A SAUCE LIFE - Restaurants, specialty food sales, as well as traditional training at an American Culinary Institute, Dave Holthus' journey through the food business has been extensive and it only makes sense that he is now a sauce maker. . .His story starts back when he was a “a scrawny energetic teenager”. He found comfort working for many years at a long-lived and respected steakhouse in Colorado. It was there he realized that this incredibly exciting and fast-paced world would always be for him. Before he could take this passion seriously however, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management. He began his career working as a sales and marketing agent for specialty food products (as a sauce seller). Though he was involved in the food industry, it did not quite fulfill his drive to cook and create. With a wonderfully supportive partner, he found the way to express himself creatively.

He began a culinary school adventure, followed quickly by an extreme hunger to get out and start learning from the real world – passion ignited! He joined the ranks at a highly regarded restaurant group. He moved through their brigade style kitchen system very quickly, taking full charge of the “back kitchen” in a little less than a year. No Chef title yet, which he couldn’t even begin to understand what such a title required this early in his career, but he was ready for the kitchen lead scarf nonetheless. It wasn’t too long after that he got the extraordinary opportunity to live and work in Mumbai, India. Little did he know, this would shape him with a culinary advantage throughout the rest of his career, from teaching at the Institute of Culinary Arts, to learning traditional Indian cooking methods and the intricacies of tempering spices, to molecular gastronomy. These are his secret weapons. It felt validating to have these exciting skills and knowledge, and were just the ingredients he needed to become a chef. This amazing overseas journey would catapult his next decade of kitchen adventures, from getting opportunities to open standalone restaurants, to Executive Chef roles in two of the Pacific Northwest’s business powerhouses in Nordstrom & Microsoft. He had the opportunity to lead incredible teams and build a culinary portfolio that he is proud of. The band of chefs and incredible cooks he'd been so fortunate to learn from and work side-by-side with has been amazing.

Which brings us to today… He's always had a passion and knack for sauces, spices, and techniques to wow the palate, fueled by his background and fascination with the pure chemistry of cooking. So in 2021, he established the Woodinville Sauce Co. Living in the Redmond/Kirkland/Woodinville area for over the past decade, he is so excited to bring his creations to life and offer them to this wonderful community he lives in. “I hope my products bring some excitement and joy to your kitchens, and I look forward to hearing about your inventive uses! And remember, it’s always OK to put some sauce on it… Chef Dave”