Spice is the variety of life

F.A. Nino's celebrates newly opened tasting room|

Hot sauces that favor flavor over fire can add a secondary experience to even the best culinary creations. Petaluma’s F.A. Nino’s (“The Godfather of Sauce”) offers a line of hot sauces that span a wide range of flavors without setting off any fire alarms. Like many, I am not a huge fan of hot foods. I am not talking about temperature hot, although I’m never quite so disappointed in myself as when I allow smoldering pizza toppings to napalm the roof of my mouth. I am referring to spicy hot, which oftentimes overshadows the flavors of the underlying meal with the blinding heat of unchecked capsaicin.

F.A. Nino’s Fire Roasted Red is a nod to the method by which the chilies are roasted, and is actually quite mild. Holy Moly is made with Lagunitas’ Censored Ale, which is fitting because Lagunitas’ chefs in both Petaluma and Chicago use these hot sauces in their recipes. Mango Habanero and Picoso (“spicy” in Spanish) are the hot ones, but neither are hot enough to burn. My favorite? … the Smokin’ Green’s bottle cap spends more time on my counter than on the bottle because I’ve found that it goes with just about everything. I rarely pull back from the fridge without a bottle of Smokin’ Green in my hand because it is the perfect mix of chili flavors, with just enough heat to keep me from drinking it straight.

Along with their five hot sauces, F.A. Nino’s also offers three barbecue-style sauces and two dry rubs. The Beer-BQ Sauce uses Lagunitas’ Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ beer, which comes through loud and clear, making it one of my favorites. The Bourbon Sage & Tarragon BBQ Sauce is described as “rich, savory and sweet,” although “deliciously addictive” would be even more accurate. The Chocolate Chipotle Adobo Sauce balances the heat by using green rather than red chipotles, which leaves plenty of room for a hint of chocolate. The Citrus-Herb and Jamaican Dry-Rubs complete the product line, and are always on hand in my pantry. I have yet to bake, broil or grill a better chicken thigh than the ones I cover with the Jamaican Dry-Rub.

In 2010, F.A. Nino’s creator Chuck Ross explored the idea of starting his own business because the restaurant he worked for had succumbed to the recession.

With Latin blood in his veins, he toyed with some of his grandmother’s recipes and created a hot sauce that was as good as anything on the market. Ross first sold to family and friends, later expanding to farmers markets, and was eventually discovered by Oliver’s market. Today, F.A. Nino’s is on most local restaurant tables and supermarket shelves.

The name? “Nino” is a slang for “Godfather,” likely finding its way from the Greek’s “Nouno.” Nino is a tribute to Ross’ actual godfather, while the silhouette on the label is Ross’ father. The F.A.? … well, Chuck’s father, godfather and Uncle Frank (also his business partner) were rather large fellas and referred to each other as “large posterior,” a term of endearment between the trio. The term “F.A.” was a way to avoid offending anyone within earshot.

But a hot sauce tasting room … who ever heard of that? Well, because hot sauces aren’t one-size-fits-all, most people won’t buy one they haven’t already tasted. A former olive oil tasting room caught Ross’ attention and now helps them show off the true potential of F.A. Nino’s vast flavor profiles, while also highlighting local food producers and purveyors. But truth be told, these good fellas were initially just looking to expand their storage space. With more space, they can order quantities big enough to bring down their per unit price, which, in true Petaluma fashion they are passing on to us customers. Hot sauces run $5, while the barbecue sauces and dry-rubs are $7 each. These F.A. Padrinos make it easy to keep a few extra bottles on hand just in case you need a last minute house-warming gift for your new neighbor.

F.A. Nino’s regular hours are Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. but June 20 and 21 is the Grand Opening Celebration, complete with food, drink, music, good company, and naturally, an endless tasting of great hot sauces, barbecue sauces and dry rubs. Street tacos, Guatemalan mini-tamales, Filipino lumpias (a kind of spring roll), and golden fried chicken wings will complement wines from Healdsburg’s Longboard Vineyards and beers from Lagunitas, of course.

There will also be a photo booth, product tasting contests, and kid’s coloring pages for a future warehouse poster project. Last but not least, F.A. Nino’s will unveil its new Demon Dust dry rub. Guests will not only taste all the sauces and rubs but will get the true flavor behind these local favorites by meeting the F.A. Ninos behind the label.

(Visit Houston Porter’s blog at http://rivertown.blogs.petalu ma360.com.)

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