It started with a stroller and a mango tree.
This was 2020. Brian Trew and his wife had just had their son Levi. Like a lot of new parents that year, they were spending a lot of time outside, walking the neighborhood, hoping the kid would fall asleep. On those walks, Brian started picking up mangos off the ground. He’d already been gardening, growing habaneros and jalapeños, already messing around with sauce recipes. The mangos were just there. So he started making mango habanero for the neighbors.
That’s the origin of Gringo Trew. Not a business plan. A stroller, some mangos, and the instinct to make something good out of what was around.
Brian grew up in Fort Pierce, about an hour and a half north of here. Citrus groves. Cattle ranches. Families who’d been working the same land for generations. Where he grew up, knowing where your food came from wasn’t a lifestyle choice. It was just how things worked. That stayed with him when he moved south. It showed up in the sauce.
He Thinks About It Like Wine
Most people’s reference point for hot sauce is Tabasco. Fine. But it sets a low ceiling.
Brian’s frame is different. “I have sauces that go great with steak and I have some that pair great with fish. I think of it like wine.”
He’s not chasing heat. He’ll tell you straight up he’s not a big fan of super-hot sauce. What he’s after is balance. Initial heat that settles. A thicker consistency. Sweetness from fresh produce, such as carrots instead of sugar. Florida honey sourced from Fort Pierce. When Trinidadian friends introduced him to culantro (no, not a typo), a herb he’d never worked with, he didn’t just cook with it. He built a whole sauce around it.
His tell for a bad sauce: “If the first ingredient is water, I don’t try it.”
That’s the same logic that runs through good butchery. What goes in determines what comes out.
Gringo Trew is a small-batch Florida hot sauce that tastes like someone actually thought about it. There aren’t many of those.
How It Ended Up on Our Counter
Brian also plays in a band. Uproot Hootenanny. But the music goes back further than that. He picked up a viola at 11, recorded three albums with an Irish folk group called the Celtic Rogues, and played shows in Florida and the UK before he ever thought about making sauce. He got a full scholarship to FAU for viola performance. His uncle Billy, the one who hand-crafts all of Brian’s fiddles, was the one who got him started.
When Cam first opened the shop, vendors swarmed him. They wanted his time, shelf space, a meeting. It got old fast.
Brian was different. He came in, sat down, had some lunch. When he was done he said the food was delicious, left a few bottles on the counter, and walked out. No pitch. No ask.
Cam’s version of what happened next is short. “I tried it. I thought it was great. I liked his style. That was it.“
They’ve been friends since. Their kids play soccer together. Brian’s wife and Cam’s family have gotten close. The bottles have been on the counter ever since.
That’s how it ended up on the counter. The sourcing logic was already the same. Being intentional about local produce. Florida ingredients. Supporting the small farms and the families behind them, whether that’s someone growing mangos or raising steer. Brian was already living by that before he ever walked through our door.
Brian’s LLC came in 2022. This year, Gringo Trew is expanding into a bottling facility in Riviera Beach.
Which Bottle, Which Sandwich
Brian has eaten our sandwiches. Many times. We asked him to be specific about his go-to pairings:
The Pastrami > The OG Hoot Sauce with our OG sandwich. Green label. His most popular, and for good reason. “Just to bring a little heat to the incredible flavor of the pastrami masterpiece.” The OG doesn’t compete with what’s already there. It lifts it.
The Corned Beef > Everglade Chipotle. “To bring a little smoky taste to it.” The corned beef already has depth. The Everglade Chipotle finds that and adds to it. It doesn’t cover anything.
The Boca Cuban > Fox in Ya Yard. This is the culantro-based sauce, the one that came out of those Trinidad conversations. “It brings that Caribbean spice to an already amazing sandwich.” If you know the Boca Cuban, you already understand why this works.
First time buying and not sure where to start? Brian’s answer is the OG Hoot Sauce. “Literally can put that sh*t on anything.” Enough said.
Tacos, Obviously
Brian’s favorite food is tacos. That’s not a secret. If you ask him what he puts Gringo Trew on at home, the answer is tacos first, everything else second.
So we threw a tasting last fall. Hot sauce, tacos, the full Brian Trew experience.
It was a great time. We’re doing more of these. If you want to be there for the next one, the newsletter is the only way to know.
On Making People Happy
Brian gets recognized now. Before, he was “the guy in that band”. Out at dinner, at the grocery store, around the neighborhood, he’s now known as “Hey, you’re the hot sauce guy!”
He loves it. Not in an ego way. In the way someone loves it when a thing they made actually reaches people.
“I’ve always loved making people happy, either through music or food. Seeing people smile is what it’s all about.“
That’s Brian.
Where to Find Gringo Trew Hot Sauce in Boca Raton
Gringo Trew is available at Beauregard’s Fine Meats in Boca Raton. You’ll find the bottles on the counter and on the tables when you eat in. Grab one with your sandwich, or tell us what you’re cooking and we’ll point you toward the bottle we’d use.
Beauregard’s Fine Meats & Butchery
497 NE 20th St
Boca Raton, FL 33431
