When the executive chef of Elements at Water Street was furloughed for five months at the start of the pandemic, he wasted no time in spicing things up a little. Together with two friends, Zachary Rogers developed a range of gourmet hot sauces. Now they’re launching Spice Dog Provisions, a small batch hot sauce company.
“We’d like to see it become a national brand, although we’re starting locally,” said Rogers, who started working at Elements in 2017. “There’s a big hot sauce culture in Australia and Canada so once we’re nationwide here, we would like to take it there.”
The company was launched online March 1. Since then, they’ve sold more than 600 bottles. In Naperville you can buy it at SixtyFour Wine Bar and Kitchen.
The idea came from a former co-worker Mitchell Bauer, who makes fermented hot sauces as a hobby, Rogers said.
“I started making some too and last April he sent me a text suggesting we sell some at farmers markets. I thought why not turn it into a business and it snowballed from there,” he said.
“I know people who eat it off a spoon, there’s a whole spice movement that’s been growing over the last five years. There are competitions to see how many hot peppers you can eat. There’s a whole spicy food revolution.”
Rogers says what makes his hot sauces stand out from others is that it’s cooked.
“We call them gourmet because we cook it. We use fermented peppers, garlic, sugar and salt and ferment them like sauerkraut in airtight fermenting vessels,” he said. “It builds up gases. As it ferments, it changes the flavors and texture. Then we take it out of the jar and puree it and add vinegar.”
Rogers says unlike many other companies, Spice Dog doesn’t use thickeners.
“From the beginning we didn’t want to use anything we couldn’t pronounce,” he said. “We use our cooking talents to round out the flavors and it’s worked out well.”
Rogers says the hardest part is taking care while working with the hotter peppers. Their Ghost Ship sauces uses one of the hottest chili peppers available.
“The hard part is when you wash the dishes,” he said. “The spray that comes out contains pepper gas, which can cause wheezing although we do wear face masks.”
Rogers had been bouncing around the pirate theme for years before finding the perfect use for it with his new company.
“I have always been interested in the nautical idea,” he said. “While I was in culinary school, I created the Black Dog Supper Club. I was originally going to call this company Black Dog, but the name had already been used so I came up with Spice Dog like spice traders.”
The branding grew after he talked to another old friend, Walker Curran-Fahy, a marketing expert.
Rogers has worked in food service for most of his life. Growing up in Athens, Georgia, he began by helping his mother, who worked for a catering company.
“I enjoyed working behind the scenes,” he said.
When he was 25, he joined the Cordon Bleu School in Atlanta, which was followed by an internship at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago. Eventually they created a position there just for him.
“It was a fantastic experience. I worked in the banquet kitchen providing fine dining,” Rogers said.
The chefs worked with some amazing ingredients.
“The most expensive items was a single white truffle, which was bigger than a softball and cost them $8,000,” Rogers recalled. “We used it on a couple of fish dishes and risotto, but it was so big and had to be used fresh that we ended up shaving it onto eggs for breakfast. There were some lucky diners for a week.”
After having his first child, working 16- to-18-hour days six days a week lost its charm. His wife had grown up in Naperville so the family moved here to be closer to her parents. He worked for Mariano’s for a year before moving to Chef By Request in Lisle.
When the owner, Dave Miller, took on a new project at Elements, Rogers got the job as executive chef.
He describes his cooking style as “controlled rustic.”
“I’m classically trained with French techniques, but I come from a Georgia family of home cooks who like simple but good food,” Rogers said. “I incorporate both these styles. I like to say it looks like I threw it at a plate but it landed perfectly.”
As pandemic restrictions are slowly lifted, Rogers says hopes to see things turning around at Elements.
“We are keeping our fingers crossed,” he said. “Things are shaping up to be better this year although it will take a while to make up for what we have lost. There have been a lot of wrecked events but once we can go, we will really go.”
Guests can expect to see some of Rogers’ hot sauces incorporated in his dishes.
“I’m one of those chefs who knows everyone’s tastes are different so if someone wants to shake it on something, I’m all for it,” he said.
If you’re one of those who like it hot, Rogers offers these recipes to try at home:
GLASS NOODLE SALAD
For the noodles
1/2 pkg sweet potato vermicelli approximately 6 grams
1 large carrot, julienned
1 green onion, julienned
1 red bell pepper, julienned
3 basil leaves chiffonade
1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
3 cups baby spinach
1 tsp canola oil or any neutral-flavored oil
For the dressing:
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Cure for Scurvy hot sauce
Kosher salt to taste
Optional garnish:
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Cooking instructions
1. Place noodles in a large mixing bowl. Pour boiling water over noodles, cover with a towel and let sit 10-15 minutes until soft. (Alternatively, add noodles to a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cover. Remove from heat and set aside until soft).
2. Meanwhile, in a pan, sauté the onions, carrots and peppers until softened but still fresh.
3. Add spinach and sauté until wilted.
4. In a small mixing bowl add all dressing ingredients and mix well until combined.
5. Drain the noodles in a colander. Use kitchen scissors to cut noodles into a shorter length.
6. Add the noodles back into the large mixing bowl. Add the vegetables, fresh chopped herbs and dressing and toss well. Taste and adjust as needed with salt or more soy sauce
7. Top with sesame seeds and more hot sauce (optional).
SPICE DOG BEEF BARBOCA
Ingredients
* 3 tbsp vegetable oil
* 5 lbs chuck roast
* 2 tbsp Kosher salt
* 1 tbsp ground black pepper
* 1 lime
* 3 oz Teach’s Beard hot sauce
* 2 cups beef broth
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the chuck roast into about 6 or 8 pieces and season generously with salt and pepper.
3. In a dutch oven or heavy bottom pot, add the oil and brown the meat on all sides on medium-high heat.
4. Remove the meat from the pot and coat with The Teach’s Beard hot sauce.
5. Add the broth to the dutch oven. Scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the pot.
6. Cover and cook for 3 to 4 hours or until fork tender.
7. Shred the meat with two forks. Keep some of the juices from the meat to keep the barbacoa extra moist.
8. Serve with warm tortillas, more Teach’s Beard, fresh chopped cilantro and chopped white onions.
Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved from England to Naperville in 2007.
