Before Hot Drop Sauce landed on Gordon Ramsay's Food Stars, founder Andrew Whiting was working full-time, hand-bottling sauce at night, and getting creative about getting it into people's hands—literally. We're talking trunk-of-the-car sales, expensing his own product to pitch clients, and turning every casual interaction into a chance to get feedback (and spark demand). In this episode of Chef x Founder, host Tony Piombo sits down with Andrew to talk about the real behind-the-scenes journey—from sauce experiments during the pandemic to walking onto a national TV set and a three-minute pitch for Gordon himself.

This one's packed with lessons for any entrepreneur, including:

• The unexpected start of Hot Drop Sauce during the pandemic
• How to grow a brand without quitting your day job (at first)
• How to get creative with product distribution (even while working 9-5)
• The psychology of packaging and selling—and how to make people grab your product
• What it really took to land on Food Stars and pitch to Gordon Ramsay
• How a gift-turned-side-hustle became a brand
• Why Hot Drop is designed for flavor, not pain—and how that changed everything

Whether you're building a food brand or still dreaming one up, this convo is loaded with insights you'll want to replay. CONNECT WIH ANDREW WHITING: Website: https://www.hotdropsauce.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotdropsauce/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hotdropsauces/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hotdropsauce

FOLLOW US BEHIND THE SCENES: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chef.x.founder Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chefxfounder Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chef.x.founder Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChefxFounder CHECK OUT TONY'S WOOD-FIRED OVEN BUSINESS: https://fornopiombo.com/

TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction to the Chef Founder Podcast 00:02 Meet Andrew Whiting: Founder of Hot Drop Sauce 00:53 The Hot Drop Community and Fanbase 01:35 The Art and Business of Hot Sauce 08:46 Andrew's Journey into the Culinary World 13:11 From Holiday Gifts to a Hot Sauce Brand 19:56 Andrew's Background in Sales and Entrepreneurship 23:12 Working for a Distributor 23:52 Sales Strategies and Challenges 25:47 Creating and Branding Hot Sauce 26:25 Feedback and Iteration 27:23 First Sales and Realizations 28:37 Scaling Production 31:18 Balancing Full-Time Work and Entrepreneurship 36:39 Collaborations and Marketing 45:15 Corporate Gifting and Wholesale 49:43 Gordon Ramsey's Food Stars 52:00 The Lengthy Application Process 52:34 The Vetting and Interview Phases 54:25 The Big Reveal: Gordon Ramsay's Food Stars 55:01 Preparing for the Audition in London 56:21 The Audition and Selection Process 1:02 Life on the Show and Meeting Fellow Contestants 1:03 Reflecting on the Reality TV Experience 1:04 The Competition and Elimination 1:06 Impact on Business and Sales 1:07 Pitching and Entrepreneurial Insights 1:10 Networking and Collaborations 1:12 Future Plans and Final Thoughts