“It’s top secret,” said General’s Hot Sauce executive and Marine Corps reservist Dillon Cox.
General’s Hot Sauce founders Ballister, Mike Altobello, Drew Tanner and Mikey Taylor were among a group of military pals who reunited each year to tailgate before the Army-Navy football game.
The namesake mystery general commanded the kitchen at the pre-game parking-lot party, splashing his wings, according to an oft-old version of company lore, with amazing homemade hot sauce.
The General’s Hot Sauce co-founders, from left, veterans Mike Altobello, Drew Tanner, Dan Ballister and Mike Taylor. (Courtesy The General’s Hot Sauce)
The wings more than passed muster with the crew.
They inspired a business idea: Combine their passion for spicy food with the dedication to service they displayed in the military themselves, by using the success of the business to support American veterans and their families.
MEET THE AMERICAN WHO INVENTED BUFFALO WINGS, DISRUPTED ENTIRE CHICKEN INDUSTRY
“Great sauce for the greater good,” as The General’s Hot Sauce motto proclaims.
The company offers hot sauces plus seasoned salts with a variety of gift-pack options.
Top sellers include Danger Close, which the company describes as “a magical blend of red cayenne and orange habanera peppers … the PERFECT sauce for making Buffalo wings.”
Also a top seller is Shock & Awe, “a special request from our believed heat freak fans” made with orange habaneros. It offers “a unique punch of deep, powerful, sustained heat.”
The General’s Hot Sauce of Columbia, South Carolina, is made with peppers grown locally by American farmers. “The farmer and the veteran are the backbone of the nation,” said The General’s Hot Sauce executive Dillon Cox. (Courtesy The General’s Hot Sauce / Fox News)
Then there’s HOOAH Jalapeno, with “a mild-medium heat profile” best on “tacos, burritos, enchiladas and (our favorite) scrambled eggs.”
There’s also A Salt Weapon — Atlantic sea salt flavored with sun-dried habanero peppers.
“Service isn’t something you did — it’s who you are.”
