Girdwood woman's dream—and sauce—20 years in the making

By Julie St. Louis
Special to the Turnagain Times

“Sweet & Spicy, Made with Love,” that's the name and slogan of Alaska's newest sauce and dressing company. Founded right here in Girdwood by longtime resident, Pamela Turner, Sweet & Spicy is off to a tasty start.

Since making and bottling the first of several planned varieties just two months ago, nearly 1,000 jars have been sold, or placed on store shelves.

“I am so thrilled and amazed at how fast business has taken off,” said Turner. “I feel so blessed to have the support of my family, friends and this community.”

Turner's story is truly one of small town gal finally makes good. Raised in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, she begrudgingly moved to Alaska as a teenager with her family. From rebellious teen, to life as a single mother, Turner has struggled to find her path to success. For many years she worked multiple jobs to make ends meet. She raised two children, and as soon as things started to seem brighter, she lost her home and everything in it to a fire.

But Turner has persevered.

The sauce that's put her on the Alaska map is called Alaskan Umami Sauce. It is available in both mild and hot, in eight or 16 ounce jars. Umami (oo-ma-mi) is Japanese for perfect savory. It is also known as the fifth taste, after sweet, salty, bitter and sour. Originally created some 20 years ago for chicken wings, Turner and her best friend and housemate, Marcilee Lawson, have perfected the recipe to the one available today.

Turner has no formal culinary training, but said she has always modified recipes to suit her own finicky tastes.

“It really came about because of my own picky taste buds,” said Turner. “I never could find a barbecue or other dipping sauce for meats that I liked very much, so I made my own.”

It was when she began to think about her goals for the future, and for her family, that selling her sauces came to mind.

“I really want to be able to afford to travel, and to help my aging father and ailing stepmother, and to spend more time with my kids and grandkids,” she said. “So I thought, what else am I good at and what can I do to make enough money and not have to work four jobs at once to do it?”

Friends had often asked Turner to smoke salmon for them or make her wings for dinners. She hoped to start selling salmon first, but that proved more costly than beginning with the wing sauce. From there she and Marci went to work, taking classes on food preparation and safety, and finding out what permits, licenses and other were necessary to get the venture going.

Although the sauce was created for chicken wings, it is very versatile and goes well with pork, seafood, beef, and veggies. It can be used as a marinade, glaze, or for dipping.

“I am constantly surprised with the feedback I get from people on how they used the sauce,” said Turner.

She funded the start-up mostly with her own savings and a small loan from her father and Marci's mom. Turner's brother-in-law helped design the Sweet & Spicy logo, labels and website, and she, Marci and a few other Girdwoodians have handmade, poured and labeled each jar of sauce using the kitchen at Maxine's Bistro.

Turner also manages marketing and sales. So far she has driven all over along the Kenai Peninsula through to Eagle River offering samples to entice business owners to carry her sauce. Gary Custer of Mike's Quality Meats in Eagle River was skeptical at first, but after tasting the sauce he decided to give two cases a try.

“I sold out in a week and called Pam to order four more cases,” said Custer.

Right now production is limited to making sauce one day a week, while Maxine's is closed. Next year Turner hopes to build a commercial kitchen of her own in Girdwood, to provide jobs to local residents and produce greater quantities. Turner is also already developing a line of salad dressings and thinking about growing beyond Alaska.

“I want to succeed, but I also want to give back to my community and to my family who have always been there for me,” said Turner. “For so many years I was on the list at the Lion's Club to receive food boxes during the holidays, and for the first time last year I was able to put things in the boxes and deliver them to other needy people.”

Turner expressed overwhelming gratitude to Robert and Kristine Lewis, owners of Maxine's Bistro, Marcilee Lawson, a longtime friend through good and bad, brother-in-law Jim Laursen, Marci's Mom, Leslie Wiley, Alex Reeve for his help and muscles, her son's girlfriend, Barbara David, and the entire community of Girdwood for cheering her on to make her dreams come true.

Alaskan Umami Sauce is made from all natural, high quality ingredients, is soy free, and qualifies as vegan. It is currently available in Girdwood at the Java Haus, Great Alaskan Tourist Trap, the Grind, and GRRdwood Pets & Green Goods. Silvertip Bar and Grill features it in several menu items and sells jars to take home.

It can also be purchased at shops in Seward, Cooper Landing, Hope, Anchorage and Eagle River. Notably, Alaskan Umami Sauce is sold at Summit Spice & Tea, both Sagaya Markets and Natural Pantry in Anchorage.

Meet the Sweet & Spicy gals in person this coming weekend at the Fiddlehead Festival at Alyeska Resort. Turner and cohorts will be cooking up mouthwatering meats cooked or served with the special sauce at this festival and several others throughout the summer.