Astoria friends raising money to get hot sauce in stores, restaurants kickstarter Photos courtesy of Fez Production SPICY CAMPAIGN BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO A group of Astoria friends are turning to Kickstarter to help them bring the heat. Matthew Konchan, Joe Muscente and James Nestor are the creators behind the artisanal all-natural, low-sodium and gluten-free hot sauce called Chi-Cho Sauce. For the past two years, the trio, who have backgrounds in finance and marketing, have spent hours combining and testing flavors until they came up with the “spicy and sweet” flavor, which creators said is “the best hot sauce you’ll ever have.” “We wanted to do something different, something that isn’t going to kill you,” Konchan said. “It’s not a novelty. It looks presentable.” After selling and giving away more than 1,000 bottles of the sauce for free at local markets, including the LIC Flea & Food, and receiving positive feedback, the Astoria residents started a Kickstarter campaign to help continue making the sauce and selling it online, as well as launch the product in stores and restaurants. “We want something that is nice that you can put out on the table of a nice restaurant,” Konchan said. The goal of the campaign, which ends on Sept. 12, is $8,003 and the funds will go towards manufacturing, operating, distribution and marketing costs. Chi-Cho Sauce — the name comes from a college friend’s slang name — is created using local ingredients and cooked at a commercial kitchen in Flushing. Every bottle of the sauce is individually stamped with a batch number and “born on” date. You can purchase a 6 oz. bottle of Chi-Cho Sauce for $9 on www.chichosauce. com and also find recipes and food pairings for the sauce. “We want to maintain the brand,” Konchan said. “A fun and young company.” To donate to the Kickstarter campaign, visit www.kickstarter.com/projects/ 2091942804/chi-cho-sauce-is-taking-over-the-world?ref=discovery.
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