Keenan Lee Adams was born with a unique and wonderful talent: he has a culinary ability and palate that is finely tuned to the intense flavors and heat of capsaicin. Capsaicin—as you may know—is that natural, fiery, spicy compound that makes hot peppers hot. From an early age Keenan demonstrated a strong preference for foods that had some fire. If Gerber’s made strained jalapeños—he probably would have been eating it. As the years and meals went by, Keenan developed a very sophisticated palate and understanding of different hot sauce styles and the nuances of the different peppers. From the humble jalapeno (8,000 Scoville Units) to the terrifying Bhut Jolokia (1,100,000 Scoville Units), Keenan tasted and experimented with every sauce he could get his hands on. In 2004, his parents had a growing concern about where they could possibly store more hot sauces. His dad, having a culinary background, suggested that perhaps Keenan should try making some of his own hot sauce so it could perfectly meet his taste requirements and his finicky, fiery palate. Much discussion ensued. The attributes and benefits of different peppers were debated. Styles of hot sauce were measured and judged. A list of ingredients began to form. After more discussion and refinement, the ingredient list turned into a shopping list, and Keenan and his dad went to the grocery store to gather the makings of the first K-Sauce: Keenan’s Original Killer Sauce was born. This was later renamed to K-1 as a new sauce was created each year from then on.
