. Visit flaghill.com or follow the Incognito pages on Facebook and Instagram @incognitocanwine for updates.
A look at the spicy world of New Hampshire’s craft hot sauces
Growing up in an ethnically diverse community in northern New Jersey, Gabe DiSaverio was introduced to spicy foods at a young age.
“A lot of my friends growing up were Asian and Indian … and I was eating hot food before I was even 10 years old. I remember always going to a fast food place in New York City that was called Curry in a Hurry,” he said. “Even as teenagers in high school, my friend group and I were doing all these eating challenges, like who could eat the hottest, spiciest, most unique foods.”
New England Hot Sauce Festival Where: Smuttynose Brewing Co., 105 Towle Farm Road, Hampton When: Saturday, July 30, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost: $10 in advance online and $15 at the door; kids ages 10 and under are free Visit: newenglandhotsaucefest.com
DiSaverio originally started making his own hot sauces “kind of casually” before eventually, with the help of his culinary-minded sister, Adriana, deciding to jumpstart his passion into a business. Today he owns The Spicy Shark, a line of products that includes seven craft hot sauces, a wing sauce, a Sriracha, a hot honey and two hot maple syrups using all natural ingredients. A self-described “Jaws fanatic” since the age of 8, DiSaverio said the “shark” part of the business comes from combining spicy foods with his other lifelong passion, shark conservation.
Photo courtesy of Pogo’s Peppers.
Since selling its first bottle in early 2019, the Portsmouth-based company has gone on to win multiple national awards for its sauces, and DiSaverio and his team have participated in various hot sauce festivals and expos all over the country. But all the while, these experiences led him to a pivotal question: Why wasn’t there such an event anywhere in New England?
“These festivals are awesome, and I kind of said to myself that since I’ve heard nothing of someone putting one on around here anytime soon, then the heck with it. I’ll do it,” he said.
The inaugural New England Hot Sauce Festival, happening on Saturday, July 30, at Smuttynose Brewing Co. in Hampton, has already generated substantial buzz among its participating vendors. Nearly 30 New England and Northeast-area hot sauce companies will be there, and that doesn’t include the more than 20 others that had to be placed on a waiting list. Food challenges, including hot pepper and hot wing eating contests — and a world record attempt by Canadian competitive eater Mike Jack — are planned throughout the day, along with live music, food trucks and more.
DiSaverio is a regular proponent of Save the Sharks and several other nonprofits that focus on shark conservation and education. In keeping with his passion, proceeds from the festival will benefit the Blue Ocean Society in Portsmouth and the Seacoast Science Center in Rye.
For DiSaverio, the festival’s immense anticipation is a testament to a growing culture.
“I think it’s an understatement to say that New England is not exactly known as a ‘spicy’ region, and that’s fair, up until the last five years or so,” he said. “But as I’ve gotten more entrenched in the hot sauce community, the amount of new hot sauce companies that have popped up in New England is unbelievable. … I think a lot of it has to do with the ethnic diversity that continues to grow within our country … and there’s this growth of more people seeking out those cultures.”
With New England’s first hot sauce festival right around the corner, we took a deeper dive into New Hampshire’s growing hot sauce scene. Here’s a look at how some companies turn up the heat and enhance the flavor of their products, as well as what their top suggestions are for how you should use them.
Smokey Tom pineapple pulled pork Courtesy of Dandido Sauce, dandidosauce.com
4 to 5 pounds pork butt ⅕ of a bottle of hot or medium Dandido Smokey Tom hot sauce 1 can pineapple chunks 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced 1 Tablespoon cumin
Combine ingredients in a slow cooker and set on high for 7 hours.
Coming in hot
DiSaverio, who worked for Boston Beer Co. for 17 years prior to founding The Spicy Shark, said the surging interest in craft hot sauces is not unlike that of the local craft beer scene.
“You go into any beer store now and there’s craft beer that’s falling off the shelf onto your head,” he said. “Where we were around 10 to 15 years ago with craft beer [is] where I feel like we are now with craft hot sauces. You’re starting to see this huge explosion.”
Phil Pelletier of Manchester, for instance, got into making his own sauces in 2017 when his wife, Melissa, bought him a ghost pepper plant. Her goal? She wanted to see if her husband, an avid lover of spicy foods, could handle the intense heat of the peppers.
Photo courtesy of Naked Hot Sauces.
“Every time we’d go out to eat … she’d always try to get me to get the spiciest thing to try,” Pelletier said. “So when I got that plant, I had to figure out what the heck I was going to do with all those peppers, because each plant will produce up to 200-plus ghost peppers, easily.”
The Pelletiers are now the husband-and-wife team behind Smokin’ Tin Roof, a specialty sauce company also offering items like a hot pepper jelly, a bacon stout mustard and a spiced pumpkin butter. All of their products, Pelletier said, are created using ghost peppers that are dehydrated and pulverized into a powder. He adds them in different amounts to control the heat level.
Smokin’ Tin Roof’s sauces include the Smoky Peppah, made with roasted red bell peppers; Grow a Pear, a sweeter pear-based sauce; and Burnin’ Raspberry, a raspberry-based sauce.
“The way I developed all of them was by creating a flavor first … and then I would add the ghost pepper powder to give it the amount of heat that I wanted to have,” Pelletier said. “We don’t want the flavor to get destroyed with the amount of heat that we add to it, which is key for us.”
Marshall Irving of the aptly named Hots Hoss, a small-batch producer of countless flavors of craft hot sauces, similarly began dabbling in his own unique flavors late last year.
“I’ve always been the spicy guy, even as a kid,” he said. “Last October, my mother came up from Florida and went to the Concord Farmers Market. I work in Concord, and so she visited me and handed me a bag of some ghost peppers she got from the farmers market. … Then literally that night, I went home and I looked up probably 10 or 20 different hot sauce recipes online.”
Photo courtesy of The Spicy Shark.
Since then, Irving has gravitated toward all types of other peppers, experimenting with other ingredients to create his own flavor profiles. He’s done everything from a strawberry carrot habanero hot sauce to a black truffle sauce with Fresno and habanero peppers. New flavors are regularly posted to Hots Hoss’s social media channels and when they’re gone they’re gone.
“I haven’t repeated a batch yet,” Irving said. “I’ve been working on making a bunch of different new recipes and just kind of seeing what sticks and what the crowd favorites are.”
According to DiSaverio, most of the bigger mass-market hot sauce brands — think Tabasco, TexasPete or Frank’s — are considered Louisiana-style and are known for their simplicity.
“They [contain] vinegar, mostly cayenne or tabasco peppers, and salt. That’s it, three ingredients,” he said. “They’re very vinegar-y, [but] that’s what Louisiana-style is.”
Chef Adam Parker, who founded NH Hot Sauce nearly 15 years ago, said he set out to make his own products after growing disenchanted with what was available on the market at the time. For each of his four sauces, he likes to individually roast and concentrate the peppers that are used.
Photo courtesy of Smokin’ Tin Roof.
“What that does … is it really starts to bring out the natural flavors that are in those peppers, as opposed to [the sauce] just being something spicy that you put on your food,” said Parker, who has most recently served as the owner of The Utopian, a cozy scratch-cooked bistro in Amherst.
Kevin Taillon, another chef by trade with his own craft hot sauce company on the side, bottled the first of what would become Naked Hot Sauces in 2015 — a green chile pepper-based sauce called Garden Variety. The sauce received such a positive reaction that it inspired Taillon, who co-owns Fire and Spice Bistro in Newfields with his wife, to make more. Eventually, he began experimenting with other types of sauces and started to sell them at local farmers markets.
Scale of spiciness
In 1912 a pharmacist named Wilbur Scoville created what he called the Scoville Organoleptic Test. Now more commonly referred to as the Scoville Scale, it’s used as a measurement method to determine the pungency of different types of peppers, with each being assigned a range of numbers, or Scoville Heat Units (SHU). The more units assigned, the hotter the pepper is.
“The Scoville Scale goes from zero to 16 million. It’s the scale of the amount of capsaicin, which is the portion of the pepper that causes the heat,” DiSaverio said. “So you’ve got this scale of 16 million, which is pure capsaicin, and even the hottest peppers are in the 1 to 2 million range. … That’s a measure of the pepper itself, and basically what it means is how many drops of water it would take to dilute that drop of capsaicin so that you wouldn’t be able to feel the heat.”
Even bell peppers without a trace of heat in them, Irving said, are technically on the Scoville Scale, but at zero units. As you move your way up the scale, you encounter different types of peppers assigned to different tiers based on their Scoville units — a jalapeno, for instance, sits at a range of about 2,500 to 8,000 units, while a much hotter habanero pepper is about 100,000 to 350,000 units. Ghost peppers are even higher, from 855,000 to just over 1 million units.
The hottest pepper on the Scoville Scale, ranked at about 1.4 million to 2.2 million Scoville units, is known as the Carolina Reaper. In fact, in 2017 Guinness World Records declared it the hottest pepper in the word, citing tests that were conducted by Winthrop University in South Carolina.
Ed Currie — a.k.a. “Smokin’ Ed” — of the PuckerButt Pepper Co. in Fort Mill, South Carolina, is the creator of the pepper. He also happens to be a friend of DiSaverio’s and will be supplying Carolina Reaper peppers for the New England Hot Sauce Festival’s pepper eating contest.
“There are so many more different peppers available now in the United States to buy because of the demand … and now you’re seeing people like Ed who are cross-pollinating and cross-breeding to make new peppers … and experimenting, just like with beer,” DiSaverio said.
The Carolina Reaper is used as a base pepper in several of Taillon’s sauces, like the Reaper Madness, and the Red Reaper, which blends them with red Fresno peppers. Dandido Sauce, based in Manchester, also offers its “extremely hot” Dandido Black — its newest product, according to sales consultant Jennifer Renaud. The sauce blends Carolina Reaper peppers with wasabi, hot cinnamon and ginger, among other fresh ingredients.
Can you take the heat?
Here’s a snapshot of various peppers most commonly used in New Hampshire’s craft hot sauces. Peppers are ranked using a method known as the Scoville Scale; each is assigned a range of numbers, or Scoville Heat Units (SHU), based on the amount of capsaicin, the active ingredient in the pepper. The more units assigned, the hotter the pepper is.
Nurse Shark, Thresher Shark or smoked maple Sriracha breakfast egg bake Courtesy of The Spicy Shark, thespicyshark.com
12 eggs ½ of a bottle of Nurse Shark (jalapeno hot sauce), Thresher Shark (chipotle hot sauce) or smoked maple Sriracha 5 ounces baby kale 5 ounces baby arugula 1 small Vidalia onion, thinly sliced 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional) 2 three-finger pinches each of salt and pepper Extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of a large skillet)
Preheat the oven to bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat eggs in a large bowl and set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Saute onions for a few minutes, or until translucent. Add salt, pepper, kale and arugula to the onions. Mix and cook for a few more minutes, or until the kale and arugula are wilted. Remove from heat. Coat a 9-by-12-inch baking pan with olive oil, nonstick spray, ghee or butter. Evenly spread the mixture from the saute pan into the baking pan. Sprinkle mozzarella over the mixture. Pour the eggs over the mozzarella. Gently move everything in the baking pan slightly with a fork, so the eggs can reach the bottom. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let it cool for a few minutes before cutting.
Universal flavor
When it comes to hot sauce, local makers say their usage opportunities are consistently endless.
“The interesting thing is … you can have it [with] your breakfast, lunch or dinner and it can still be amazing in every way, shape and form,” Parker said. “I like using it on eggs. … Sometimes I’ll mix some into a sour cream or even some yogurt and use that as a dipping sauce.”
Depending on the flavor, Pelletier said, his sauces are great for everything, from ingredients in tacos and nachos to their use as salad dressings or chicken or pork marinades. A regular client even purchases his raspberry sauce by the half-gallon to use as an ice cream topping.
“We get more ideas as people talk to us and come back to buy more when they see us at a show,” he said. “They’ll go, ‘Oh, yeah, I put this sauce on this and, boy, did that make a difference!’”
Most of Dandido’s sauces are also great when incorporated into your cooking — or even as ingredients in shrimp cocktail sauces, co-owner Ed Baroody said.
“It’s not just something to put on top,” Renaud said. “You can build a chili off of it, [or] you can add it to your baked potato in your sour cream. … I’ve even scrambled it into my eggs.”
Irving’s best friend, Rylan Hill, is the head chef of New Hampshire Pizza Co. in Concord — the eatery has incorporated Hots Hoss into its specials, notably using a blackberry hot sauce Irving made for a Delmonico steak pizza special that was topped with chimichurri, pickled red cabbage, leeks, mozzarella and Gouda.
“I put my hot sauce on everything,” Irving said. “That’s the thing about hot sauce. It’s a topping, it’s a condiment, it’s a dipping sauce. … You can do anything with it.”
Scovie Awards Dubbed the “Oscars of hot sauce” by Gabe DiSaverio of The Spicy Shark in Portsmouth, the annual Scovie Awards recognize the most acclaimed fiery foods and spicy products from around the world. The awards ceremony is held every year at the Sandia Resort & Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico, usually the first weekend in March — a panel of judges rates all applicable submissions in various categories like appearance, aroma, texture, originality, flavor and overall impression.
To date, The Spicy Shark has taken home a total of 11 Scovie awards in either first, second or third place categories for its products. DiSaverio said he is most proud of two of those awards in particular: winning first place last year for his Hammah Gatah 7 Pot Primo pepper sauce, and winning Best in Show, the grand prize award, in 2020 for his hot maple syrup. Manchester’s Smokin’ Tin Roof has a Scovie Award of its own — its Smoky Peppah sauce, made from ground ghost pepper and some pineapple and sweet red bell peppers, was awarded second place in 2021.
New Hampshire-made craft hot sauces
Here’s a list of some of the Granite State’s spiciest hot sauce companies — visit their websites directly or follow them on social media to find out how to order them or where to pick them up.
Dandido Sauce dandidosauce.com, @dandidosauce Try this sauce: The Dandido Black This “extremely hot” sauce, the company’s newest product, blends Carolina Reaper peppers with wasabi, hot cinnamon and ginger, among other fresh ingredients.
Effin Sauces Co. effinsauces.com, @effinsauces Try this sauce: Sweet Lava This apple cider-based vinegar hot sauce is made with bell and habanero peppers, offering a unique balance of sweetness and heat.
Hots Hoss [email protected], @hots.hoss Try this sauce: Strawberry carrot habanero One of the more recent offerings from Marshall Irving of Hots Hoss, a one-man operation of small-batch craft hot sauces in Manchester, this sauce combines habanero peppers with strawberry and carrot flavors.
Naked Hot Sauces nakedhotsauces.net, @nakedhotsauces Try this sauce: Reaper Madness One of several Carolina Reaper-based offerings from chef Kevin Taillon of Naked Hot Sauces, who also owns Fire and Spice Bistro in Newfields, the Reaper Madness is best recommended for use on tacos or cheesesteaks.
NH Hot Sauce nhhotsauce.com, @nhhotsauce Try this sauce: Pull Fire Pull Fire, made with red Fresno peppers and fresh garlic, is one of four products from NH Hot Sauce, brought to you by longtime local chef Adam Parker.
Philbur’s Hot Sauce philburs.com, @philburs Try this sauce: Philbur’s No. 21 Hot The hottest offering from Philbur’s of Portsmouth, this sauce starts with sweet roasted peppers, jalapeno and habanero, along with extra ghost and scorpion peppers and a fresh herb finish.
Pogo’s Peppers pogospeppers.com, @pogospeppers Try this sauce: Jalapeno lime Pogo’s Peppers of Rye creates this sauce using roasted jalapenos and bright lime flavors, making it a versatile addition to just about any dish.
Rubin’s Hot Sauce rubinshotsauce.com, @rubinshotsauce Try this sauce: Inferno This sauce features a unique proprietary blend of twice the normal amount of home-grown Carolina Reaper peppers that’s then infused with a citrus-based blend of tropical fruits.
Smokin’ Tin Roof smokintinroof.com, @smokintinroof Try this sauce: Smoky Peppah A 2021 Scovie Award winner, taking home second place in the national competition, Smokin’ Tin Roof’s Smoky Peppah sauce is made from ground ghost pepper and some pineapple and sweet red bell peppers.
The Spicy Shark thespicyshark.com, @thespicyshark Try this sauce: Megalodon Named after the largest shark that ever lived, this craft sauce is brought to you by The Spicy Shark of Portsmouth, featuring “a sweet cherry start with the blazing finish of the Carolina Reaper pepper.”
Volcanic Ash Hot Sauce volcanicashhotsauce.com, @volcanicashhotsauce Try this sauce: O.G. Volcanic Ash This small-batch sauce features a blend of fresh habanero peppers with slowly caramelized onions, garlic, premium olive oil and a touch of sea salt.
Waldo Pepper’s Hot Sauce waldopeppershotsauce.com, @waldopeppershotsauce Try this sauce: Chipotle Ghost Featuring a blend of chipotle and ghost peppers with other ingredients like cider vinegar, carrots, onions, ground garlic, ginger and lime juice, this sauce is great for spicing up your eggs, burgers or chicken.
Matt Berry and Dante Marino, along with Dante’s brother Vinny, are co-owners of Deadproof Pizza Co. (deadproofpizza.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @deadproofpizzaco), a mobile pizza pop-up company launched earlier this year that now regularly appears at local breweries, events and private catering gigs. The group made their debut at Taco Tour Manchester on May 5 — since then, they’ve appeared at several events, including 603 Brewery’s 10th anniversary celebration in Londonderry in June, and the annual Keep NH Brewing Festival in Concord earlier this month. Deadproof Pizza Co. features a core menu of eight pies, all served in 10-inch sizes, from a classic cheese to a meat lover’s pizza, a Hawaiian pizza and a prosciutto and fig pizza, along with rotating specials. With his wife, Lauren, Berry also co-owns Dahlia Restaurant, a series of New England-inspired farm-to-table pop-up dinners oftentimes organized in collaboration with area businesses. Marino, meanwhile, is the owner of Ethos & Able Creative, a local marketing and branding business. You can find Deadproof Pizza Co. next at Lithermans Limited Brewery (126B Hall St., Concord), where Berry and Marino will be slinging pizzas on Saturday, July 23, from noon to 8 p.m.
What is your must-have kitchen item?
Matt: We use spoons constantly. … We also stumbled across this mini 12-inch pizza turner when we were testing different peels we wanted to use. It’s the best thing we’ve ever bought.
Dante: When I cook at home, I underestimate how much I use a spatula. I feel like I’m always doing something with it.
What would you have for your last meal?
Dante: My grandmother’s fried eggplant and chicken cutlets.
Matt: A bacon double cheeseburger with French fries and a strawberry milkshake.
What is your favorite local restaurant?
Matt: Earth’s Harvest in Dover. [Chef] George [Bezanson] makes the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. … He’s such a good dude, one of the sweetest, genuine people in my life, and his sandwiches are unreal.
Dante: If I had to go with someone more recently, we met The Traveling Foodie at the Keep NH Brewing Festival, and their stuff was nuts. They do some absolutely amazing food.
What celebrity would you like to see ordering from Deadproof Pizza Co.?
Matt: Pauly Shore. I’ve always wanted to see him. It’s low-key on my bucket list.
Dante: Ryan Reynolds. I just think he fits our vibe. He’s deadpan funny, and also he’s Deadpool, and we’re Deadproof.
What is your favorite pizza on your menu?
Dante: For me, it would definitely be the Trust Fund. It’s a pie with whipped Boursin cheese, truffle hot sauce and prosciutto.
Matt: Our classic OG. It’s such a good pie. I’ll eat it cold and it’s still delicious.
What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?
Matt: Cliche enough, I’m going to say right now that it’s pop-ups. Some people have been starting their own pop-up businesses like myself, just after quarantine. … They’re definitely becoming more and more relevant in New Hampshire, and luckily ours have been very well received.
Dante: People are realizing that starting their own pop-ups are more accessible now than ever, and it’s a nod to how closely knit businesses have become. … They may not even be in the same industry, but they work together.
What is your favorite thing to cook at home?
Dante: I guess my favorite thing would be smash patties or fried chicken, because I like to find ways to be experimental with different flavors.
Matt: At the end of the day, it’s whatever’s quick and simple and what my daughter will eat. She just turned 2 and she has a palate that’s better than most adults I know. We definitely feed her some not very traditional things. She’s absolutely not picky.
“The perfect pie” From the kitchen of Matt Berry and Dante Marino of Deadproof Pizza Co.
For the dough: ¼ cup warm water ¼ Tablespoon sugar ¼ Tablespoon active dry yeast Heavy pinch of kosher salt 1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for forming 2 teaspoons garlic oil Heavy pinch of fine cornmeal
Toppings: 2 ounces pizza sauce of choice 2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese 1 ounce grated pecorino cheese (grated Parmesan also works) 4 to 5 fresh basil leaves Pinch of Maldon salt (flaky sea salt) 5 whole cloves garlic 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 sprig each of thyme, rosemary and fresh oregano 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
Combine the olive oil with thyme, rosemary, oregano and whole cloves of garlic in a small saucepan over low heat. Let it cook for about 30 minutes, or until the garlic has turned golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add a tablespoon of kosher salt; stir to dissolve. Strain and let cool. Dissolve the sugar, yeast and salt into the lukewarm water. Add the strained oil. Add the flour — start with 5-and-a-half cups, adding as needed — and mix by hand or with a stand mixer until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover. Let it sit for about one to two hours. If you have a pizza stone, place it in an oven set to 450 degrees at least 30 to 45 minutes before you intend to bake. Remove dough and form into a circle by hand on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out to roughly 10 inches, keeping it as circular as possible. Once rolled out, slide onto a peel (or a flat cookie sheet with no edges) that’s been lightly dusted with cornmeal. Add your sauce and cheese. Carefully slide the pie off the peel onto your preheated pizza stone and let it cook for roughly 10 to 15 minutes. Pull out of the oven and immediately dust with pecorino. Sprinkle evenly and let your pie cool for about two minutes. Roll up your basil leaves and slice thinly, throwing some on your pie to taste. Slice up, sprinkle your slices with Maldon salt and enjoy.
Featured photo: Left to right: Vinny Marino, Matt Berry and Dante Marino, co-owners of Deadproof Pizza Co. Courtesy photo.
“A foot-tapping, lip-smacking good time” is promised at the annual Bluegrass BBQ, returning to White Park in Concord for its third year on Saturday, July 23. One of the chief fundraisers for the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness, the event will feature several barbecue options to choose from, along with a full lineup of local bluegrass artists performing throughout the day.
“We launched this event during Covid and it’s been very, very well received by the community,” said Greg Lessard, CCEH’s director of housing initiatives. “It’s been growing, too. We served 200 meals the first year and 550 the next year. … This year, we’re planning on 600.”
Scenes from the Bluegrass BBQ. Photos courtesy of Mulberry Creek Imagery.
The menu includes a total of five ordering packages for food. The “pitmaster special” is the most generous portion of barbecue and includes a meal of Texas-style brisket, pulled pork, smoked sausage, baked beans, coleslaw, pickled red onions and a pecan garlic barbecue sauce, along with a bun and a drink. There’s also a pulled pork sandwich meal with each of the same sides, or you can order the sandwich separately. A grilled hot dog meal with a bag of chips and a drink and a vegetarian meal featuring a hummus and tabouli wrap round out the food offerings.
Bill Wilcox of Wilcox & Barton, a local civil engineering company with a corporate office in Concord, is also a barbecuing enthusiast. He’ll be the chief pitmaster at the event, Lessard said.
“He’s a civil engineer, but he’s a chef as a hobby. … He has a custom-made smoker that was built down in Houston,” Lessard said. “He basically does all of the cooking, and then we’ve partnered with the Concord Food Co-op … [to do] all the prep work for the non-meat products.”
As during previous years, the event is tailgate-style — attendees are encouraged to place their barbecue orders online and then arrive at the park with chairs and picnic blankets to pick up their food and enjoy the music. A total of four bluegrass acts are each expected to play 90-minute sets. Paul Hubert will kick things off at 11 a.m., followed by Concord bluegrass and Americana group Bow Junction at 12:30 p.m., Whiskey Prison and 2 p.m. and soloist Hank Osborne at 3:30 p.m.
The Coalition has already raised more than $51,000 through 70 business sponsorships, and all food sale proceeds will go directly toward its programs. In the event of inclement weather, Lessard said, the barbecue will take place the following day, Sunday, July 24.
Live music schedule • Paul Hubert: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. • Bow Junction: 12:30 to 2 p.m. • Whiskey Prison: 2 to 3:30 p.m. • Hank Osborne: 3:30 to 5 p.m.
3rd annual Bluegrass BBQ When: Saturday, July 23, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (food service runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.); rain date is Sunday, July 24 Where: White Park, 1 White St., Concord Cost: Options include a pitmaster special ($40), a pulled pork sandwich meal ($25), a hot dog meal ($10) and a vegetarian hummus and tabouli wrap meal ($25); place your order in advance online for pickup at the event Visit: concordhomeless.org/bluegrass-bbq
Featured photo: Scenes from the Bluegrass BBQ. Photos courtesy of Mulberry Creek Imagery.
