Sriracha Granada sauce Website photo
Every now and then an entrepreneur comes along with an idea that perks up things in the kitchen. (Drum roll!) Enter: Nathan Litz, age 29, Clayton High School grad and lead network engineer for the Advanced Technology Center at World Wide Technology.
Sauce Lover
As a youngster, Nate was a Sriracha aficionado. As he grew older, he had the moxie to believe he could improve on the original red sauce. His version would be free of chemicals, preservatives and artificial colors and flavors. And it would be green. After mixing countless batches of jalapenos and Thai bird peppers, garlic, vinegar, sugar, and salt in his blender, Nate arrived at what he called Sriracha Granada.
A New Star in the Sauce Galaxy
Nathan Litz LinkedIn Photo
His early batches went to friends, who loved the zesty condiment enough to encourage him to bottle it for sale. A year ago Sriracha Granada made its market debut with a 3,500-bottle-roll-out. Today you can find it at a number of local stores and restaurants including: Larder and Cupboard, Hi Point Drive In, Guerrilla Street Food, Shop ‘n Save, Lucky’s Market Rock Hill, The Corner Butcher in Fenton, Nudo House, and Crane’s Country Store in Williamsburg.
You might ask: “On what dishes would you use a Thai-style green sauce?” Use it on anything you’d use the red sauce. Add it anywhere you want a faint sweetness paired tastefully with a peppery jolt—sandwiches, sushi, eggs, soup, sauces, and stews.
You Nailed It, Nate!
Nate sent me a bottle of sauce this week. It was about meal time when the package arrived, so I opened the bottle and dashed a bit on the Potatoes O’Brien I had simmering in the skillet. It was a perfect addition—not too sweet, not too hot, not overly garlicky and with just the right amount of tang. This could easily become my go-to sauce when I want a little extra flavor boost.
Kudos, Mr. Litz, for your innovation and the spot-on goodness of your new green sauce.
Kitchen Tidbit: Here’s a bit of trivia you can drop into a lagging conversation. Did you know the name Sirarcha comes from the village in which the red sauce originated: Si Racha, Thailand.
