Lancaster resident Susie Spurlock hopes to sell her Happy Hal's Jalapeno Relish around the world. The relish flavors everything from sandwiches to casseroles, with added health benefits. "It's such an easy way to incorporate hot peppers into your diet," she says.
The flavorful, all-natural relish now lines store shelves all over the mid-Atlantic, including Whole Foods, Darrenkamps, Stauffers of Kissel Hill and smaller grocers and specialty shops.
The flavorful, all-natural relish now lines store shelves all over the mid-Atlantic, including Whole Foods, Darrenkamps, Stauffers of Kissel Hill and smaller grocers and specialty shops.
No one ever asked Susie Spurlock for cooking advice.
Spurlock's kids grew up on Hamburger Helper and macaroni and cheese. Her cooking wasn't bad exactly — it just lacked a certain amount of spice.
That began to change one hot July day, when Spurlock experimented with a family recipe for jalapeno relish.
After weeks of trial and error in her Hillcrest Road kitchen, numerous taste tests on family and friends and an upgrade from jelly jars to professional packaging, Spurlock perfected Happy Hal's Jalapeno Relish.
The flavorful, all-natural relish now lines store shelves all over the mid-Atlantic, including Whole Foods, Darrenkamps, Stauffers of Kissel Hill and smaller grocers and specialty shops.
A few tablespoons of Happy Hal's jazzes up everything from sandwiches to soups, quiches and casseroles — with the added appeal of vitamin C and cancer-fighting capsaicin.
Now Spurlock, a 47-year-old counselor-turned-entrepreneur, hopes her family-run, Lancaster-based Happy Jalapeno Co. rides the tide of surging interest in both health and hot foods all the way around the world.
"A lot of people are into hot stuff," she says. "(The relish) is such an easy way to incorporate hot peppers into your diet."
A lot of people indeed.
When Spurlock recently heard that Sen. Hillary Clinton eats hot peppers every day, she sent the health-conscious candidate three jars of Happy Hal's.
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Spurlock's late pathologist father, Dr. William Umiker, was always talking up the next "super food."
He sprinkled red pepper flakes on his pizza and drank a glass of red wine every day.
A few years ago, he sent Spurlock an e-mail predicting that hot peppers would be the next sensation.
It made sense: Jalapenos are loaded with capsaicin, a natural phytochemical believed to fight cancer and heart disease and even clear out the sinuses.
Perhaps most attention-grabbing of all, capsaicin is also linked to a spike in metabolism.
Spurlock, long committed to eating right and staying in shape, combined just two ingredients — minced jalapenos and vinegar — to create a flavorful, all-natural condiment with no calories or fat.
Spurlock got her big break at a local recruiting event for Whole Foods. Thirty of the chain's mid-Atlantic stores and dozens of other regional retailers now sell 9-ounce jars of Happy Hal's for about $6 to $8.
From the labels to the bottling — done at Beanie's of Lancaster — Happy Hal's is a 100 percent local product.
"People want to buy from people they share the community with," Spurlock says.
Happy Hal's packs more flavor than heat, she says. But the uninitiated should still start slowly, not take their first bite slathered straight on a cracker.
Customer Bill Simpson, of Lancaster, says Happy Hal's is a fun way to spice up everything from potatoes to beans and rice.
"What I like is that it's not ridiculously hot," he says. "A lot of products out there will take the skin right off your mouth.
" ... I think anybody could enjoy this."
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Jalapenos are a fun side venture for Spurlock, who still sees occasional counseling clients in her home office.
Her entire family has contributed time — and their savings — toward making Happy Hal's a success.
Joe, Spurlock's husband of 22 years and a veteran of the wine industry, serves as company president.
Daughter Julie, 21, a HACC student pursuing a career in equine-assisted psychotherapy, helps at marketing events.
Son John, a Lancaster Country Day School junior, dons a costume as the company mascot, Happy Hal, a 6-foot-tall jalapeno.
(As far as part-time jobs go, it isn't bad. It pays for his guitar lessons.)
John, whose license plate reads "HAPY HAL," says he eventually hopes to see his mom's relish right next to Heinz ketchup on the grocery-store shelf.
The Spurlocks' slate of upcoming promotional events includes May's Landis Valley Herb Faire and an Atlanta food show, where Paula Deen and other celebrity chefs are set to sample Happy Hal's.
Spurlock is developing a new line of gourmet specialty products, like a jalapeno pesto, along with a gallon-sized jalapeno relish for caterers.
She's discovered a host of uses for Happy Hal's, some as simple as spiking ranch dressing. (Her mother's friends add it to their egg salad.)
Spurlock wrote a cookbook offering 68 ideas for incorporating Happy Hal's into everyday dishes. The relish can even spice up convenience foods.
It actually tastes pretty good in Hamburger Helper.
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Here are some of Susie Spurlock's favorite jalapeno-enhanced recipes.
Hal's Happy Guacamole Dip
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 tablespoon onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon Happy Hal's Jalapeno Relish
1 ripe avocado, pureed
1 package tortilla chips
Whip cream cheese at low speed with electric mixer. Gradually add cream of chicken soup. Add onion, chili powder and jalapeno and mix well. Add pureed avocado and mix again.
Serve with tortilla chips.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Peppy Pork Tenderloin
Pork tenderloin (approximately 1 pound)
3 tablespoons Happy Hal's Jalapeno Relish
3 tablespoons apricot preserves or jam
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13-by-9-inch pan with cooking spray.
Line pan with pierogies. Spread spaghetti sauce on top. Top with Happy Hal's, then mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Yeeeehaaaa Quiche
1 deep-dish pie shell
8 slices bacon
1 cup milk
2 cups grated Swiss cheese
1/2 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 package frozen broccoli, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons Happy Hal's
2 tablespoons flour
4 eggs
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine eggs and milk; mix well. Toss cheese with flour and soup mix.
Add cheese mixture, bacon, Happy Hal's and broccoli to egg mixture.
Pour into pie shell and bake 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
Makes 4 servings.
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