How a Founder Turned Homemade Sauce into a National Brand (Gordon Ramsay Noticed)

Before Hot Drop Sauce landed on Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars, founder Andrew Whiting was working full-time, hand-bottling sauce at night, and getting creative about getting it into people’s hands—literally. We're talking trunk-of-the-car sales, expensing his own product to pitch clients, and turning every casual interaction into a chance to get feedback (and spark demand).

In this episode of Chef x Founder, host Tony Piombo sits down with Andrew to talk about the real behind-the-scenes journey—from sauce experiments during the pandemic to walking onto a national TV set and a three-minute pitch for Gordon himself.

This one’s packed with lessons for any entrepreneur, including:

• The unexpected start of Hot Drop Sauce during the pandemic
• How to grow a brand without quitting your day job (at first)
• How to get creative with product distribution (even while working 9-5)
• The psychology of packaging and selling—and how to make people grab your product
• What it really took to land on Food Stars and pitch to Gordon Ramsay
• How a gift-turned-side-hustle became a brand
• Why Hot Drop is designed for flavor, not pain—and how that changed everything

Whether you’re building a food brand or still dreaming one up, this convo is loaded with insights you’ll want to replay.


CONNECT WIH ANDREW WHITING:
Website: https://www.hotdropsauce.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotdropsauce/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hotdropsauces/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hotdropsauce

FOLLOW US BEHIND THE SCENES:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chef.x.founder
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chefxfounder
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chef.x.founder
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChefxFounder


CHECK OUT TONY'S WOOD-FIRED OVEN BUSINESS:
https://fornopiombo.com/

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction to the Chef Founder Podcast
00:02 Meet Andrew Whiting: Founder of Hot Drop Sauce
00:53 The Hot Drop Community and Fanbase
01:35 The Art and Business of Hot Sauce
08:46 Andrew's Journey into the Culinary World
13:11 From Holiday Gifts to a Hot Sauce Brand
19:56 Andrew's Background in Sales and Entrepreneurship
23:12 Working for a Distributor
23:52 Sales Strategies and Challenges
25:47 Creating and Branding Hot Sauce
26:25 Feedback and Iteration
27:23 First Sales and Realizations
28:37 Scaling Production
31:18 Balancing Full-Time Work and Entrepreneurship
36:39 Collaborations and Marketing
45:15 Corporate Gifting and Wholesale
49:43 Gordon Ramsey's Food Stars
52:00 The Lengthy Application Process
52:34 The Vetting and Interview Phases
54:25 The Big Reveal: Gordon Ramsay's Food Stars
55:01 Preparing for the Audition in London
56:21 The Audition and Selection Process
1:02 Life on the Show and Meeting Fellow Contestants
1:03 Reflecting on the Reality TV Experience
1:04 The Competition and Elimination
1:06 Impact on Business and Sales
1:07 Pitching and Entrepreneurial Insights
1:10 Networking and Collaborations
1:12 Future Plans and Final Thoughts