Learn his favorite Sauce Hacks and How to Beat The Heat
California Tortilla, a unique fast casual restaurant franchise that serves “California style” Mexican food and is known to fans as Cal Tort, put out a call for their first-ever saucemelier (think of a sommelier, but saucier) and found that Andrew Enriquez of California could take the heat. During his consulting period, he sampled the various sauces available at California Tortilla, developed a series of sauce tips, and made suggested sauce and food pairings based on the restaurant’s menu.
“With Andrew, we found someone who matched our passion for hot sauce,” said Robert Phillips, President and Chairman of California Tortilla. “His role as our first saucemelier was an ambitious endeavor, but he stepped up to the plate and demonstrated his great taste and ability to take (and enjoy) the heat. We were delighted to collaborate with him and get his feedback on our sauces, so that we can offer our guests suggestions on how to enhance their experiences at our restaurants.”
Enriquez ate tortillas from toddlerhood and learned to eat hot peppers with bravado at a young age during carne asada breaks on weekends with his dad. A veteran of the U.S. Army and many hot food eating challenges, Enriquez has slathered hot sauce over tacos, rice bowls, and everything from buffalo wings to ice creams, even crafting a few bottles himself. He is honored to share his passion for fresh flavors and fire with the CalTort faithful.
As part of his role as saucemelier, Andrew Enriquez recorded a series of sauce tips including “How To Beat the Heat,” when sauces prove hotter than expected, as well as “Flavor Rules,” and “Sauce Hacks” at California Tortilla. To check out the videos, be sure to follow @CalTort on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
During his consulting gig, Enriquez sampled a number of the sauces offered at California Tortilla including their signature Screamin’ Green, as well as the Cheech Chipotle, Green Bandit, Mango Meltdown, Ring of Fire, Southwest Habanero, Tears of Sun, and more. California Tortilla features 75 distinctive hot sauces on their Wall of Flame. Enriquez identified flavor notes in each of the sauces he sampled and developed menu pairings for them. Featured menu items included the Bangkok Shrimp, California Screamin’ Burrito, Carnitas Tacos, Nachos, and the Sunset Bowl.
California Tortilla is a unique fast casual Mexican restaurant franchise that serves “California style” Mexican food. Since 1995, California Tortilla, adoringly known by fans as Cal Tort, has brought a fresh perspective to Mexican food through offering bold and exciting flavor profiles, while offering only the best quality. With 38 locations, the Chef-Inspired menu continues to delight customers throughout the United States.
California Tortilla is seeking experienced multi-unit operators who are interested in diversifying and growing their restaurant portfolios. California Tortilla is also open to partnering with highly qualified single-unit operators.
For more information and locations, visit www.californiatortilla.com.
