Thanks to young entrepreneur Duncan Blount, things are fixin' to get hot and spicy in the Cleveland County region.
That's because Blount will be throwing open the doors to his new Cleveland Mall store, Shelby Spice, on October 1 where his homemade hot sauce as well as other condiments and gourmet goodies, many made by local folks, will be for sale.
Blount lives in Shelby with his wife and three kids. He's a forward looking, extremely energetic, chap who decided that Cleveland County was in need of a culinary and cultural kick, so he came up with the idea for a unique, signature pepper sauce made from an Italian hot pepper hybrid called puma peppers. Blount's poetic motto for his sauce is "hits like a train, sings like a song".
Blount credits his family background with planting the pepper seed of hot sauce love in his soul.
"Growing up, I was mortified every time I entered a Mexican restaurant," he says. "Why? My dad would ask the waiter in his loudest, most dramatic voice for the hottest salsa; 'muy caliente por favor' he'd exclaim. I inherited my love for hot sauce from him.
I come from a family of farmers and taste testers. My great-grandfather was the dairy manager for the Allied forces in World War II, and he had impeccable olfactory senses.
I believe I have the culinary passion, management leadership, and marketing pizazz to reach my dream and bring the heat back to North Carolina."
To turn his hot sauce dream into reality, Blount teamed up with the Kings Mtn. High School FFA class to grow the puma peppers he uses in his signature Fang sauce.
"I gave a presentation at the school on agricultural entrepreneurship," Blount says. "The students were interested in hot sauce, so they raised 175 plants for me."
Blount pays the students for the peppers, and they use the funds for other projects.
To turn the peppers into sauce, Blount, who is a member of the Foothills Farmers' Market, rents the facilities at the VFW community kitchen.
"You have to be a farmers' market member to use the kitchen," he said.
The Fang sauce is the hottest of Blount's creations, but he also makes a line of milder types that range from wild to mild.
"There's a hot sauce lover in every family," he said,
But the Shelby Spice store will be more than a condiments and crafts location. Blount sees it as a gathering place showcasing local culinary and craft creations.
"A variety of farmers' market vendors will sell their goods," he said. "There will be everything from jam to barbecue rubs, to custom cutting boards and handcrafted gifts. The store will let me bring people together who share a passion for local products. It's not just a store, it's an experience."
For more information on Blount's exciting venture and to order his sauces, visit https://www.shelbyspice.com/ and be prepared to have your taste buds tingle.