Hoss Soss Invites You to Make Hot Sauce in Costa Rica
Hot Sauce Company Launches Tropical Heat Hot Sauce Retreat
Salem, OR: Hoss Soss, a local maker of gourmet hot sauces featuring international flavors, has announced the first annual “Tropical Heat Hot Sauce Retreat” at Finca Mia Retreat Center in the mountains of Costa Rica March 20-24, 2020. All-inclusive retreat packages range from $1200-$1600 per person and families are welcome (inquire about rates for children).
“If you’re interested in hot sauce, if you love to travel and eat great food, and if you’ve always wanted to take a relaxing vacation in tropical Costa Rica – this retreat is for you,” said Matt Kuerbis, co-founder of Hoss Soss and former Head Chef of Finca Mia Retreat Center.
“This retreat is geared toward perfecting your own hot sauce recipes and experimenting with the flavors of local organic chili peppers,” said Kuerbis. “We’re also going to do a hands-on organic chocolate-making workshop, take a behind the scenes tour of a local dairy that has been making amazing cheeses in the village for generations, hike in the nearby Cloudbridge Nature Reserve, and more. It’s really a foodie tour for folks who love adventure travel and experiencing authentic flavors and cultures firsthand.”
Kuerbis worked as Executive Chef and Director of Education for Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland, OR, before heading South to prepare meals for retreat guests at Finca Mia in 2014. During the three years he spent cooking at Finca Mia, he created his own sauces from simple, local ingredients. Since his nickname in the kitchen is “Hoss,” he labeled his flavorful creations “Hoss Sauce.” The name stuck when he launched his own line of gourmet hot sauces in Salem, OR, in 2016 with partner Catharine Sutherland.
“Living and working at Finca Mia was one of the most unique and magical experiences of our lives to date,” said Sutherland, who worked in marketing and guest services at Finca Mia. “We are thrilled to be able to share Costa Rica’s best kept secret with anyone who feels inspired to travel with us. Exploring international flavors with two incredible chefs in a jungle paradise next to a beautiful river at the base of Mt. Chirripo – can you think of a better way to spend your Spring Break?”
The second chef featured at the hot sauce retreat is Becca Ellenberger, an avid seed collector, organic farmer and chef who has lived in the village of Los Angeles de Rivas for 14 years. Conveniently located a quarter mile from Finca Mia, her organic farm Finca Confianza grows 36 varieties of chilies. Tropical Heat Hot Sauce Retreat guests will tour Becca’s farm and create their own hot sauces using her chili peppers and other locally sourced, organic ingredients.
For more details and to reserve your cabina for the Tropical Heat Hot Sauce Retreat, visit www.hosssoss.com/retreat. Note that retreat package rates do not include airfare to Costa Rica.
About Hoss Soss LLC: Hoss Soss crafts high quality hot sauces with “Heat You Can Handle!”™ We love traveling the world and bringing our favorite flavors to life at our home in Salem, Oregon. Hoss Soss donates 1% of profits to the Willamette Humane Society to help animals in our community find good homes.