43
“Too” Hot Mamas continues to expand
HUBBARD
Audra Horton used to experiment with pepper recipes for fun with her cousin, Christina Frohman, in her kitchen.
Cooking together on their families’ card playing nights, they didn’t realize how many people would come to crave the peppers.
The Hubbard women created the canned pepper business “Too” Hot Mamas and opened its 129 N. Main St. store in March 2017.
Horton, now the sole owner, said the business will be closing its store, and focusing on its partnerships with local retailers.
The business sells its pepper products at 31 retailers so far in Ohio and western Pennsylvania, including some local Giant Eagle grocery stores. There are more deals in the works.
A local packing company will be taking over most of the production to keep up with the rising demand. Horton said she is still deciding among companies, but will make her selection soon.
“It’s a family-based business so it was a hard thing, handing over the cooking reins to another company. But in order to grow it’s a necessary step,” Horton said.
Three of the most popular products are the pickled peppers (pepper rings soaked in garlic brine), Hots in Sauce (pepper rings in marinara sauce) and hot pepper mustard.
The peppers can be eaten separately, but are recommended as a topping for eggs, bratwurst, meatballs or sandwiches.
The “Too” Hot Mamas cooking equipment, including a 40-gallon kettle that Horton jokingly refers to as “Bertha,” will be moved to Woodland Cellars, a winery/meadery on North Main Street, where the pepper products are also sold.
Horton said she enjoys collaborating with them.
“We will be working with Woodland Cellars especially in the summer, for seasonal items like our hot strawberry butter,” she said. “We want to keep everything local.”
People can still find Horton and her family selling these peppers at various festivals and community markets, including the Hubbard Farmer’s Market and the Youngstown Flea. They sell at 30 to 40 events per year.
Reflecting back on the business, Frohman said she hopes it continues to grow.
The fact that it all started with a family pickled pepper recipe “always hits home,” Frohman said. “You like to pass these things along to your children, but when you get to pass it along to other people too, it’s great.”
Webb’s Ice Cream is relocating from Liberty to the former “Too” Hot Mamas location.