Honoring Roots Through Smoke, Spice, and Tradition

In 2021, the passing of my father-in-law, Hector López Planchart, marked a turning point in my life. To honor his deep love for nature and his cherished moments in the Venezuelan countryside, I transformed part of our backyard into a garden, reminiscent of the peaceful terreno where he used to relax under a mango tree. Though maple trees replaced mangoes in our New Haven home, the spirit of his refuge lived on. What started as a small homage with a few jalapeño plants soon became something much larger. As the cold New England winter approached, the jalapeños ripened, and I found myself with more than I could use. An attempt to make a smoked version of Sriracha sauce using those peppers changed everything. That first batch, smoked over local maple wood, fermented slowly over two weeks, turning into something magical. The process of experimenting with different peppers, adjusting fermentation times, and testing flavors became a passion. In the years since, the humble garden has grown into a full-scale backyard production, yielding organic peppers that are lovingly tended to with no pesticides or artificial inputs. One of our most prized peppers, grown from seeds my wife brought back from her father’s garden, has become the backbone of our sauces. It’s the story of love, legacy, and the relentless pursuit of creating something special that has shaped Hawke Sauce into what it is today—a celebration of nature, flavor, and dedication to worry-free excellence.