Evan Smith
Portland, Maine
“Hi, it’s me, Evan Smith. I love to cook and before I became a touring musician with the bands Bleachers and St. Vincent, I made my living in kitchens. In 2017 I started making food gifts for my bandmates as a way to lift them up and keep my kitchen creativity sharp between tours (think jumping in the tour bus with—surprise!—an armload of fresh kimchi from a hole in my backyard, or a gallon of mole poblano that cooked for three days straight). I’m a Texan by birth and have always loved spicy food, so when I started thinking about making my ideal hot sauce I knew I wouldn’t be comfortable giving it away unless it was unique and really good.
I use hot sauce almost daily but didn’t feel there were enough delicious “everyday” sauces to choose from made from fresh fruits and vegetables. So I started experimenting, focusing on intensifying flavor rather than heat. My finished sauce got rave reviews, and my bandmates encouraged me to bring it on the road to sell at our band merch table. Each night on tour we would hand-draw labels for giveaway bottles, sometimes in the bus after soundcheck, other times in the dressing room right before we went on stage. That DIY spirit and commitment to making something unique and special night after night are built into every bottle of Evan’s Rockin’. It is my gift to you. And when it comes to adding something unique and special to your food, my hope is that you’ll choose ER’HS every day.”
