spices, seasonoing, flavor, chili

Love Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co.

Spices have been a thing in kitchens since before Alexander the Great. The American Southwest is no exception as they are known for their chili’s among other things.

Located 49 miles south of Tucson, about 20 miles shy of Nogales and the border, is a small town called Tumacacori, AZ. The town was founded by Father Kino who established Tumacácori as a mission dating back to January 1691. Since roughly 1950 a family run company located in Tumacacori has been producing spices and sauces. The sign in front of this wonderful company says Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co.

History: https://santacruzchili.com/

‘Jean England Neubauer’s family has influenced Southwestern cuisine with their Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co. seasonings for more than 75 years and no Arizona kitchen worth its salt would be without a supply of their chili powder. I don’t think you can even create the flavors of the region without them.’ says Chef Janos Wilder.

The Neubauer family’s impact extends beyond the dining room table and deep into local history. The Neubauer family tree runs deep, from her 3X great-grandfather who designed the saddles used by Union soldiers in the Civil War, to the great-aunt who studied painting with a young Diego Rivera, to the great-grandfather who, while mayor of Nogales, lobbied to have a new US battleship named for the state of Arizona

— Helene Woodhams Arizona Daily Star Sept 1, 2019

My mother said she has crossed paths with Jean Neubauer at some local social events in the past and said Jean is a really nice lady, but my mom didn’t know her well enough to set up an interview.

The day after thanksgiving on 11.28.24 our family packed the car including our chihuahua, Uno, and decided to visit Tumacacori and the Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co. Upon arrival you get whiffs of the beautiful scents from the parking lot but as you enter is when you really get hit with the wonderful aromas. The scented experience is blissful. I’ve always loved the scent of fresh ground coffee and spices. This place is next level.

I ended up buying 12 sauces (there are 2 more flavors than pictured; Picante & BBQ Chili) as work gifts and a bunch of bags of various dry rubs for my home. Unfortunately 1 bottle of green salsa broke somehow on the way to work, but the Dude of Food will be back and looks forward to his return.

Muchas gracias Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co.

Herdez Avocado Hot Sauce is bueno.

The Dude of Food can’t remember where he crossed paths with the Herdez sauce representative but when he did he was given a few bottles to try by the agent.
Since I had a few bottles to play with I tried experimenting and discovered that this product is a great addition to my Croc Pot with a pork roast and some onions. After a few hours of slow cooking you’ll pull the top off the Croc Pot and you have a pretty amazingly concocted Chile Verde. When the Dude of Food tasted this product he realized that this little bottle of green sauce contained a kick.

The avocado hot sauce can simply be used as a dip for tortilla chips but is pleasantly spicy and might be too strong for some on its own. Splashing some hot sauce into freshly crushed avocados works well. Spooning some into a fondue or as a side dip next to a plate of chicken nachos or chicken fingers would also be good options.

Herdez did well when they came up with this product. If you click on the image or Herdez name you will be redirected to Amazon to where you can purchase your own. As a new Amazon Associate I can earn from qualifying purchases and am happy to share a recommendation of a product I believe in.

Historically delicious: Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co

The boss of a film crew I was working with gave the 7 member’s of our team thoughtful homemade gift bags for Christmas.
One of the cool gifts in my bag included a bottle of Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Company Picante Sauce.
When used in a dish I discovered this product was pleasantly surprising and complimented the dish nicely. The flavor was unique and delicious. The bottle information said the company and sauce were located near my mom. I asked mom if she was familiar with this brand of sauce and she said she knew the brand and told me the family was a well respected part of the local business community. It turns out the granddaughter of the founders of Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co and my mother had met at an event somewhere in town in the past. My mom confirmed that the granddaughter was a very nice lady whose name is Jeanie England Neubauer.
Jeanie is the granddaughter of an international business agent named Beck Kibbey. Jeanie has done a great job maintaining the business her parents and another couple began in 1943. Her family roots are deep and have ties with the towns of Nogales, Arizona and across the border in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.
Her family history is amazing and the Anaheim chili became their friend. Gene England, Jeanie’s grand-father, had developed methods to stew and grind chili’s to make paste. They also ground chili pods down into powder for seasoning.
The folks at Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co still support the family traditions of the founders and have employees generations deep maintaining these traditions.
Go visit their web page. https://santacruzchili.com/ The online sales page will show you the various sauces offered. Other pages will show that these folks support some really cool causes.
If you are near the Tucson area and headed to the Mexican border you can go visit the Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co gift store in person which is located a few minutes south of Tubac. The drive from Tucson is roughly 60 miles and if you love chili, then it’s well worth the trip.

Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Company
1868 E. Frontage Road, Tumacacori, AZ 85640

520.398.2591
520.398.2592 Fax

Store Hours
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Closed Sundays and holidays.

Muchas gracias Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Company

https://santacruzchili.com/