Local Family Launches Business Off of Secret Family Recipe
Apr 24, 2015 08:47AM ● By Kevin
A local family has taken a secret family recipe and turned it into a family operated business: Uncle Louie Foods, LLC, which operates in West Chester. The product line includes Uncle Louie Sauce and Uncle Louie Heat. Today, they are launching a new product in the portfolio, Uncle Louie Bloody Mary Mix.
"We will offer FREE demos of this delicious mix made from the secret recipe for Uncle Louie Sauce," said spokesperson Cindi Sutera.
The team will be at Janssen's Market, 3801 Kennett Pike, Greenville, Del., from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, and at West Chester Artisan Exchange, 208 Carter Drive, on Saturday, May 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"We hope that you and your team will stop by one of the events for a taste," Sutera said.
The product line is regularly sold at Jannsen's and The Artisan Exchange, as well as Peppers, 17601 Coastal Highway #1 in Lewes, The Meat House, 200 Wilmington West Chester Pike in Chadds Ford, and The Country Butcher, 145 S. Walnut St. in Kennett Square.
The story begins in 1929 at a hot poker game in New Orleans. Louie’s hand is hot but so is that of a notable local chef and fellow poker player. As Louie reveals his winning hand – Kings over a Full House – the chef reveals that his pockets are empty. He does, however, offer Louie the recipe to his top secret finishing sauce.
Louie took a gamble and accepted the recipe as payment. He made the sauce and it became a family favorite. In fact, Louie would bottle the sauce and gift it to close friends and family during the holidays.
Over the years, the sauce became affectionately known as “Uncle Louie Sauce.” The winnings turned out to be a treasure beyond measure. Unfortunately Uncle Louie is no longer with us. He knew this sauce was special and in his last will and testament passed the top secret recipe to a family member. Close family and friends continued to enjoy the sauce over three generations.
It was just a few years ago when Uncle Louie’s Great-Niece decided to introduce the region to this beloved family classic. Dea Anzilotti-Zufelt and her husband John are local natives and knew that our regional foodies and families alike would love Uncle Louie Sauce. Dea has tweaked the original recipe slightly so that the same fantastic flavor is captured with all natural products and is gluten-free. Also in response to customer demand, they have launched an additional version of the sauce, Uncle Louie Heat. This version has a bit of heat in an already deeply flavorful sauce and marinade.
“We are confident that Uncle Louie would approve and applaud our minor changes, especially in light of our more modern understanding of the health impacts of highly processed and sugared products,” says Dea. “Uncle Louie Sauce is a great marinade for chicken and shrimp, it is a delicious finishing sauce on pulled pork and we have even used it to enhance the flavor of soups and stews.”
Uncle Louie Foods has updated the sauce to better serve their customer’s needs. As they looked at additional uses for this zesty sauce, it led them to the Bloody Mary!
“It makes perfect sense” says John Zufelt. “the ingredients are familiar to Bloody Mary drinkers. The right proportion of the original sauce and Uncle Louie Heat creates a mix that is tangy and flavorful. You only need to add the vodka if you want it!”
For more information on Uncle Louie’s Foods, please visit www.unclelouiefoods.com
"We will offer FREE demos of this delicious mix made from the secret recipe for Uncle Louie Sauce," said spokesperson Cindi Sutera.
The team will be at Janssen's Market, 3801 Kennett Pike, Greenville, Del., from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, and at West Chester Artisan Exchange, 208 Carter Drive, on Saturday, May 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"We hope that you and your team will stop by one of the events for a taste," Sutera said.
The product line is regularly sold at Jannsen's and The Artisan Exchange, as well as Peppers, 17601 Coastal Highway #1 in Lewes, The Meat House, 200 Wilmington West Chester Pike in Chadds Ford, and The Country Butcher, 145 S. Walnut St. in Kennett Square.
The story begins in 1929 at a hot poker game in New Orleans. Louie’s hand is hot but so is that of a notable local chef and fellow poker player. As Louie reveals his winning hand – Kings over a Full House – the chef reveals that his pockets are empty. He does, however, offer Louie the recipe to his top secret finishing sauce.
Louie took a gamble and accepted the recipe as payment. He made the sauce and it became a family favorite. In fact, Louie would bottle the sauce and gift it to close friends and family during the holidays.
Over the years, the sauce became affectionately known as “Uncle Louie Sauce.” The winnings turned out to be a treasure beyond measure. Unfortunately Uncle Louie is no longer with us. He knew this sauce was special and in his last will and testament passed the top secret recipe to a family member. Close family and friends continued to enjoy the sauce over three generations.
It was just a few years ago when Uncle Louie’s Great-Niece decided to introduce the region to this beloved family classic. Dea Anzilotti-Zufelt and her husband John are local natives and knew that our regional foodies and families alike would love Uncle Louie Sauce. Dea has tweaked the original recipe slightly so that the same fantastic flavor is captured with all natural products and is gluten-free. Also in response to customer demand, they have launched an additional version of the sauce, Uncle Louie Heat. This version has a bit of heat in an already deeply flavorful sauce and marinade.
“We are confident that Uncle Louie would approve and applaud our minor changes, especially in light of our more modern understanding of the health impacts of highly processed and sugared products,” says Dea. “Uncle Louie Sauce is a great marinade for chicken and shrimp, it is a delicious finishing sauce on pulled pork and we have even used it to enhance the flavor of soups and stews.”
Uncle Louie Foods has updated the sauce to better serve their customer’s needs. As they looked at additional uses for this zesty sauce, it led them to the Bloody Mary!
“It makes perfect sense” says John Zufelt. “the ingredients are familiar to Bloody Mary drinkers. The right proportion of the original sauce and Uncle Louie Heat creates a mix that is tangy and flavorful. You only need to add the vodka if you want it!”
For more information on Uncle Louie’s Foods, please visit www.unclelouiefoods.com