Gayle’s Sweet ‘N’ Sassy Foods,  Manufacturer of BBQ Sauces, Going Strong After 35 Years and Beating the Odds

What do California Pizza Kitchen, Gelson’s, TGI Fridays, Cheesecake Factory, and the Los Angeles Unified Schools all have in common? They all use or have used BBQ sauces made by Gayle's Sweet 'N' Sassy Foods, which is celebrating 35 years in business. “I started my business in 1985,” said founder Gayle Gannes Rosenthal, “using my dad’s recipe for BBQ sauce. Right from the start, I was told to stick with what I know because I would never make it in the food business. Those words inspired me to prove them wrong.”

Today, Gayle sells on Amazon. “After taking our products out of retail stores years ago, we heard from panicked customers that they couldn’t find our BBQ sauces. Recognizing the growth of Amazon, selling our products there seemed like a natural fit,” noted Gayle.  

In addition to Amazon, Gayle’s Sweet ‘N’ Sassy Foods has become a staple in homes, restaurants, stores, and schools. LA Unified School District requested Gayle’s BBQ sauce because it was a healthy choice for children. It is fat free, trans fat free, gluten free, cholesterol free and has no saturated fats, preservatives or extenders, and still tastes delicious.

Gayle, who was a struggling actor, would go on auditions with her headshots, resume and a Tupperware of her dad’s BBQ sauce from his restaurant in South Central Los Angeles. “I was hired to work on a McDonald’s commercial and one of the actors mentioned he was tired of eating the burgers, which is when I suggested that I bring my dad’s BBQ sauce to change things up,” stated Gayle.

The director heard how great the BBQ sauce was and asked Gayle to cater the “wrap” party. “I catered the party with chicken, ribs and, of course, the BBQ sauce. The production people said that the curly blond--that was me--was ‘okay,’ but they wanted to know where to buy the sauce,” added Gayle.

Gayle told her father she wanted to market the BBQ sauce and so she learned the magic of making it. “We were ahead of the times,” Gayle stated. “I thought it would be great to put our sauces in plastic bottles so they wouldn’t break while barbecuing outside.”

Gayle then contacted the buyer at Gelson’s, who initially told her “no,” pointing out that unless she knew the business, she would never have a chance of getting on the shelves. But Gayle persevered, and Gelson’s buyer agreed to meet with her. “Right then and there, he ordered one case per store,” Gayle said.

In the mid-80s, California-style pizza, like Spago’s, was an emerging phenomenon. In a Fortune magazine article by Dinah Eng, California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) co-founder Rick Rosenfield was quoted as saying, “Our idea was to bring Spago to the masses. The pizza cook from Spago consulted for us, and he created the original CPK menu, with things like rabbit sausage, radicchio, pine nut, grape-leaf pizza. None of it sold.” Added co-founder Larry Flax, “What did sell was the barbecue chicken pizza.” CPK used Gayle’s Sweet ‘N’ Sassy BBQ sauce on their BBQ chicken pizzas.

“Thirty-five years ago, our BBQ sauce,” Gayle stated, “started the BBQ Chicken Pizza and BBQ Chicken Salad craze at California Pizza Kitchen, and it is still their top-selling items on the menu. Happily, we continue to supply CPK with our delicious BBQ sauce.”

“Our barbecue sauce is great on sandwiches, tacos, kabobs, salads, pizzas, and even as a dip.  We expertly crafted our Gayle’s Sweet ‘N’ Sassy BBQ sauces using only the best ingredients,” Gayle concluded. “It’s still the No. 1 sauce across the U.S. and is also sold to countries including United Arab Emirates, Japan and many others.”    

Gayle’s Sweet ‘N’ Sassy now produces 13 products in addition to the BBQ sauces and all are sold on Amazon, including Gayle's Sweet 'N' Sassy Butter Pecan Syrup,  Bread and Butter Pickles, Honey Horseradish Dijon Mustard, Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing, among others.

In addition to having distributors throughout the country, restaurants can also order Gayle’s in the 4 x 1 gallons on Amazon.

About Gayle’s Sweet ‘N’ Sassy Foods

Gayle's Sweet 'N' Sassy Foods is headquartered at 269 S. Beverly Drive, Suite 472, Beverly Hills, CA 90212. For more information, call 310-246-1792 (Office), 310-246-1794 (Fax), email info@gaylesbbq.com, or visit http://gaylesbbq.com/.

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