Sauce Boss: Freddie Lee's Journey from Hobbyist to Sauce Maestro
In this episode of Saint Louis In Tune, Arnold Stricker and Mark Langston delve into the world of barbecue, exploring the nuances between grilling and smoking. The highlight of the show is Freddie Lee, the creator of Freddie Lee's Gourmet Sauce, who shares his inspiring journey from making sauces as a hobby to becoming a staple in over a thousand stores across the United States and Jamaica.
His sauces, free from high fructose corn syrup and vegan-friendly, have made a name for themselves, initially known as 'Ghetto Sauce' but later rebranded to appeal to a wider audience. Freddie's commitment to flavor, combined with personal anecdotes and a discussion on the challenges small businesses face, provides a rich narrative on passion, entrepreneurship, and the craft of sauce-making.
[00:00] Introduction to Barbecue Season and the Show
[01:01] The Art of Barbecuing and Grilling
[01:27] Cultural Etiquette: Removing Shoes at Home
[02:51] Introducing Freddie Lee and His Gourmet Sauce
[06:42] The Story Behind the Sauce's Name
[12:34] The Sauce's Impact and Expansion
[19:02] The Challenges of Running a Small Business
[25:47] The Variety and Uses of Barbecue Sauces
[28:11] The Production Process of the Sauce
[29:15] Choosing the Right Ingredients for the Sauce
[29:30] The Art of Making Spicy Sauce
[30:15] The Secret Behind the Mild Sauce
[30:36] The Importance of Flavor in Food
[30:53] The Complexity of the Sauce's Ingredients
[31:37] The Role of the Wife in the Business
[32:05] The Process of Marinating and Grilling Meat
[33:49] The Art of Baking with the Sauce
[37:17] The Journey to Finding the Right Packaging
[40:41] The Challenges and Triumphs in the Sauce Business
[40:57] The Love for Cooking and the Sauce
[42:27] The Versatility of the Sauce in Cooking
[46:48] The Future Plans for the Sauce
This is Season 7! For more episodes, go to stlintune.com
#bbq #barbeque #bar-b-que #sauces #BBQsauce #stlouis #entrepeneur #barbequesauce #bar-b-quesauce #spicysauce #gourmetsauce #grilling #smoking
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Freddie Lee James, Jr.
Entrepreneur/Sauce Man
Freddie Lee’s American Gourmet Sauce, LLC creates delicious multi-purpose sauces with a unique taste that are great for barbecue and much more. We create and manufacture Freddie Lee’s Gourmet Sauce in mild and spicy to suit everyone’s taste preferences. Our sauce tastes great on most meats and it also serves as a great seasoning for soups, chili, sloppy joes, spaghetti and tacos just to name a few.
For decades, we’ve been giving our sauces to family, friends, and co-workers and have been provided with great feedback. People have asked us what is the name of the sauce, and at that time we didn’t have a name. One day Fred and I had completed a batch of sauce and we took a much needed break. So we went and sat on the front porch to escape the extreme temperatures of the kitchen. It was a warm summer day and Fred looked at me and said honey, one day GOD is going to bless us to get out of the Ghetto. Praise GOD I said, and then it hit me, Ghetto Sauce would be the name. We laughed and Fred said “I can’t do that”. I said “then put your name on it and call it Freddie Lee’s Ghetto Sauce”. We prayed about the name and laughed. The name just stuck with us and felt right. We don’t mean to be racist, negative, or degrading to anyone’s race or nationality. We love all GOD’s people, and we love to enjoy family, food, and good times in that order.
We added Freddie Lee’s American Gourmet Sauce to our family of sauces because it made it a lot easier to get our product into markets that did not want to offend and we understand.
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