101 Zack Mazur, The Sizzle Sauce

A condiment that’s hard to categorize is usually the one worth chasing, and the Sizzle Sauce fits that bill. We talk with creator and owner Zack Mazur about a Pittsburgh-made sauce that starts with sweet barbecue vibes, shifts into a savory comfort-food depth, and then tags you with heat at the very end. 

Zack walks us through the real behind-the-scenes journey of building a small food business: the first batch made at home for his daughter’s chicken nuggets and fries, the rounds of tinkering, to the encouraging push of family and friends to do more. 

We round things out with two food wins: Sarah of Sarah Loves Yinz recommends Kitchen on Main in Ligonier for a treat-yourself brunch, and Sarah Kaminski of Best Ever Granola drops a weeknight “empty the fridge” taco hack that feeds a family without a strict recipe.

If you like discovering local Pittsburgh food brands, small business stories, and practical meal ideas, hit subscribe, share this with a sauce-loving friend, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show.

Transcript

Doug 0:00

Welcome to the Pittsburgh Dish. I'm your host, Doug Heilman. What is the sizzle sauce? Well, it might be your new favorite condiment. We get the full story from creator and owner Zach Mazur. Looking for a good brunch spot, not just on the weekends? Sarah of Sarah Loves Yinz reveals a favorite in Westmoreland County. And from one Sarah to another, Sarah Kaminski of Best Ever Granola shares a recipe hack for any busy weeknight family meal. All that ahead, stay tuned. The Pittsburgh Dish is supported by Chef Alekka. Book a cooking class for your next small person event at her Hilltop Shared Kitchen. Just visit her website at chefalekka.com to learn more. Now on to the show. Well, thank you so much for coming over and for being on the show. Would you introduce yourself to our listeners and what you have going on in the world of food?

Zack 1:06

Yeah.

Doug 1:07

So thanks for having me, Doug.

What Sizzle Sauce Actually Tastes Like

Zack 1:08

I appreciate it. Um I am Zach Mazur, and I am the creator and owner of the sizzle sauce.

Doug 1:14

The sizzle sauce. The sizzle sauce. So, Zack, I guess my first question for you is if someone doesn't know your product, what is the sizzle sauce?

Zack 1:25

Yeah, so that seems to be the million-dollar question. Um I've been eating the sizzle for coming up on two years now. Okay. And it's still difficult for me to explain what it tastes like. Um and it seems like everybody who tries it for the first time, they have this puzzled look on their face, like, hmm, what you know, what is that? They don't really understand the taste. Uh some people say, uh, is it a hot sauce? And I say, uh, I wouldn't say it's a hot sauce, but it is hot. Like there's some heat to it. And other people say, so well, then it's a barbecue sauce. And uh I wouldn't call it a barbecue sauce, but it has kind of a barbecue taste. And it's just uh, you know, it's hard to explain.

Doug 2:05

But what are some of the notes and flavors if someone hasn't experienced the sauce? You said there's a little heat. Right. There's a little bit of like a barbecue, must be a little smokiness to it.

Zack 2:15

Yeah.

Doug 2:16

What else?

Zack 2:16

So it comes in layers. Uh the first flavor you get is like kind of a sweet barbecue flavor, and then it kind of transfers over into a more of a savory, like uh, you know, um comfort type food.

Doug 2:27

Yeah.

Zack 2:28

Um, and then when most people think the flavor's over, they're like, oh, that was pretty good. And then they get the heat at the end. It catches up to you. Yeah, it comes, it comes at the very end. So I'm not real sure how it works. I'm not a food scientist, uh, but it's just it's unlike anything I've ever had before.

Doug 2:44

And I was taking a look at your website, I see people using it in all different kinds of ways.

Zack 2:50

Oh, that's the other thing. The versatility is insane. I mean, when I when we first started, so um, the first time I ever made it was for my daughter. Okay. You know, and it was she wanted um chicken, nuggets, and fries one day. So uh made it for her, and I wanted to make something something for her to dip the the food in, you know, make it a little more special for her. Yes. So I grabbed some random ingredients out of the fridge and some ingredients out of the cabinet and and mixed them together. I always like messing with flavors. Yeah. So made that for her, and she tried and she was like, Oh, this is really good. I'm like, oh, good. And then I tried it and I was like, wow, this is really good. You had something, yeah, yeah. So there was something there. Um, and so from that point, like what I do a lot, because I cook a lot at home. What I like to do is I I make something and it turns out really good. And then the next time I make it, I'm like, I can make that better.

Doug 3:45

Oh, yeah, refining.

Zack 3:46

Yeah, and my wife's like, why are you make trying to make it better? It was so good last time. But I just like improving things. So after I made that, I went through seven different variations of it. I just added different things, random ingredients. At one point, I was putting like coffee grinds into it. I'm like, What am I doing? Yeah.

Doug 4:04

This is all at home though. This is all home. Experimenting, you're not selling anything yet.

Zack 4:08

Nothing. This is a very early stages. Okay. Yeah. So so I'm messing around with it and I come back to almost the exact original version of it. Now, I I did add a little more heat to it because my daughter, she's not huge on heat. Okay. Um, so she she really liked the original one. So part of the reason why we're making uh a mild that's gonna be coming out soon.

Doug 4:31

Well, you're alluding to some things that are coming up, but before we go there, I do want to just ask a couple more questions about the current sauce and the business. Currently, you have been selling the sizzle sauce, like it's one product, one heat level, one flavor uh profile, right? Right, just one flavor. And how long have you been doing this in a commercial way?

Zack 4:53

Yeah, so in a commercial way, we just started in October.

Doug 4:58

Wow.

Zack 4:59

Yeah. So new. We're really new. Yeah. The fact that I'm doing a podcast right now is insane to me.

Doug 5:04

Well, we had some connections. Some of our other friends of other shows uh brought us together, and I'm so glad they did. Right, me too. Yeah, thanks, Priya and Glenn. Yep. That's anarch or May Foods. Yeah. Yep. So when you're doing this experimenting, like how long ago is this now? Are we saying that this was just last summer, or so you've been kind of working on this for a while when you said you did all these iterations at home?

Zack 5:28

Well, I guess I can kind of walk you through the whole history of it. Yeah. From where it started to where it is now. Um, so like I said, made it for my daughter. It was coming up on two years ago. And I kind of felt like I went through these uh stages from where it started up until now, uh, maybe phases you could call them. That first phase was coming up with the idea. You know, and I think um people who may be entrepreneurs who are you know starting a business, um, or even just somebody who's trying to reach a goal, I think they go through these phases that I kind of remember. So that was the first phase, the idea. The second one was when it started to gain momentum. So I'm at home and I'm like, you know what, I'm gonna make some sample bottles, some little ones, and uh and give them out to friends and family, see what they think. You know, am I crazy? Is this like an amazing sauce? Or I want to find out what other people think.

Doug 6:19

This is your test market.

Turning A Hit Into A Company

Zack 6:21

This is it. Yeah. Yeah. So luckily I have an amazing group of friends who uh who helped me out with this. I made these 20 little sample bottles, and then I'm looking at the bottles and I think, well, they need a label. I mean, they gotta, you know, I don't want to just give them a bottle with no label on it. So I'm making a label, and my wife's like, What are you doing? Like, I don't know what I'm doing, but I know I'm doing it.

Doug 6:42

You've started down the bunny hall, right?

Zack 6:44

I was, yes, I was on my way. Well, if I'm making labels now, I need a name for this sauce. Like, what are we gonna call it? So it was it was just a fun, such a fun thing to to have fun with friends and family, figuring out, you know, what should we call this? And then there was like a top five list, and then it was like, Hey, what do you guys think about this? So that was this the second stage was gaining all that momentum and thinking, hey, this could really be something. You know, this could be something special. So I kept going with it. The feedback was unreal. I mean, people they loved it. And I said, Seriously, you have to be honest with me. I know you're my friend, family. Right. But I really I mean, I really have to know your honest opinion. And they're like, no, seriously, you gotta do something with it. So the third stage I went into, um, which is probably the most difficult, this was all the behind the scenes stuff. You know, this was forming the LLC, yes, um, getting insurance, having our kitchen approved by the Department of Agriculture, just you know, all that stuff. It was um a lot of work, it was some long nights, uh, small wins, you know, there was nothing much to show for it other than some paperwork.

Doug 7:47

Yeah.

Zack 7:48

Um, and this was a time where I thought about quitting. I'm like, you know, what I woke up, I'm like, I own a sauce company now. Like, what am I doing? I have two other jobs. Why am I doing the sauce company?

Doug 7:59

Well, and we should say this isn't your this wasn't your full-time gig, right? You're right, you're employed elsewhere, you're doing other things. Yes, yeah, yeah. This is a hobby turning into something else. Exactly.

Zack 8:09

Yeah, and I can't, I don't know if I can call it a job. It's so much fun like to be sitting here talking to you about this. I it's it's amazing. So yeah, I almost almost hung it up, almost said, this is real, I'm spending all this time and money, and what you know, what am I doing? So, but then I just felt this like need to continue with it. Like, I'm I'm not gonna stop doing this. Uh, and there was there was some setbacks. We ran into some issues, and um I think just being able to understand that whatever happens is happening for a reason. Yeah, you know, so that was kind of the next stage I went into was I'm maybe I don't think this is what I want right now, but I gotta understand this is the best thing that's that's gonna happen and everything's gonna work out. So um, City, I think that's where I'm at right now. Just um I have an idea where I want to be. And when things don't work out, I just think, yeah, okay, whatever, we'll get by it.

Doug 9:00

Well, every time something doesn't work out, it's actually typically a great learning experience. Right. Right? Yeah. If everything worked out so well, you'd be like, I don't know what I did right and I don't know what I did wrong. Yeah. Yeah. Pure luck is not always good.

Zack 9:14

Exactly. Yeah. Found a bunch of ways it didn't work. So and learned a lot along the way.

Doug 9:18

So you mentioned you kind of got uh your home approved like as a cottage run business. Is that what you're still doing right now? Are you still making it at home? Have you moved on to any kind of other outside of the home space?

Zack 9:30

Uh nope, still at home. Uh I worked with, and this is one of those setbacks I was talking about. I worked with a co-packer for about four, four or five months straight. You know, in my eyes, that's what I needed to do. I needed to have a co-packer because I I don't have time to do all this work at home. So worked with them back and forth for months, and at the last minute it fell through.

Doug 9:52

Oh and were they actually creating the sauce or trying to?

Zack 9:57

They they were gonna make it, bottle it, ship it. Yeah. Yeah. So it didn't work out, and thank God it didn't. Because I think like looking back, I think, oh man, I'm so glad that didn't work out. Cause I mean, now we we're doing it, we can ensure quality control. I just I don't think it would have been the same. Right.

Doug 10:13

And maybe someday that will change again. But the right, the time horizon and the growth trajectory, which wasn't quite there for you.

Zack 10:21

Right, right. Yeah, and uh, it's not something we needed, right? You know, but uh in my eyes, it was at the time.

Doug 10:27

So uh so right now, um, folks can buy the sauce that you're producing online on your website, right? And a couple other places around town, is that right?

Zack 10:37

Yeah, so there's 11 locations that we have. Um, a couple restaurants, a couple markets, okay, and then the website.

Doug 10:43

And the restaurants that are selling it, are they incorporating your sauce into any dishes?

Zack 10:49

Yeah. So there's um there's two restaurants right now that have it on the menu.

Doug 10:52

Wow.

Zack 10:53

Yeah, that's cool. It's exciting. Yeah, one is called the Hayloft in uh Russelton. Okay. There's a big sports complex there called No Off Season, and it's the restaurant there. Actually, the the manager there just sent me uh a picture the other day. They're making a new menu, and now it's officially on the menu. What does that feel like? Oh, it's it's uh I can't even explain it. Right, yeah, that's so crazy. Yeah, so it's it's uh one of their wing sauces right now. And uh we actually every second Wednesday of the month we go there and do a wing night where we set up a booth and give out samples and there's um gift baskets and things like that. So yeah, and then the other restaurant is called the Finch. Have you heard of The Finch? I have heard of the Finch, okay.

Doug 11:32

Have not been there.

Zack 11:33

Okay, amazing place. Um, it's a big six-floor building, it's called the Distillery Complex. And um, the rooftop bar is called the Finch. Where is the Finch?

Doug 11:45

Where's that located?

Zack 11:46

Um, it's right next to Station Square. Okay. This is one of those crazy things that I just can't believe happened. Um sitting there and I get a phone call from Casey Kavanaugh, he's the bar manager at the Finch, and he says, Hey, um, I just tried the sizzle and I want to put it on our menu for wings. I'm like, amazing. Yeah. Okay. And he said, uh, yeah, we'll take uh we'll take 12 gallons of it. And I'm like, okay, trying to, you know, play it off like I'm cool. Be cool with it.

Doug 12:14

Yeah. It's like, okay, yeah, no problem. We can do that. What's the internal Zack thinking? Oh my god.

Zack 12:19

So the internal, the internal Zack had two reactions. The first one was yes. Yeah. Second one was crap. How am I gonna do this? Like, I don't know, how am I gonna get bottles and then labeling all this stuff?

Doug 12:32

And wow, it's like your first wholesale-ish experience, right? That was the first wholesale, yeah.

Zack 12:38

So it was um, but like anything else, you know, you figure it out as you go, and right, and uh, you know, that's all that's the fun of this.

Doug 12:45

Well, that's all amazing. Congratulations. Yeah, thanks. I feel for you like seeing your sauce like on an actual proper menu in a restaurant, like had that ever crossed your mind that that would happen?

Zack 12:56

I mean, I I kind of think of everything, I think. So it it probably did at one point, yeah. So cool. But but yeah, to actually see it come to life is uh it's pretty amazing.

Doug 13:08

And uh, you know, so beyond the restaurants and what's sort of happening there, what's the traffic been like on the website?

Zack 13:14

Uh so website hasn't been as much as the retail. Yeah, so I'm working on so social media is uh I have a love-hate relationship with it. Oh, I know it will. Uh I um I was never on social media until this. Until this saw us. Yeah, yeah. So um now I'm learning, and now you kind of have to be. Well, it's free marketing. It it is, it is nice, um, definitely reaches a lot of people, but it for me it's like it's it's tough.

Doug 13:43

It takes a whole other time set, skill set, right. You know, what you want to do. Right. Have you done other like markets or uh vending anywhere else?

Zack 13:52

We did the expo, uh home and garden show at the ex at the convention center. Um and that was amazing. That was um that was our first ever like we never we've never done any farmers markets really or anything. That was still so new. Yes, I love it.

Doug 14:06

I love hearing like where you are right now, and we'll see where you are in another year or so. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Zack 14:12

So yeah, I mean, I was talking to people at the at the home and garden show, and they said, Oh, so you guys travel around to a lot of shows. I'm like, this is actually our first one ever.

Doug 14:22

Um I think that's so special.

Zack 14:23

It was, it was great. And we're we were only able to do the first weekend um because we had, you know, we work during the week, and then the weekend after we had things going on, but it was it was an amazing experience.

Doug 14:35

So, you know, I usually ask this later, but you alluded to it, so I'd love to talk about it now. You've been professionally selling this product since October of 2025. We're just into 2026. You've had one flavor and heat level. Right. So what's on the horizon here? What's happening soon with your product line?

Zack 15:00

Well, I found that um when people try the sizzle, I would say about 75% of them like it. It's it's like the perfect combination and the heat level is good. Uh, maybe about 10% of them want it hotter. Oh, okay. They like a much hotter sauce.

Doug 15:16

Yeah.

Zack 15:16

And about 10% are very sensitive, so they want a mild. That's about 95%. I don't know. The other five, I guess they um maybe they just have a condition where they can't, their taste buds can't handle such good flavor. I don't know.

Doug 15:29

Yeah, no.

Zack 15:30

But um, but yeah, I haven't had anybody that said they didn't like it yet. That's so good. Not not one person said they didn't like it. It's been amazing. But yeah, the different flavor, different heat levels, uh, they're gonna be coming out soon. People keep asking for them and they'll be out soon.

Doug 15:44

So that's what you're experimenting with. It's not necessarily a different flavor, but it will be the intensity of heat. That's what you're gonna play with.

Zack 15:52

Right. Originally, when I first made it, I thought, well, I can make variations. Like maybe I'll make one with um that's like extra garlic or something, or extra mustardy or something like that. Yeah, but I can't change the flavor. I feel like it's perfect. Well, you're not ready for it yet. Right. Yeah.

Doug 16:06

I'll have to experience the sizzle first. Yes, exactly. Yeah.

Zack 16:10

And I don't know, I don't know that I ever will. Maybe I will, but um, I know just the heat level change for now is what we're gonna stick with.

Doug 16:17

Since you are still so new, what has the network of other makers been like? You know, you said you just did the home show, and that was one of your first big things, and we met through Anarch Gourmet, who's also another small maker. Are you finding other folks, any mentors, any supporters beyond the friends and family?

Zack 16:36

Yeah, well, I'm just thinking right now, Hamma Jacks. Oh, yeah, um, hot sauce, yeah. Lisa Ray, we love Lisa. Yep, yep, great people. We met them at the at the show and they invited us to the hot sauce festival. Yep.

Doug 16:46

Yes, the hot sauce festival is in October. Yes. Listeners, you should be looking October 2026. This will be the second one. Yep. Yep, so I will be down there. You will?

Zack 16:56

Yep.

Doug 16:56

Oh, that's amazing.

Zack 16:57

Yeah, we're excited about that.

Doug 16:58

Yeah.

Zack 16:59

Um, and then as far as mentors go, um, early on, I uh I got hooked up with Rob Miller from Miller's Mustard.

Doug 17:05

Okay.

Zack 17:06

Um, he was uh he was very inf influential for me. He helped out a lot. Uh and saw him down at the home show. And um, yeah, so he helped me. Uh I I was lucky enough to do you know Dot Foods? I don't know. Like Sysco. Do you know Sysco? Oh, yes, okay. So I guess from what I understand, I could be wrong here, but Sysco is like the number one distributor in the US, and then Dot is number two. Oh, okay. So um I was lucky enough to get hooked up with Brian Leduke, who is the CIO of DOT, like the third person from the top of this like $13 billion company.

Doug 17:40

Wow.

Zack 17:40

And here I am exchanging emails with them. Um, so I got hooked up with him and and talked to some people from DOT, and they gave me some uh info about like what it takes to distribute through them and where I need to be and steps I should take now. So I mean, people, it's amazing how many people have helped out, like not just people like that, but just friends and family. Yeah, you know, cheering me on. It's a great story. Yeah. Hi, this is Zack Major with the Sizzle Sauce, and you're listening to The Pittsburgh Dish.

Learning To Cook And Family Meals

Doug 18:11

Zack, I I'd love to shift gears a little bit because we've talked about friends and family a little bit. You mentioned that you like to cook. Love it. Always been since I was little. Really? Yeah. It sounds like you like to experiment, which is what I like too. I was allowed to be in the kitchen, and so like flavors and things. I've always liked to kind of play around with what's in the spice cupboard or the sauces in the refrigerator door.

Zack 18:34

Yes. What about you? Same. Really? Yeah, I'm the type that never I never measure anything unless it's with the sizzle. So you gotta measure that to make sure.

Doug 18:42

Isn't it the hardest thing to write a recipe down?

Zack 18:45

It's so hard. Yep, yeah. Recipes are um just recommendations, right? Exactly.

Doug 18:50

It's a guidepost.

Zack 18:50

Yeah, yeah. So yeah, I've always liked experimenting. And when I was younger, uh my mom, she was the type of mom who I'd you know, I'd be in the kitchen with and and cooking. And if I wanted to put something in the pot and she knew it might not be the best thing, she was still like, sure, go ahead, see what happens. Uh-huh. You know, so I think that experimenting.

Doug 19:11

Um it's back to mistake learning. Exactly. Like, oh, like I remember putting stuff in, I think we canned tomato juice one year. And I'm like, oh, garlic powder or basil, that was good. And then clove, not as good in my in my opinion, right? You know, just do stuff like that.

Zack 19:27

Yeah. Yeah, but you find out what doesn't work and what works. And uh yeah, and then my dad was a good cook. He he was always cooking. Um, he made the best pork chops ever. I still am trying to recreate them, but there's something something he did that he didn't tell me. Of course. Yeah. That'll always happen. Secret. Wow. Um, so yeah, I just you know, growing up with food and you're you're from the local area, right? Right, West Deer.

Doug 19:50

West Deer, okay. Did you guys do a lot of family meals like you ate in a lot?

Zack 19:54

Yes.

Doug 19:55

Yeah.

Zack 19:55

Yeah. Yeah. We would go out to once in a while, but yeah, it was more eating at home.

Doug 19:59

And what's family and food life like now for you?

Zack 20:02

Well, now it's a little chaotic with the kids being in sports and and they're so busy all the time. Are they in their teens? Yeah, my son's 16, um, my daughter's 13. Okay.

Doug 20:11

So, yeah, so they're busy now. They are to get everyone probably at the table is tough. It is in terms of yeah, schedules.

Zack 20:17

We do it as much as we can, but yeah, it is tough.

Doug 20:20

Who cooks in the family now?

Zack 20:21

So I cook about I would say 99% of the time. Okay. The other 1%, my wife will order pizza or something.

Doug 20:29

Okay. I mean, but my bigger question would be what about the kids? Do they cook at all?

Zack 20:35

Um, so my daughter is in, she's more into baking. Okay. You know, she likes she'll see things on TikTok or whatever, and she's like, Oh, I want to make this you know, mug cake or whatever. My son, every once in a while, he will. Some of these things are rubbing off on them that you think. I like to think so. That's good.

Doug 20:51

I mean, that's independence too. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And it's creativity and all the good thinking. Right. Good stuff. Yeah. I I I applaud the baking. I've never really championed baking myself.

Zack 21:02

That's one thing. My wife does all the baking. I don't like it. Because I think that's that's more of something I think that you have to measure.

Doug 21:09

You do need the recipe. Right. Yeah. Yeah. You got to follow rules. Yeah, yeah. I don't want to do that.

Zack 21:14

That's no fun.

Doug 21:15

No. And so this is really what led you to doing the sauce was just playing around with what we have and try some flavors. I do want to also jump to something I really like that you're doing on your website. And it's highlighting how people are using the sauce, right?

Zack 21:32

Yeah.

Doug 21:32

Why don't we start with you guys? Like you said, you made it initially for a dipping sauce for chicken tenders, chicken tenders and french fries. Yep. Like the classic kids' meal. Right. How else do you guys like to use the sauce or recommend people using it?

Zack 21:45

Yeah. So we use it on literally everything. Yeah. Um, yeah. We put on everything. Uh so it's like I said, it started with chicken, and then we're like, oh, I bet that would be good on a burger. Put it on a burger.

Doug 21:55

It sounds like a special sauce for a burger. Yeah. For sure. Yeah. Yeah.

Zack 21:58

And then when Two things like hot dogs and then um tacos and then pizza and then uh my wife actually she'll make a salad, put some ranch dressing on it, and then a little bit of sizzle. A little sizzle, drizzle. Yeah, a drizzle sizzle. That's it. It's amazing.

Doug 22:14

You need to you need to that starts to be the uh the next t-shirt that you put out. Oh, it is.

Zack 22:17

It's on the back. Is it a drizzle?

Doug 22:19

I had no idea.

Zack 22:20

Yeah, yep, that's the back of our shirt. So good. Yeah. So um, yeah, we um we started putting on everything, and when we started doing that, it was to me, it was crazy. Like, how is this, how does it go with everything? So good. So people were sending me things like, Hey, did you ever have it on sushi? Um, did you ever have it on this? I put it in my soup today. I'm like, what? This is crazy.

Doug 22:40

But this is what you're doing. You have folks that have bought the sauce, they send you a picture or something, and uh what's the section called on the website? Sizzle spotlight. The sizzle spotlight. Yes, yeah. So what are some of the more unique things like this?

Zack 22:53

So people have put it in sourdough bread. Wow. Yeah. People put it on uh seaweed, yeah, like the little nori like sheets and stuff. Right, yeah. Interesting. Um my sister-in-law puts it, she she'll dip white cheddar popcorn and just like have a little cup of it and dip it in there. It's just the the things people come up with. So that's what I that was my inspiration for the sizzle spotlight. Yeah, yeah. I'm like, oh, I gotta showcase all this stuff.

Doug 23:19

It spans categories. You want people to say, you can really do anything with it. Look, this is what other people are doing.

Zack 23:24

Right. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, and wings, wings seem to be the number one thing. But um, it's funny when people first try it, they'll say, Oh, I bet that'd be really good on you know, shrimp. Yeah, or I bet it'd be really good. Bangbreak sauce or something. Yeah.

Doug 23:37

So I'm thinking eggs right now as we're talking because you didn't bring it up.

Zack 23:40

I forgot about that one. Eggs, yeah, that's huge in the mornings. Everyone loves it on eggs.

Doug 23:44

Because I love a little hot sauce. It it could really go on virtually anything.

Zack 23:49

I think that's why, yeah. There's so much going on in it that it just works with everything. So, and yeah, I I mean, kept eating it on everything, and I'm like, there has to be something it's not good on. Almost the challenge, right? So I took that challenge and I put it on a chocolate chip cookie. It's not good on chocolate chip cookies.

Doug 24:07

Not good on the sweets like that. No. Well, I'm so excited for your success uh so far, right? You know, we're kind of in like the first six months of doing it. Yeah. Why don't we do this? Uh, you've mentioned the new uh heat levels. When do you anticipate those coming out? We're recording in April of 2026. So is this something later this summer?

Zack 24:29

Within the next two to three weeks. Okay.

Doug 24:31

Yeah.

Zack 24:32

Um, and I my plan was to have it out sooner, but ran into some issues with um pH levels and that and then I had to add you know, lactic acid, and then that change of taste. And I'm trying to get everything figured out. And it's not a quick process. It's like I gotta find companies online who will provide testing and sell in bulk, get samples from them and try it and then let it sit for a day, recheck the pH, recheck the taste, have people try it. I get a special uh team of taste testing.

Doug 25:03

You're super tasters.

Zack 25:04

Right, yeah.

Doug 25:05

So um, so yeah, it's kind of a longer process, but it's so fascinating because now we're getting into like the science of the recipe. When you mention pH, you don't you might or you may not want it to ferment, right? Hot sauces, some hot sauces are great doing that, but then you don't want to let something keep going. So it's very interesting as you start getting into these nuances of flavor. It is, yeah. And I love it.

Zack 25:26

Yeah, like um we had when I had um our kitchen inspected by the Department of Agriculture, there was two people that came for that. Um, the one girl who seemed to be like training, and they were talking back and forth. I mean, they were there for a couple hours. Yes. And at one point they were like, sorry, we're I'm just we're trying to go everything. I said, No, I could sit here and listen to you all day talk about like, you know, acidified foods and and all that stuff. Kind of weird maybe, but I don't know.

Where To Buy And Follow

Doug 25:51

I'd love it. That's fascinating. And actually getting back to when Lisa Ray was here and we talked about uh fermentation and the acidity of a food and and what it does to flavor both good and bad, right? So like you're trying to keep something in check, and these folks that have come in and kind of pouring their knowledge into you, and you're like, okay, I'll I'll eat this up right now because I kind of I dig it, right? Exactly.

Zack 26:12

Yeah, yeah.

Doug 26:13

That's so good. Yep. So, Zack, why don't we do this for listeners? Let's remind them of uh your website and I know it's new, the social handle or handles you're using and and where people can sort of find and follow you.

Zack 26:27

Yeah. So the website is thesizzlesauce.com.

Doug 26:30

That's where folks can buy the sauce as well as find the locations that you mentioned earlier that you can you can purchase locally.

Zack 26:38

Right. Yeah. If you're if you're looking for it in the area, uh we're kind of spread out all around. So if you're looking um for somewhere near you, you can check the website and they're all listed there.

Doug 26:48

Lots of good places. You're close to a dozen right now.

Zack 26:51

Yes, yeah. And Facebook, um, if you just search the sizzle, it'll come up. Okay. And uh Instagram is experience the sizzle.

Doug 26:59

Experience the sizzle. I just found that one earlier today. Yes, yes, yeah, very good.

Zack 27:05

A little bit different wording. Oh, that's okay.

Doug 27:06

Yeah. There's a couple other folks that say they have a sizzle sauce, but this is our sizzle sauce here in Pittsburgh.

Zack 27:11

This is it. I don't know if you saw the post um last week, but um there was a guy who responded to the sizzle, and he said, For me, this is the best condiment, like right up there with ketchup to come out of Pittsburgh.

Doug 27:25

Let's take it. I yeah, I I said I agree. All right, Zack. I always have a final question. The name of the show is the Pittsburgh Dish. What's the best dish you've had to eat this past week?

Zack 27:40

Oh, does it have to be a dish that has the sizzle on it? No. That was a trick question, Doug. Everything that has a sizzle on it. Okay, okay. Yeah, then yes. Um, let me think. Oh, I got it. Um, we went to Primanti Brothers. Okay. I wanted to try their fish sandwich, you know, over Lent. And I took a little travel bottle sizzle with me. You keep a little sizzle in the pocket. I mean, you never know when you're gonna need it, right? Um I put that on the the fish sandwich from Permanes, it was amazing.

Doug 28:11

Oh, well, there we didn't hit that earlier, so it goes on fish.

Zack 28:15

Oh, yeah. As well as shrimp.

Brunch Pick Kitchen On Main

Doug 28:16

Pretty much anything savory. Yes. You can you can try it out. Yeah. Oysters. Wow. Oh yeah. But the Primanti's fish sandwich with a little sizzle was your best bite. Yes. Perfect bite. It was. Zack of the Sizzle Sauce. Thank you so much for sharing your story. And thanks for being on The Pittsburgh Dish. Oh, thank you, Doug. Great time. Up next, if an elevated breakfast or brunch menu is always on your mind, Sarah of Sarah Loves Yinz takes us to Westmoreland County for a favorite. Sarah, I was wondering in your food adventures out in Westmoreland County, is there a a brunch or a daytime place that you've stopped at recently that you really loved?

Sarah 28:59

So I would say my go-to brunch spot is the Kitchen on Main. The Kitchen on Main. Mm-hmm. Oh. It's in Ligonier.

Doug 29:07

Oh, in Ligoneer.

Sarah 29:08

Okay. They do have a sister restaurant in Murraysville, the Kitchen on Penn. Oh. Which is equally delicious. But the Kitchen on Main, Ligonier is just right. It's made that one's maybe 20 minutes from me. It's an easy drive.

Doug 29:22

And when you visit, since this is your go-to, what do you typically get?

Sarah 29:27

Well, so now you're putting me on the spot because I forget what I got. So their pancakes are huge and wonderful and delicious. My mom is really a fan of their Benedicts.

Doug 29:38

Oh.

Sarah 29:39

I like their omelets. They have they have some really tasty omelets.

Doug 29:44

Is this just a daytime breakfast you can do? No. Okay.

Sarah 29:48

So you can do dinner there, but they just knock it out of the park for brunch. So it's it's always a place that well, and you should you can call ahead and try to get your name on the list, or you can just show up and wait because ligoneer's cute and you can walk around the diamond.

Doug 30:03

It's very cute.

Sarah 30:04

It is. There's a lot going on. There's bookstore, leather shop. There's a lot of stuff. Ligoneer's great. Um, they have a wine cellar, apparently, that I've only seen online. Yeah. But they do have a really nice dinner menu. I think I've been there once outside of brunch hours. But I just they are they are my go-to for brunch, especially one of those like treat yourself kind of brunches. Yeah. You know, where it's a little bit more than just your typical eggs and pancakes.

Doug 30:32

Is this all kind of made to order? Oh, yeah. Or are they doing a buffet or no? I'm yeah.

Sarah 30:38

Listen, I'm sorry, I can't handle buffets.

Doug 30:39

I was well, that's I know you, so I was wondering.

Sarah 30:42

I don't want anything that's been sitting in your six pan. I just, yeah.

Doug 30:45

So this is all made for Oh, yes.

Sarah 30:47

Yes.

Doug 30:48

And I'm just reminding folks, you've worked in restaurants before, so you know. You know when it's good.

Sarah 30:53

Yes.

Doug 30:54

All right.

Sarah 30:54

I'm very particular.

Doug 30:56

So we're talking about the Kitchen on Main. And what are their hours for brunch right now? Do you know?

Sarah 31:03

No, but we should look it up. I think you can go there during the week. And like I said, if you're closer to like Murrysville and Monroeville area. If you're closer to that end, definitely the kitchen on pen is their other spot and is so worth it as well.

Doug 31:19

Officially they call it the kitchen on main kitchen, wine cellar, and pantry.

Sarah 31:24

Yep, that's it. Because they acquired extra space. They used to just be on the one side and then they acquired extra space. They've expanded so they do a little more. Did you find their hours?

Doug 31:36

Well, it looks like right now they're closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, open every other day from 9 a.m. till that sounds right eight or nine p.m. I'm it looks like they're doing some level of breakfast every day of the week. I thought it happened at 9 a.m. So I have to say, as we're talking about this, and you said your mom likes the Benedicts, that's like the first picture on their page. And the poached eggs, it all looks amazing.

Sarah 31:55

I'm telling you, it's delicious. Yeah, the potatoes are phenomenal. The garden, that's the one that I like.

Doug 32:03

Vine ripened tomatoes, garlic baby spinach, grilled mushrooms, and a little feta.

Sarah 32:08

Yes.

Doug 32:08

That sounds good. All right, Sarah. So we're talking about the Kitchen on Main in Ligonier, but they do have some other spots. You can check their website, and looks like they're doing breakfast, brunch items every day that they're open.

Sarah 32:22

Thanks so much. Thank you.

Doug 32:23

Thanks for being on the Pittsburgh dish.

Sarah 32:25

Thanks for having me.

Weeknight Empty The Fridge Tacos

Doug 32:27

You can follow Sarah on Instagram at Sarah Loves Yinz. Now, from one Sarah to another, we're back at the table with Sarah Kaminski of Best Ever Granola. And if you have a busy family like hers and getting a weeknight meal on the table is sometimes a challenge, Sarah offers up the perfect recipe hack. Sarah, when we were together last, we talked all about your granola business. You're a busy mom. Is there a recipe that you go to, or I don't know, any tip or trick you'd want to share with some of our listeners out there on how you get through a busy week of managing this business and your family?

Sarah 33:06

Yeah, I think the biggest challenge with feeding a family of five, three of those people are under the age of 12 is finding something that everybody will actually eat.

Doug 33:17

Right, right.

Sarah 33:18

Because I feel like, you know, you can make something that three people or four people will like. So the one go-to thing that I know I can make every single week without fail that everybody will eat and is a crowd-pleasing meal is are tacos. And I really just empty the fridge and chop up everything that's in there. So we eat pretty plant-based. And uh, you know, for some of the kids, I'll just do like bean and cheese tacos and they'll have a little bit of sour cream or something on it and some lettuce. Um, but for my husband and I do this big skillet with chopped up veggies. I'll add lintels or beans, whatever we have on hand, and then just season it with chili powder, cumin, a little bit of paprika, some salt and pepper, and it makes amazing tacos every single time. It sounds perfect. It doesn't matter what you put in it, like that's really just like empty the refrigerator tacos.

Doug 34:13

Yes. I I had a friend that used to call these her must-go meals. Everything must-go. Yes. But she had a must-go soup or chili. And I think that this is a must-go taco filling.

Sarah 34:23

I love it. We might start calling it that.

Doug 34:25

Yeah, yeah. You um, it sounds like you could make this in a filling batch and even keep some more in the fridge, like throughout the week, not just like one night.

Sarah 34:34

Yeah, because I mean it makes a good salad topper, or you can, you know, scramble it into eggs or uh make it make like a bowl out of it.

Doug 34:42

I always like not so much a recipe, but a recipe framework. So I think I'm gonna do this.

Sarah 34:48

Yeah, it was really good. And it's a crowd-pleasing, it's it's never not delicious.

Doug 34:52

Now, what did you call it? Empty out the fridge, topic?

Sarah 34:55

Yeah, I think we just empty out the fridge. We usually have like I meal plan every week, and every every week we'll just sort of be like tacos, and I don't even really buy what's going in them. Right. It's like whatever's in there. Whatever is here. Yep. Sometimes it's a can of beans, sometimes it's, you know, I boil up some lentils. Um, sometimes you have like, you know, a half a burqa tofu that's been sitting in there.

Doug 35:18

It's gotta go.

Sarah 35:19

Yeah, it's gotta go. That and like whatever veggies. And you just chop it all up in those three seasonings, three, four seasonings, and chef's kiss every time. Sounds perfect. Yeah.

Doug 35:28

Sarah Kaminski of Best Ever Granola, thank you so much for this recipe hack. And thanks for being on the Pittsburgh Dish. Thanks, Doug. If you enjoyed the show, consider buying us a coffee for this episode or supporting the show monthly. You can find links to those options at the bottom of our show description. And if you want to follow my own food adventures, you can find me on social media at Doug Cooking. That's our show for this week. Thanks again to all of our guests and contributors, and to Kevin Solecki of Carnegie Accordion Company for providing the music to our show. We'll be back again next week with another fresh episode. Stay tuned.