Newfields family starts hot sauce company

Jerry Kalish was in Florida the day he lost his faith in hot wings. The Newfields resident and his nephew were at a local bar, enjoying a few cold drinks, when a heaping plate of chicken wings arrived at their table. They were drenched in buffalo sauce. “You know, that orange stuff. I said, ‘This is terrible, just terrible,’” Kalish said. His nephew, Dan, suggested he make his own wing sauce—one that would be unique and flavorful. A retired airline pilot, Kalish didn’t know much about sauces. But after the disappointing wings on that warm afternoon, he became determined to learn. 

Over the 18 months, Kalish experimented with different ingredients and varying proportions. After much trial and error, he finally found the right combination of 10 quality ingredients. “It’s a brown, spicy sauce with a distinctive hickory, smoky flavor and aroma,” Kalish said.

At first, the sauce was just a tasty novelty, enjoyed only by friends and family. But several people prodded Kalish to make the sauce commercial, and he decided to give it a go. It took a year and a half to develop a business plan and find a company that would produce and bottle the recipe, but Kalish and his nephew finally introduced JD’s Country Spicy Wing Sauce in May.

The sauce is available in stores across the Seacoast and in Minneapolis, Minn., where Kalish’s nephew lives. A grocery store chain called Cub Foods, a division of Supervalu Inc., has also agreed to sell the sauce. Locally, it’s available at Coventry Cottage and Trends Gift Gallery in Exeter, Artichokes in Greenland, Red Ginger in Rye, Maine-ly New Hampshire in Portsmouth, the Meat House in Stratham and the Newfields General Store in Newfields. The stores have agreed to carry the sauce without purchasing it from Kalish. That way, there is no risk for the store, and Kalish will rake in all the profits if the sauce sells. If the product is successful, stores will have the option to buy it by the case. 

Kalish is hopeful the sauce will be as big of a hit with the public as it has been with his family and friends. “It can’t really be perpetuated on a single-store level because of the volume that we have to order it in,” Kalish said. “If it does happen, it’s going to be a surprise because this was just meant to be a family recipe,” he added. But Kalish is hopeful.

“This is unlike anything else, and that is what we are shooting for. We didn’t want to make another KC Masterpiece or A1 Sauce,” Kalish said. He stresses that JD’s is best if applied after the meat has been cooked. A light brush of JD’s will add flavor to any meat or poultry dish, but a heavier dose will ensure a much spicier experience. “If you put it on sparingly, you get the flavor. If you put it on thick, you better have something cold to drink nearby,” he said. Although Kalish prefers using JD’s on chicken wings or ribs, he also suggests adding the sauce to turkey burgers. 

Kalish is accustomed to receiving positive feedback about his wing sauce. He wasn’t surprised when a hotel employee complimented the sauce for the way it flavors venison. One thing that has surprised the former pilot is what a hit the hot sauce has been with kids. Parents have told him children who are typically finicky eaters love the sauce and put it on everything. “For some reason it’s a flavor that kids like,” Kalish said. Even his eight-year-old son won’t eat a burger without JD’s Country Spicy Wing Sauce.

Kalish held a special sauce tasting on Saturday, July 14, at On the Vine in Exeter. For more information on the sauce, visit www.jdwings.com.