Meet the Producer: Jason Luquire

Sometimes what’s cooking in mama’s kitchen is award-winning material. That’s how it was for the Luquire family, whose matriarch Josephine “Jo” Luquire first crafted the recipe for Carolina Creole® almost 50 years ago, inspired by the bounty of the land and sea around the Luquire’s hometown of Georgetown, South Carolina. Over the years, Jo has had so many requests from friends and family for the recipe that her son Jason and his wife Micki took to the stove and began canning the sauce rather than writing the recipe and passing it along. It was an idea that launched a business. In the spring of 2011, they introduced the product to market.

It was quickly embraced and was featured in Garden & Gun magazine as a pantry essential and received an NASFT 2012 sofi™ Silver Finalist award in the foodservice category. Not to be confused with the creole sauces found in Louisiana, Carolina Creole® balances spicy and sweet with an all natural blend of roughly chopped onions, bell peppers and juicy tomatoes simmered with Jo’s signature spices. Completing its line are locally sourced products, like long grain rice and stone ground grits, Charleston rice steamer and Carolina Creole® gift sets.

Luquire told us more about himself:

1. What’s your favorite product in your line and how do you best like eating it?

Carolina Creole® sauce with shrimp, served atop stone ground grits with crumbled bacon, fresh biscuits and side spinach salad.

2. Who is your culinary idol and why?

Julia Child. No strike that, she’s second. Number one in my book is Jo Luquire, a true culinary genius when preparing the wild game and seafood found in the woodlands and coastal marshes of our beloved low country. And if that’s not enough, you can always expect to be delighted by one of her amazing, season appropriate deserts that finish all of our family gatherings.

3. What’s your guilty food pleasure?

Foie gras with a great Sauterne.

4. Best meal ever?

Roasted Canvasback, wild rice and asparagus, crème brulee, and Pinot Noir for best meal in the U.S. Roasted Eland, rice and gravy, mixed vegetables, bread pudding and Cabernet for the best meal in the wilds of Africa.

5. Aside from your products, what three items can you always find in your kitchen?

Seafood, pasta and fresh vegetables. And always in reserve: Red wine, white wine and sauterne.

6. If you weren’t a specialty food manufacturer, what would you be doing instead?

Making more money!

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