Shorewood Man Wins Food Business Contest with Line of Organic Sauces

Marcus Thie from Shorewood has been named winner of the Hottest Kitchen Entrepreneur Challenge for his concept Sauceformations, a line of organic sauces.  The Challenge is sponsored by Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) and by Reliable Water Services a local provider of commercial water heaters, boilers and water softeners.

The finalists were judged at a tasting event which took place last week at Cuisine, MATC’s student-run restaurant, and Thie won top honors for his line of gluten-free and Paleo-diet friendly organic sauces for home chefs including Tomato Choka, a recipe from Trinidad packed with flavor and nutrients. He wants to launch StreetBeet, a food truck where he can promote locally grown food and showcase organic recipes featuring his sauce line.

Thie took home the grand prize of $2,500 in seed money from Reliable Water Services to help start his business; a comprehensive entrepreneurial consultation package from MATC; over $500 worth of professional cookware and professional knives from Boelter Superstore and a two-hour private meeting with food industry executives serving on FaB Milwaukee’s Advisory Council.   

“I am so grateful for this contest and appreciate how it will enable me to accelerate my entrepreneurial dream,” said Thie. “Previously I had a vision of where I wanted to go with this concept, but now I have invaluable tools to help me get there.”

• Pete Cooney –Milwaukee, Wis. – Pete’s Pops - Handcrafted Ice Pops, a frozen treat made with fresh fruits and natural sugars in flavors like Strawberry Basil and Pineapple Jalapeno.  Cooney wants to produce through a commercial kitchen, start selling via a push cart at local events and ultimately distribute through area grocers.
• Andrew Bechaud– Milwaukee, Wis. – Bechaud Elixing Co., a line of handcrafted small batch beverages made with Wisconsin agricultural ingredients. Tempting flavors include Chocolate Chai Veloute and Spring Blossom Cherry Soda.  His dream is to start a small production facility and sell to local upscale grocers such as Sendik’s or Whole Foods.

      “This year our finalists took taste to a whole new level with locally sourced natural ingredients,” said contest judge Eric Olesen, owner and president, O&H Danish Bakery of Racine. “Ultimately, we felt that Sauceformations had the whole package from great taste to a business concept that would fill a food gap in the Wisconsin market.”

Other judges included Jan Kelly, owner and chef, Meritage restaurant, Milwaukee; Angela West, co-founder/publisher, Alcoholmanac Magazine, Milwaukee; Betsy Gilmore, general manager, Bel Air Cantina/Wauwatosa; Jack Kaestner, chef instructor for Milwaukee Area Technical College; Lynn Sbonik, co-owner of Beans & Barley Deli, Market & Full Service Café; Peter Gottsacker, president of Wixon, a manufacturer of seasonings, flavors, and technologies for the food, beverage, and meat industry.

Over 100 aspiring cooks from around Wisconsin entered the Hottest Kitchen Entrepreneur Challenge hosted by Milwaukee Area Technical College and Reliable Water Services, a provider of water heaters, boilers and water softeners to Wisconsin apartment building owners, restaurants and commercial enterprises.