Doug Cashio, great-great grandson of the legendary Popie DeVillier, has reclaimed his family heritage and relaunched the “Hotter’n Hell” hot sauce originated by his great-great grandfather in 1893.
“I grew up with Popie’s in my blood and learned to make my great-great-grandfather’s sauce when I was just a kid,” says Doug Cashio. “It’s been my lifelong dream to bring it back into my family and restore the integrity of the original sauce that built its legacy.”
Doug Cashio
The recipe was passed down the family tree for more than 90 years until Doug’s father Kent launched it commercially, to great acclaim, in 1992. The sauce, endeared by the lumberjacks of the former French-owned Louisiana Territory, was introduced to the public as Popie’s Hotter’n Hell Sauce and sold in major retailers like WalMart and Sam’s Club nationwide. Tragically, Kent Cashio became terminally ill, and in May, 1994, sold Popie’s to Cafe Companies, Inc. The company altered the original recipe and currently markets their product as Cafe Louisiane Hot Sauce.
Popie’s Hot Sauce, rich in history and flavor, was technically created before Tobasco brand sauce. Popie’s has become a part of culinary history and is included in the books “The Hot Sauce Bible” and “The History of U.S. Commercial Hot Sauces”. During its original market run in the early ‘90s, it outsold even ketchup 5 to 1 in the Southeast region.
Popie’s unique heritage and flavor gives it a character unlike any other hot sauce. “It’s more than a hot sauce,” says Cashio. “It’s a flavor enhancement with a delicate and carefully crafted blend of all natural ingredients and absolutely no preservatives.”
Currently original Popie’s Hotter’n Hell Sauce is available at a growing number of retailers throughout the Southeast, from Louisiana to Florida. It is available at Apple Market in Pensacola.
