Surviving Hot Ones & Pepper X (Butterfly Bakery)

In this episode of the Fire & Flavor Podcast, we sit down with Claire, the founder of Butterfly Bakery of Vermont! What started as a natural foods bakery looking to make refined-sugar-free treats accidentally blossomed into one of the most prolific hot sauce companies in the industry. Claire shares the incredible story of her pivot into hot sauce after a local farmer traded her 800 lbs of chili peppers, what it's like having her sauces featured on Hot Ones multiple times, and the reality of co-packing sauces for some of the biggest names in the business. We also dive into the dangers of working with super-hots like Pepper X, the beauty of 100% farm-to-bottle sourcing, and her unique ability to formulate recipes entirely in her head (hyperphantasia). Of course, we couldn't let Claire go without a live tasting! Watch as we try out some of Butterfly Bakery's most unique creations, including the highly addictive Garlic Scape Sauce, the Pride-themed Maple Sparkle Sriracha, and the dangerously sweet Maple Chocolate Ghost. Check out Butterfly Bakery of Vermont: https://butterflybakeryvt.com Timestamps: [00:00] Intro & Meet Claire from Butterfly Bakery of Vermont [00:33] From Tech to Baking: The Butterfly Bakery Origin Story [06:14] The Accidental Pivot to Hot Sauce [10:09] Award-Winning Granola, Caramel & Vermont Collaborations [16:06] The First Big Hit: Heady Topper Beer Hot Sauce [19:55] Creating a Hot Sauce for Bernie Sanders (Smoked Onion) [24:40] Tasting #1: Garlic Scape Sauce (Zero Heat, All Flavor) [29:27] The "Hot Ones" Effect & Dealing with National Exposure [38:58] Co-Packing for Massive Brands & Famous Hot Ones Sauces [41:40] Working with Pepper X & The Secrets of Hot Honey [48:21] Kitchen Hazards: Super Hots, PPE, and Capsaicin Burns [53:50] Tasting #2: Maple Sparkle Sriracha [01:02:13] Farm-to-Bottle: Planning Crops with Local Vermont Farmers [01:09:24] Micro-Batches & Formulating Flavors via Hyperphantasia [01:23:56] Tasting #3: Maple Chocolate Ghost Hot Sauce [01:28:48] Where to Find Butterfly Bakery & Outro IG 📸: butterflybakeryvt ---- Follow on IG 📸: fire.and.flavor 🔥 If you love hot sauce then subscribe & turn up the heat! 🔥 Available on all major streaming platforms! 🎧 #hotsauce #spicy #foodie #hotsaucelover