Heart + Heat

In my heart I feel we are all artists in our own way. Creation has no limits, and the root of where it all begins is just as much a part of the final product.

Ever since I remember being welcomed into the Silagy house, the dining table was a place to be embraced with warm hearted cooked meals. They were always complimented with the option to add homemade hot sauces for a kick and fresh flavor that would waken your taste buds. It seemed there was a new batch to try every time I came over as the recipe was perfected to its finest. They often talked about eventually selling it, and since so many family members and friends loved the sauce, it was inevitable that many more would love it too.

It didn’t feel long until the sauce was being shared beyond their dining room table and being enjoyed by others as they set up booths at produce stores, a weekend fest, or Saturday markets. One evening, after they were selling bottles at the Vancouver Brew Fest, we were sitting around a fire and the conversation of logos and catch phrases were being proposed. “I like it hot” caught attention but then “I take it hot” was favored, and my imagination was sparked. So for fun, that very night, I drew the first two ideas that came to mind and shared it with them. The lips with the red pepper was for their Smoked Habanero red sauce and the green pepper version for their Cilantro Lime Serrano green sauce. They really loved the drawings and soon they were made into stickers that were passed out at their booth as a token of appreciation for those who stopped by to try or buy sauce. They started creating more sauces, including a Fire Roasted Habanero sauce, a fresh Hatch pepper green sauce, and on the spicier side, a Roasted Ghost pepper sauce for those who like a higher heat without losing great flavor, which I drew a new version for with a ghost pepper and smoke rising from it. To be able to support and be supported in our own creative journeys is something quite special that makes space for more creations to transpire. This Support can often inspire more opportunity and room for collaboration, as it has, with another awesome artist who is skilled in other ways to get their name out and make the drawings more than just stickers.

In a way, its just the beginning for whats possible, as there are so many ways to continue with ideas and create further in the world of art. In both the art of cooking and fine art mediums it becomes a practice in which each creation brings to life something new to be shared. Things often unfold in beautiful ways when you allow space for the creative side of your mind to explore, letting that spark of inspiration light the way.

I didn’t have to draw anything that night but love to support people in their creations and felt that spark of inspiration, mostly because Silagy Sauce is more than just a hot sauce. Its crafted in small batches with so much love and dedication thats rooted from the atmosphere of family and home, where most great culinary art begins. Each bottle has fresh ingredients that perfectly balance the flavor and heat, with that love and care being part of the alchemy of its great taste. The Silagy’s are also more than just people who make hot sauce, they’re like family.