Newsletters: March - April 2008

« Back to Newsletter

Local Spotlight
Sauce Boss Ladles Soup for the Homeless

Natural Times-March/April 2008

By Isabel Sheridan

Bill Wharton and his wife Ruth have been coming to New Leaf Market since 1973. They were members back when the Co-op was located on Macomb Street. So when Bill became the “Sauce Boss” and started marketing his now famous hot sauces, it was only natural that he approach New Leaf Market with his products. “In 1987 I began to sell my sauces. New Leaf was one of my first customers and has been ever since,” Bill says with a touch of pride.

Bill had been making hot sauces for family and friends for years. Twenty-one years ago he was persuaded to go into business. And now his “Liquid Summer” hot sauces are a must-have for customers all over the Tallahassee area. In New Leaf Market’s condiment section, you can find Bill’s three Liquid Summer products: Datil Pepper Sauce is named for a pepper that is native to St. Augustine; Habañero Sauce is made from the hottest pepper there is; and Hot Q Sauce is a little bit spicy barbecue sauce made with peaches.

Bill’s second passion is making music. “I’ve always been a musician,” he states. Nineteen years ago, when Bill was cutting a CD in Orlando, he met Raful Neal, a musician from Baton Rouge. While Bill and Raful were recording, Raful’s wife was across the hall, just a whiff away, cooking gumbo for the crew’s lunch. “What a great way to showcase my hot sauces,” Bill thought. “I watched her cook, got a few tips from her, and started making gumbo on stage,” he declares. “I bring a fish cooker on stage and cook during the show. The audience helps by adding ingredients and stirring the pot. They love it.”

And then, to hot sauces, music and making gumbo on stage, Bill added another passion—feeding the homeless. In 2002 Bill was invited to sing and make gumbo at the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen in Orlando, his home town. A new world opened up for him—and for the homeless. Since then he has been making music and gumbo with the homeless all over the country. His website lists the concerts he’s done for homeless centers around the nation; he’s performed in Washington, D.C., Indiana, Pennsylvania, many cities in Florida, and in New Orleans’ 9th Ward. Since 2002 Bill has cooked gumbo for over 135,000 people.

You can help Bill Wharton “feed the needy, in body and soul.” Visit his website for Planet Gumbo, the non-profit foundation he set up to help the homeless, at www.planetgumbo.org. And, if you really want to get involved, join Bill and Ruth the second Wednesday of each month at the homeless shelter in Tallahassee to make a meal and music.

Bill’s next CD, “Soft Boss Raw,” will be released at the Bradfordville Blues Club, at a gumbo party, on Saturday, May 3. When asked if he’d give a discount to New Leaf owners, Bill laughed and said, “I like that idea! I’ll work on it.” So if you see the Sauce Boss in the aisles of New Leaf Market, stop him and tell him you want that discount.