(Columbus, OH) – Ask how Chef Drew Patterson brings bold and balanced flavor to his new vegetarian white bean chipotle chili and his customers will shout, “It’s the Texas Pete^®”. The culinary team at The Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center shared the limelight recently when Chef Drew was presented with checks totaling $5,000 for winning the Texas Pete^® Chipotle Challenge.

“The Chipotle Challenge was a national foodservice recipe contest to highlight the versatility of our new hot sauce,” explains TW Garner Food Company National Accounts Sales Manager and Corporate Executive Chef, Michael O’Donnell. “Chef Drew’s white bean chipotle chili impressed our judges for its boldness and how it brought a totally new flavor to a healthy menu item.”

“I thought the Texas Pete^® Chipotle Hot Sauce went really well with the white beans,” says Chef Drew. “I made it vegetarian to get more attention to its healthy aspects. But, it was the pairing of the chipotle hot sauce with a nice hearty meal that made it work perfectly.” Chef Drew’s customers agree.

The medical center’s culinary student helpers dressed in cowboy outfits to launch the new menu addition and sold nine to 10 gallons of the Texas Pete^® White Bean Chipotle Chili in the first hour for lunch. When asked about her bowl of chili, one customer said, “I love the smoky flavor that is not too hot, but seems to make a vegetarian chili richer in flavor.”

Located in Columbus, Ohio, Wexner Medical Center has more than 1,000 hospital beds and is one of the largest and most diverse academic medical centers in the country and the only academic medical center in central Ohio. The Ohio State University’s medical center includes the College of Medicine, six hospitals, a unified physician practice, a network of primary and specialty care practices, more than a dozen research centers and institutes, and 20 core laboratories.

“The recipe has done so well, we’re adding it to the menu of five other retail locations at our hospitals around the city, and we are looking to add it to our patient menu because it has great nutritional value,” Chef Drew explains.

“What we’ve found with hot sauce is that people’s tastes have changed, and the ability to add your own amount of spice to the flavor you desire is very popular, whether in healthcare or other segments,” explains Julie Jones, Wexner’s director of nutrition services.

Earning $5,000 from TW Garner Food Company for winning the Texas Pete^® Chipotle Challenge, Chef Drew Patterson donated $4,000 of his winnings to the Wexner Medical Center Social Services Emergency Fund and $1,000 to the Tony Hawk Foundation.

The Social Services Emergency Fund focuses on providing transportation (cab fare), lodging and meals for patient family members who don’t have the resources to cover their own expenses. Social services issues meal passes that can be redeemed in the Hospital Café.   

TW Garner Food Company, the makers of a complete line of sauces under the Texas Pete^® brand, launched the Texas Pete^® Chipotle Challenge in late 2012 and received entries from commercial chains and independents as well as chefs from non-commercial operations nationwide. Texas Pete^® Chipotle Hot Sauce is one of a variety of sauces offered by the company to foodservice operators nationwide. For more information, visit www.TexasPeteFoodservice.com or contact National Accounts Sales Manager Michael O’Donnell at 336-231-6420. 

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Snowboarding will be a bit hotter during 2012. Chas Guldemond, one of the world’s top-ranked snowboarders, has signed on with Texas Pete to endorse the hot sauce on slopes around the world throughout 2012.

Guldemond is enjoying a scorching 2011-2012 season: taking first place at the World Snowboard Championships in Oslo, Norway; first at the Mammoth Grand Prix; first at the Burton Canadian Open; and recording top-10 finishes at the European Winter X Games (Tignes, France), Breckenridge (Colorado) Dew Tour, and Toyota Big Air (Sapporo, Japan). Guldemond, a native of Laconia, NH, has been snowboarding since he was 9 years old.

Texas Pete Hot Sauce proudly supports action sports athletes and events such as X Games. At Winter X Games 16 in January of this year, Texas Pete sponsored ESPN’s live athlete chats and offered amenities and samples to the fans.

“We are proud to support such a skilled athlete as Chas Guldemond,” said Glenn Garner, director of marketing for TW Garner Food Company, the makers of Texas Pete Hot Sauce. “Chas will be a goodwill ambassador for Texas Pete throughout the year. We’ll all be rooting him on as he seeks to make 2012 his best competitive year yet.”

“I am extremely excited to be paired up with Texas Pete – a really cool brand,” said Guldemond. “I appreciate their support and confidence in me and look forward to promoting their hot sauce this year and beyond.”

Winston-Salem, NC

TW Garner Food Company has partnered with two firms who will work to bring its hot sauce, wing sauce, salsa and tortilla strips greater visibility in Canada.

Acosta Sales and Marketing Canada – the Canadian arm of the U.S.-based outsourced sales and marketing agency – will serve as broker for the Texas Pete® line of hot sauces and condiments and the Green Mountain Gringo line of salsas and tortilla strips; and Thomas, Large & Singer Inc. (TLS) will manage distribution logistics.

“The two companies will be working together to develop ongoing effective programs and promotions that will help drive growth in our mutual business,” said Steve DeCorte, General Manager-Sales, for TW Garner Food Company.

Initially, Canadian consumers will be able to buy the 6- and 12-ounce versions of the original Texas Pete® Hot Sauce, the 6-ounce Texas Pete® Hotter Hot Sauce, and the 6-ounce Texas Pete® Garlic Hot Sauce. Other products will be added over time, as demand and distribution grows.

Products will initially be available along both Canadian coasts, as well as in Ontario and Quebec provinces. Consumers who don’t wish to wait for TW Garner products to arrive at their store may visit the websites of the respective brands, at http://www.TexasPete.com and http://www.GreenMountainGringo.com, for mail-order options.

(Winston-Salem, NC) – TW Garner Food Company now offers an extraordinary thick, chunky salsa with uniquely upscale ingredients at a price that is extraordinarily affordable for foodservice operators.

Chunky, ripe tomatoes, onions, passilla peppers, jalapenos, cilantro, apple cider vinegar, parsley, garlic, sea salt and other proprietary ingredients make Texas Pete® Salsa superior to any other salsa in flavor at its affordable price.  

Available in four one-gallon cases of medium heat level salsa. Texas Pete® Salsa uses no ingredients that contain gluten a is processed in a gluten-free facility. Call TW Garner for more information at (336) 661-1550.

October 20, 2011 - (Winston-Salem, NC) - Judith Fitzgerald has joined TW Garner Food Company, best known for its Texas Pete^® Hot Sauce, as the Northeast Regional Sales Manager of its foodservice division.

Fitzgerald, a former zone manager with Land O’Lakes, Inc., brings with her more than 25 years of experience in the industry. She will oversee business operations for TW Garner Food Service in a 12-state region.

“Judy has a proven track record of superior performance in high level sales and field management,” said Steve DeCorte, General Manager-Sales, in making the announcement. “She will be a valuable asset to TW Garner Food Company. We are excited for her to grow our relationships and sales opportunities throughout her region.”

Fitzgerald is a graduate of Albright College. She is a member of the Women’s Foodservice Forum and a former industry advisor on the Executive Board for the School 
Nutrition Association of Pennsylvania. In addition to her work with Land O’Lakes, she has held positions with The Dannon Company, Coca-Cola and Honey Hill Farms.

“I am thrilled to join the team at such an established and well-respected company,” said Fitzgerald. “I have been a Texas Pete^® Hot Sauce fan for a long time and truly believe the TW Garner Food Company has an amazing vision for their future. I am excited to be a part of it."

About TW Garner Food Company (http://www.texaspete.com) 


Headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, TW Garner Food Company is famous for its Texas Pete^® Hot Sauce, the number three brand of hot sauce in the United States. Founded in 1929 as a maker of barbecue sauce, the company now sells a full line of hot sauces, wing sauces and seafood sauces under the Texas Pete^® brand, as well as salsa and tortilla strips under the Green Mountain Gringo^® brand. Texas Pete^® and Green Mountain Gringo^® products are sold in supermarkets, military commissaries, convenience stores and restaurants throughout the United States. In 2010, Green Mountain Gringo^® Salsa was named best overall salsa by Epicurious, among 20 retail salsas that were tested.

July 13, 2011 - (Winston-Salem, NC) - Bring out the best of Southwestern flavor with NEW Texas Pete^® Chipotle Hot Sauce! This extraordinary sauce is made from a traditional method of smoke drying red jalapeno peppers offering your menu creations a balance of heat, earthiness and complex flavor.

Available in 6 oz. bottles and 4 / ½ gallon plastic jugs, try new Texas Pete® Chipotle Hot Sauce now and save up to $100 on your purchases. Visit www.texaspetefoodservice.com and download our special introductory coupon or call (336) 661-1550.