You might have seen it in your local hot spots like Odd Provisions Market or the Aardvark Café, but what exactly is Sauce City, U.S.A.’s Mambo Sauce #1? If you ask Branden, the bootstrap entrepreneur, it is a fantastic D.C. staple condiment. Mambo sauce was “developed and popularized in Washington, D.C.” It is an orange-red sauce that is tangy, spicy, and sweet. Think of it as a combination of hot-sauce and BBQ sauce.
It all started with Branden and his wife’s passion for food and hospitality. Starting with their Pelota Bar, they turned their 500 square foot apartment into a commercial kitchen. With their “inspired ballpark fare,” their food caught on quickly. However, it was the Mambo sauce that everyone was asking for. By the end of 2019, Branden and his wife started bottling their special sauce to sell.
One of the key secrets to the power of this sauce is its locally sourced ingredients. Sauce City, U.S.A. believes in supporting local businesses. “I wanted to make sure that the passion for fresh and local was part of the sauce,” said Branden. “We got to local grocers and farmer’s markets on the weekend to stock up for both the household and the business. I think that’s what sets our sauce apart from most. You can truly taste the freshness.” There are about 20 ingredients in the sauce itself and the process can be expensive, and time-consuming.
However, for Branden, it’s a labor of love. “I didn’t want to make just any sauce. It had to be the best, no matter what it ended up costing or how much time it takes.” By personally fire roasting all the produce by hand and fermenting in small batches, you are sure to taste this sauce’s quality. Mambo #1 has been “perfected” to its most versatile self. It is spicey and thinner, so it can be used as a dipping sauce to a marinade. However, Branden did hint that there may be more sauces coming to the market soon. For the latest information, make sure to sign up for their newsletter and follow them @saucecityusa.
So, you may be asking, what do I put Mambo #1 on? Well, if you ask Sauce City, U.S.A., they’ll give you some ideas. Dip smoked wings with a dry rub in the sauce. Use it to marinate fresh salmon with lemon slices. Perhaps use it with pulled chicken with onions and peppers. But the biggest game-changer, use Mambo #1 tossed with some ketchup to enjoy garlic fries.
With so many options, it is no wonder that the sauce is selling out fast at every store they are placed in. Still, when Sauce City, U.S.A., is considering their partners, they like to keep it local. They don’t want to be just another product on the shelf. “We need to be able to tell our story, and part of that story is the love and support of the community: local markets are a big part of that.” This should come as no surprise as the owners of Sauce City, U.S.A., love to be involved with their neighbors. As members of Columbia Heights, Sauce City, U.S.A sees the energy and how close-knit the community is. It started when they rode their bikes through the area. They soon realized that “no matter what you are craving, Columbia Heights has it.”
