Authored By seanphippster

As a 5-year-old, Aaron Hoffman remembers skipping the Twinkies and Little Debbies and reaching for cheddar cheese and pickled jalapeños instead. He’s always been a fan of hot and spicy foods.

As an adult, he has converted that passion for heat into his own brand of hot sauce called Hoff Sauce. He and his wife, Michelle, created Hoff and Pepper Co. to market the brand and will officially debut the sauce at the Chattanooga Market on Sunday.

“I’ve always really been into spice and really been into cooking,” Hoffman said. “I figured this was my way to dip my toes into something and really enjoy making people happy with food.”

The product started out as a way for the couple to give “cheap but impressive” holiday gifts to 30 of their friends. Positive feedback was received, and they decided to learn more about seriously producing and marketing the product.

Hoffman describes the sauce as an “everyday sauce” that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults. He wanted to steer clear of what he calls “dare sauces” that are designed to push the limits of a person’s tolerance for heat.

But there’s plenty of flavor and some heat for the purists. Hoff Sauce is a mix of chiles-red jalapeño, habanero, chipotle-vinegar, salt and garlic with a “tangy, smoky” flavor that is designed to elevate foods without dominating the flavor.

“I’m not a big fan of ‘dare sauces,'” he said. “If I want something spicy, I’ll eat fresh chilies. It’s not about making it where you ruin your food.”

Everything about the product is as “downtown Chattanooga” as it can be, he said. The logo design-Hoffman’s bearded face-was illustrated by Travis Knight and the label was designed by Scott Chandler.

All the labels were created at The Open Press, and the hot sauce itself is made using the kitchen at Mean Mug Coffeehouse, which recently declared the sauce their “official hot sauce.”

This weekend’s debut is the culmination of two and a half years of trial and error, planning and patience. Hoffman said the result is worth the effort and he’s proud to offer another branded product unique to Chattanooga.

Bottles will be $10 each. Each bottle is 6.7 ounces and can be purchased here with local pickup availability.

Thus far, only a few bottles have been sold. Sunday’s debut will be the first opportunity for the public to sample the sauce and give instant feedback.

“It would be difficult to think any of this would be possible without the Chattanooga Market,” Hoffman said. “That’s what encouraged me to get into this-the amount of people that go there every Sunday.”

Even if the product is a success, Hoffman said he has no plans to outsource production away from downtown Chattanooga. Sending the formula to a larger manufacturing facility is out of the question.

“I would love to have our own place, but we’re big about downtown Chattanooga,” he said. “I want to make all of it.”