The Unlikely Rise of a Hot Sauce Empire
Heatonist founder Noah Chaimberg revealed his journey from a Brooklyn pushcart to a cultural phenomenon, fueled by a partnership with the hit show "Hot Ones." Chaimberg says the idea sparked after a single $150 hot sauce shopping spree convinced him a passionate market was waiting to be tapped.
Before the pushcart, Noah Chaimberg's passion for spicy food was a family trait, inherited from his grandmother, a fellow redhead with a legendary tolerance for heat. He honed his skills in the kitchen from a young age, working the line at an Outback Steakhouse at 17 and later running a healthy lunch counter at an MMA gym in Montreal. After years in digital marketing, he pivoted to his passion, noticing a gap in the market for craft hot sauces that prioritized flavor over just extreme heat. Heatonist officially launched in 2013, with Chaimberg selling a curated collection of small-batch sauces from a pushcart at various Brooklyn markets. The concept of a "hot sauce sommelier" offering tastings quickly gained a following. This early success led to the opening of Heatonist's first brick-and-mortar tasting room on Wythe Avenue in Brooklyn on April 20, 2015. The partnership with "Hot Ones" began in 2015, when the show's team reached out to Heatonist to help curate sauces for the wing lineup. Heatonist now co-creates the show's signature sauces, including "The Last Dab," which features unique peppers from creator Smokin' Ed Currie. This collaboration has been a key driver in Heatonist becoming a major online destination for hot sauce enthusiasts. From its pushcart origins, the company has expanded significantly. Heatonist now operates a second retail location in Manhattan's Chelsea Market and has grown into a major e-commerce platform. In a major expansion of their retail footprint, Heatonist's "Hot Ones" branded sauces are now available in national grocery chains, including Walmart, Publix, Kroger, and Whole Foods.
