By Jan Brito ’23
Derby High School offers excellent teachers, great school work, a comfortable school environment, and comprehensive administrators. There is, however, a problem I spotted in the cafeteria. After class one day, I walked down to the cafeteria and got my lunch, and while in line, I saw a sauce in a container labeled “Derby Sauce.” I was intrigued and decided to try it and although I had high expectations for how the sauce would taste, I was greatly disappointed. I said to myself, “This sauce lacks everything that would make it great.” The sauce wasn’t spicy, and it was intended to be more like ketchup. The only spicy option the cafeteria offers is the prepackaged Chinese hot sauce. For school, I wanted a more homemade-style hot sauce.
For some context, I personally enjoy eating very spicy food. At home, I make a spicy sauce for everything I eat. Sometimes my family is invited to a gathering and I make my sauce to take with us. Everyone who has ever tasted my sauce has genuinely enjoyed it. This, along with the bad experience I had with the “Derby sauce,” gave me the idea to make my spicy sauce for the DHS students. Another motivation that pushed me to make the sauce was the thought that just like me, there are more students who eat spicy food.
I have wrestled with the idea for a while, but just recently put it into action. I talked about the idea with Jen Olson, Derby High School’s principal. She thought it was a great idea and told me she would talk with the kitchen staff about it. The process to approve the sauce took three weeks, but it finally got approved on December 2, 2022. According to Jen Olson, I legally wasn’t allowed to make the sauce in my home and bring it in. I am instead, going to the cafeteria in between classes and making the sauce in the school kitchen.
The sauce itself is an inspiration from Peruvian cuisine. I’m not Peruvian, but I visited a Peruvian restaurant and loved the sauce they served. While I have been asked many times about the recipe, I don’t like to share it because people don’t want to try the sauce when they hear what goes in it! The sauce originally is made with habanero peppers, one of the hottest peppers in the world.
Initially, the school edition of the sauce was messed up with the wrong ingredients. While I was open to the idea of using jalapeno peppers, the school got pickled jalapeno peppers which are less spicy and sourer than the dry pepper. After December 9, the sauce was fixed with the correct ingredients and is now available in the cafeteria to eat.
After many people asked what the sauce is good to eat with, I want to let everyone know that it is a multipurpose sauce. The sauce is not meant to mask the taste of the food, but rather give it a little kick. English teacher Nicole Borges tried dipping her pizza in the sauce and said, “Wow, this is really good, it’s really spicy but really good.” Don’t forget to check the cafeteria for the Jan sauce and spread the word.
The Raider Press 