Local Business Redefines a Classic Condiment

By Caroline Stauffer

When most people think salsa, they think tomatoes, and a side of chips. Sabrosa Food's Founder Duane Thompson thinks roasted bell peppers, and a companion to your favorite entree.

Many people have also come to associate salsa with the words over-processed, additives and junk food. This aspect of the condiment's reputation is what Thompson most seeks to change. Salsa Sabrosa is all-natural, sugar-free and made with local produce. It contains no preservatives.

Though his recipe does include the usual suspects of tomatoes and cilantro, the roasted bell peppers give Salsa Sabrosa the unique flavor that has captured the attention of foodies at venues from organic markets to Harley-Davidson conventions. Sabrosa Foods was recently featured on MSNBC'S "Your Business". In its product recipe brochure, the company encourages customers to add Salsa Sabrosa to chicken, shrimp, sandwiches and greens.

Thompson, a football player in college, has always focused on healthy eating.

"I've always been a big vegetable fan," he said, "but vegetables seemed a little boring."

Thompson made his first salsa in 1992 while in college. Tired and hungry after practice, he returned home to a crowded dorm room--and an emptied refrigerator. Facing closed cafeterias, he worked with what was left over: tomato, onion, a bell pepper, and a hot plate.

"It was the worst stuff I've ever had in my life," he said of the resulting dish.

Thompson began experimenting to improve his methods. He stumbled on pureeing tomatoes as a means to reduce the product's acidity. By 2000, he had the recipe that is now Salsa Sabrosa.

The two-person company has tapped into the slow and organic food movements that have taken hold at select venues in Hampton Roads, but universal access to healthy, all-natural foods is Sabrosa Food's mission. Thompson works with the Pilot Produce program at Norview High School that is supported by a grant from Regent University. The youth were so enthusiastic about the project that Thompson agreed to make them responsible for growing the cilantro for Sabrosa Food's summer salsa batch.

The company plans to introduce other healthy, gourmet condiments next spring, but currently focuses on branding its trademark mild and medium salsas. Most days, Thompson himself can be found serving up samples at the new Salsa Sabrosa kiosk at Pembroke Mall in Virginia Beach.

Salsa Sabrosa is available at approximately 70 locations between the Outer Banks and Richmond. Boasting a new partnership with a second distributer and discussions with national retailers, the salsa will soon be found at stores in Maryland and possibly beyond.

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