Pepper Palace
There’s something to be said for variety, something Pepper Palace, crouched unassumingly in the midst of the pleasant harmlessness of the St. Armand’s area, commands in spades. Bottles, jars, packets and pouches crowd the wall-length shelves, offering endless variations on the habanero, jalapeno and nigh every pepper known in all Foodie-dom. “A lot of people go, ‘I’ve had Tabasco. This is all Tabasco,’” says John Hussman, manager at Pepper Palace. “It’s not. There are hundreds of different types of peppers.” With over 200 selections on sale, multiple tasting stations and every offering ranked on a house hotness scale from one to 10, Pepper Palace is a great place not only for the iron-tongued, but as an entry point for those brave souls looking to test themselves beyond the typical Tabasco. “We don’t want anyone going out of hear screaming and hollering,” says Sharon Wulf, on staff at Pepper Palace. “We want people to have fun in here.”

Notable Offerings
Black Rose Hot Sauce Made from habanero and jalapeno peppers, this general, all-around hot sauce pairs exceptionally well with pizza. It ranks a six on the Pepper Palace heat scale. Sauce Makers Reserve Chipotle and Garlic Hot Sauce Combining the smoky flavor of chipotle peppers with aromatic garlic and some habanero and Serrano heat, this sauce hits a nice five on the heat scale and makes an excellent addition to your next pot roast or chili. Flashbang Hot Sauce An extract sauce created from the concentrated oil of the pepper, this super-hot concoction made from the hottest peppers in the world —the Carolina Reaper, the Scorpion, the Jolokia (ghost) and the habanero—is a cooking additive, not a sauce proper. It comes in a grenade-like packaging and is only for the bravest (or most masochistic) of foodies.

Photos by Evan Sigmund

PHOTOS BY EVAN SIGMUND

Sarasota Scorpions
William Meyers stands poised like a budding foodie super villain, using backyard science to create the hottest, most root-and-tootingest extracts and slathering sauces to burn a hole through all of your previous definitions of “spicy.” A one-man-show, Sarasota Scorpions operates out of Meyers’ house and sells online. Keeping meticulous records, Meyers measures his plants’ growth, output and heat, in a never-ending quest for the perfect pepper. “It’s a little bit over the top probably,” admits Meyers. “But if you know what’s hot and what’s not, you can go for the gold.” A veteran of the armed forces, Meyers found solace in the quiet but demanding work of growing his own peppers and now tends to nearly two dozen of them. “I started with jalapenos, but then I decided to just go for it and have some fun,” says Meyers. “Then I had a plant with 300-400 peppers on it and what am I going to do with them?” Sarasota Scorpions doesn’t aim for breadth, but instead hones in on something specific and sets out to do it better than anyone else. The Sarasota Scorpion pepper is a cross between the Carolina Reaper and the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, and Meyer’s heat scale knows only two levels: 10 and 11.

Notable Offerings
Blackened Scorpions Meyers spices up the typical blackening combo with some ground Sarasota Scorpion peppers. The heat is intense, but it’s a delicious slow build from the back of the mouth and forward, as opposed to the metallic tang that assaults the tongue with most store-brand hot sauces. Great for seafood. Scorpion Venom Meyers’ pure Sarasota Scorpion oil extract hits a whopping 5-10 million on the Scoville scale, dwarfing most any competitor. Also an additive, not a sauce, one drop in a pot of chili is all you need for extreme heat. Meyers tried it pure once – a simple drop on the tongue - but doesn’t recommend the experiment. “It feels like a rusty nail getting hammered through your tongue for a good hour.” Handle with care. Scorpion Anti-Venom A work in progress, Meyers is putting his chemistry know-how to work in an attempt to create the perfect balance to the ungodly heat, something to cool the palate set aflame. The details are secret for now, but look for it soon on the website. SRQ