Trenholm Venom Released by Palmetto Pepper Potions

Award-Winning SC Hot Sauce Makers Launch New Flavor
“Trenholm Venom” is Palmetto Pepper Potions’ Hottest Sauce Yet

Mark and Julie Riffle, founders and owners of Palmetto Pepper Potions, of Columbia, SC, have just bottled their hottest flavor, Trenholm Venom. The sauce is the fourth flavor in their line of award-winning handcrafted chile pepper sauces.

“Trenholm Venom contains more than twice as many red habanero peppers as our Molten Golden and Larynx Lava sauces,” said Hot Honcho Mark Riffle. Trenholm Venom is a blend of fire-roasted red peppers, red habaneros, a burst of South Carolina peaches, a hint of ginger, garlic, fresh herbs and molasses.

“Each Palmetto Pepper Potions sauce distinctively differs from the others in flavor profile,” said Julie Riffle, who develops the original recipes in the couple’s kitchen. “Trenholm Venom has the lingering glow we were going for and its complex layers of flavor add an intense heat level that enhances the food it accompanies.”

The name Trenholm (pronounced TREN-um) comes from a legendary shipping captain whose name has historical significance in South Carolina.

Palmetto Pepper Potions was featured in a special South Carolina People and Places section in the July issue of Southern Living magazine and was named an Editor’s Pick in the June issue of Chef magazine, a national trade publication for professional chefs.

In its first two years, Palmetto Pepper Potions has earned five international awards in the world’s top two fiery foods competitions – the Scovie Awards and the Golden Chile Awards.

The 2006 Scovie Awards competition, sponsored by Fiery Foods & BBQ Magazine, had more than 600 products entered into more than 60 categories. Products from all over the world were entered into a blind judging. The 50 judges, who are food professionals, rate the products according to appearance, aroma, appropriate spice level, and flavor, which is weighted the heaviest. Molten Golden has won First Place in the “World Beat” category for two consecutive years and Larynx Lava earned a Third Place Scovie in the “Unique” hot sauce category in 2006.

The Riffles’ Molten Golden and Larynx Lava hot sauce flavors both won coveted First Place Golden Chile Awards in their categories at the 2005 ZestFest Fiery Food Challenge. ZestFest is sponsored by Chile Pepper Magazine and is the longest-running spicy foods contest in the United States, with product entries from around the world competing in 80 categories.

In their journey from kitchen to marketplace, the Riffles have made hundreds of batches of hot sauce. Eight years ago a friend brought 300 surplus chile pepper plants to work, so Mark Riffle loaded his car with plants and took them home. The Riffles landscaped with those free chile pepper plants – along their driveway, in their vegetable garden, along the sidewalks and among the wildflowers at their Forest Acres residence.

“Each of our hot sauce flavors has been handcrafted to the music of a favorite band or musician from the southeast,” said Julie Riffle. Trenholm Venom features Columbia favorites Danielle Howle & the Tantrums. Molten Golden features singer/songwriter Mike Garrigan from Greensboro, NC, Larynx Lava features Mark Kano, lead singer and songwriter of Athenaeum, also from Greensboro and Daily Red features Sister Hazel, from Gainesville, FL. “These were the bands we were listening to as we created each flavor. Amazingly, the bands all turned out to be hot sauce fans and the sharing of sauce has helped us meet some of our favorite musicians,” she added.

Look for reviews here on the HSB shortly…

Written by Nick Lindauer

The Original Hot Sauce Blog

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