You can take the man out of Louisiana, but you can’t take Louisiana out of the man. For Bayou Gotham Hot Sauce founder and president Scott Bellina this saying stands true. When he moved to New York City after graduating from LSU, he grew nostalgic for Louisiana crawfish season.
“I developed a never-before-created hot sauce recipe by deconstructing a Louisiana bayou-country boil using everything but the shellfish,” says Bellina. It wasn’t long before the northerners hopped on the spice train.

Now a two-time winner of the 2024 Scovie Awards, Bellina’s hot sauces have received national and international recognition. “I’m not a trained chef in the classical sense, but somehow gifted in the creative arts appealing to all senses, whether visual, musical and now culinary,” says Bellina. “What separates greatness from the mediocre is the passion, authenticity and attention to detail invested.” bayougotham.com