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Chilli No 5 Wants their Super Health, Super Flavor ‘Sauce of Life’ on your Next Meal

Chilli No 5 Wants their Super Health, Super Flavor ‘Sauce of Life’ on your Next Meal with an unmistakable spicy hit, combined with superfoods & health supplements.

Providing the flavorful gourmet vegan chilli sauces & gift sets using the most natural & healthy ingredients.

Chilli No 5 Brings 'Superfood Sorcery' and Big Flavor

Chilli No 5 Brings ‘Superfood Sorcery’ and Big Flavor

Delivering the best range of your favorite international flavors of chilli, marinades and BBQ hot sauces.

Co-founder Rumble Romagnoli joined me for a conversation about food, family, making chilli healthier and bringing their award-winning chilli sauce to the masses.

Chilli No. 5 Co-founder Rumble Romagnoli

Chilli No. 5 Co-founder Rumble Romagnoli

The below conversation has been edited for length and clarity.  Find the full, un-edited conversation at our YouTube channel.

 

When you think about hot sauce, can you tell us about a celebration or a memory, something in life that inspired you to get so excited about hot sauce?

Rumble Romagnoli: Yeah when we’re smaller and we’re in the kitchen, it’s such a magical experience, isn’t it?

I had a real Italian Nonna so an Italian grandmother who always had bubbling pots and pastas and, Mules and fish and meat.  My mother and my sister; so great moments as a child cooking in the kitchen and then out on the dining table with all the family.

It was great and now I love cooking and it makes me really relaxed. Just zoning out, cooking for the family, growing my own vegetables, chilies and then gathering around tables with friends and family just to enjoy. And that’s really where this all started.

 

What does day to day life look like for you.  How did you decide to split up some of that time with a hot sauce endeavor?

Rumble Romagnoli: You remember COVID wasn’t really a nice time for anyone. We were there in a small apartment with lots of small children. It was chaos.

We couldn’t see our friends. We couldn’t see our family. They were all over the world and it was desperate times. So I suppose setting up Chili No. 5 was all about this kind of wanting to get back together with people enjoying moments and being together, sharing and getting fresh, healthy food and not lining up in the supermarket.

Chilli No 5 Brings 'Superfood Sorcery' and Big Flavor

Chilli No 5 Brings ‘Superfood Sorcery’ and Big Flavor

A lot of chefs who I was very friendly with all had lost their jobs. I was like, Hey, can you make sauce? They’re like, yeah, of course I can. So that’s how it all started. 

And we started trying out new flavors and we love world cooking. So that’s how Chilli No 5 started.

From your Chilli expert point of view, what should someone look for on a label that lets us know this is a quality chilli sauce?

Rumble Romagnoli: I think you guys are better at it than us to be fair. You’re fanatics; incredible.

I’m not a real expert. I just love creating great food for my family and friends. And we’ve tried to make… The best world hot sauces but they’re not going to blow your head off. It’s not really a hot sauce. They are chilli sauces. 

Chilli No 5 variety of flavors

Chilli No 5 variety of flavors

What I think you should be looking for on the bottle is: great ingredients, as many as you can get. No numbers, no coloring, no baddies.

I’m looking for just superfoods and anything that’s gonna make me glow.

In my world, when I think of chili sauce and hot sauces, I don’t always think of superfoods.

Tell me a little bit about where the idea came from to so strongly cross over superfoods with chili.

 

Rumble Romagnoli:  I love spice and tingling on my tongue and that kind of rush you get from that spice and hot.  The hot sauce or the flakes or the chili oil. My wife loves to be healthy. Happy wife, happy life they say, so I just combined.

I was doing something more spicy and she says, why don’t you put some good stuff in there? And I’d been reading a lot about Guana ginseng, maca; and all of these are in our sources. These are natural supplements that you buy in the shop.  You have some of that and it really picks you up, increases your concentration, which I need for long days. I need more energy. I’m getting older. So I was like, hey let’s just put them in the hot sauce and then you got the best of both worlds. So that’s the superfood sauce or superfood sorcery we like to say.

That was all my wife’s doing to be honest.

 

I feel like a lot of chilli sauces are just gunk. When I think superfoods, I think health. Is your Chilli No 9 a health food?

Rumble Romagnoli: Absolutely. I’ll pick out one of these bottles.I wouldn’t say a healthy hot sauce. I would say a hot sauce full of healthy ingredients because you never know there are some sugars in here and you never know what people will find healthy or not healthy.

But we’ve got in this Jamaican jerk, which is great on a barbecue chicken as a marinade as a condiment as a barbecue sauce. We’ve got fresh red onions, fresh spring onions. Chilli No 9 chili. Fresh chilies, which are all really healthy for you. There’s ginger. There’s garlic. There’s lemon. There’s lime. There’s agave syrup. 

We tried to tone down the sugar but keep it a little bit sweet, apple cider vinegar, we’ve got, extra virgin olive oil. It goes on black garlic, thyme, nutmeg, allspice, black pepper, guarana, maca, Ginseng, l arginine.  It doesn’t stop.  That is packed to the rims, full of healthy ingredients.

We’ve tried to put the healthiest ingredients we could find and make it as tasty as possible using these ingredients and authentic to Jamaica and their jerk sauce.

It’s a sauce packed full of healthy superfood antioxidant ingredients and that’s maybe why it’s winning all these awards for taste. 

Because bottom line is it has to taste nice before being healthy.

 

Nobody wants a science flavored chili. So I agree with that.   Let’s talk about some of your favorite flavors.

Rumble Romagnoli:  It’s hard because we have over 15 sources. But one of my favorites which you’d probably love as well is the Mexican Fury. My sister lives in Guadalajara in Mexico. She left the UK and went all around South America and ended up finding a lovely guy and settled down there. 

Mexican food is fantastic. It’s just really great.  Full of flavors and all sorts of different ingredients that we can’t grow in the UK or in Europe.  You guys have got such great weather down there in the South, Miami, Florida. Texas, Mexico between the South of the U. S. and the North of Mexico.

So you’ve got the jalapenos which are just incredible. We’ve got all of these beautiful chilies, the habanero come up with an automatically smoky flavor when mixed with the red peppers, the tomatoes, the red onions.  They fuse this on the palate to really pair very well with chicken, prawns, tacos, burritos or even egg for breakfast or pancakes.

The Mexican Fury is a really good one. We won 16 awards for different sauces. I love chipotle, anything smoky in our Louisiana barbecue. We’ve tried to tone down the sugar, add a bit of cognac whiskey, bourbon whiskey.  We’ve added the classic American ingredients in there to make a kind of healthy style Louisiana barbecue. 

Then the harissa is a great one. It’s really popular. it’s North African full of caraway seeds, cumin seeds, olive oil, lots of of incredible deep ingredients that really sit on the back of the tongue. There’s lots of ingredients there that kind of bring your food to life. 

We want to bring life and energy into a barbecue situation, dinner with granny, breakfast before work, sandwich on the bench in Manhattan.

 

Tell us a little bit about the competitions you’ve entered.

Rumble Romagnoli: We were only a year old and we’d come up with these sauces and we’d thought they were good.  The founder Chef Colin and then we had a team of chefs working in our London kitchen and our South of France kitchen and we entered the Great Taste Awards.

These are quite big awards in the UK but it’s international awards where all kind of fine foods, gourmet foods are tested by panels of hundreds of judges. It’s quite a strict competition. 

So first year we came in and we won seven stars for 11 products. We’re very happy. It was incredible. The Jamaican jerk really got a good one. The heavenly Harissa came in very well. Our chilli oil called Pizza Pizzazz.

Our chili flakes are all fresh and lovely coming from all sides of the world. Carolina Reaper, the Scorpion, the Habanero, the Ghost, the Number 5 chili from India. 

We watched and read all of the judges’ comments and we’re so thankful that they really detailed about acidity, balance, flavor structures.

Then we reworked it.  We played around with ingredient quality, we changed vinegars slightly, the cooking process.  We started baking the vegetables, the peppers, the onions, the red onions.  The tomatoes really started getting more flavor.  We put in a bit of olive oil at the start to get the flavors moving around.

Then we came in this year with 13 awards out of 16.  With our 7, that makes 16 of our total products have won awards by the Great Taste Awards.

We want to create the best chilli sauces on the planet. That’s my mission.

 

How is Chilli No 5 going to grow and evolve?

Rumble Romagnoli: It’s happening quite quickly and we have a B2C strategy and service strategy.

We want to have the most delicious sauces in every category.  We’re just working on each recipe and we think  if we make the best sauce, people are going to love the best sauce, and then they’re going to buy the best sauce.

A bit like Apple, just make the best products and people just keep buying them  We’re getting into big stores in the UK, placements in Monaco.

We are in lots of great high end butchers, delicatessens and it’s going really well. 

So we’ve got this B2B strategy. We need to impress the professionals.   We’ve impressed the people who love healthy lifestyle, love delicious sauce, gourmet. But now we have to impress the industry.

Obviously coming to America is the big move. 

Tell us all the ways we can learn more about Chili No. Tell us your website, social media. 

Rumble Romagnoli: The website is the big one, Chili No.5. Shop us on Etsy.  Follow us on instagram, Facebook, YouTube. 

We’re also quite present for hot sauce gift sets. We do five or six incredible hot sauce gift sets which are collections of the sauces. And we’ve got mini little minis and you can make your own you can personalize because we’ve got 15 sauces.

We’re very big at Christmas. Very big at Father’s Day, Thanksgiving and we will send the sauces over to you guys in the states. No problem. If anything breaks, if anything’s damaged, we will refund you and resend you the sauce you ordered because that’s the least we can do.

 

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Big Papi’s New York Debut: David Ortiz’s Dominican Ozama Rum Lands in Manhattan With Bold Flavor and Cultural Swagger

Big Papi’s New York Debut: David Ortiz’s Dominican Ozama Rum Lands in Manhattan With Bold Flavor and Cultural Swagger

In a city that appreciates craftsmanship, culture, and a killer cocktail, there’s a new player on the scene ready to disrupt bar menus from Brooklyn rooftops to Central Park South. Hall-of-Fame legend David “Big Papi” Ortiz—yes, that David Ortiz—is officially entering the world of fine spirits with the launch of Ozama Rum, a 100% Dominican-made, ultra-premium rum that’s already turning heads in the five boroughs.

Far more than just a celebrity vanity label, Ozama Rum is a deeply personal project rooted in Ortiz’s Dominican heritage, shaped by tradition, and tailored for modern palates. Named after the Ozama River in Santo Domingo, the spirit is crafted from start to finish in the Dominican Republic, earning the prestigious Ron Dominicano designation that certifies its authenticity.

David Ortiz’s Dominican Ozama Rum

“To me, Ozama isn’t just about rum, it’s about identity, pride, and progress,” said Ortiz. “I wanted to build something that celebrates the energy and soul of my people and shows the world what we’re made of. It’s always been important for me to do things the right way, which is why this labor of love has been one of the most rewarding projects of my career. I can’t wait for people to try it! They say that perfection doesn’t exist, but you can get close to it.”

Ozama Rum: Where Craft Meets Culture in a Bottle

Available in three expressions, Ozama Rum brings a polished Dominican sensibility to Manhattan’s world-class cocktail scene—whether you’re sipping at Bemelmans, lounging at Soho House, or unwinding in a Brooklyn brownstone. Each expression is aged for at least a year in oak barrels and bottled on the island, delivering a terroir-driven taste of the Caribbean with unmistakable sophistication.

  • Ozama Blanco: Bright, citrus-forward, and kissed with white pepper, this platinum-hued rum is clean yet complex. Ideal for refreshing cocktails in Greenwich Village patios or summer spritzes on the rooftop at Le Bain.

  • Ozama Añejo: Smooth and refined, this copper-colored beauty delivers layers of vanilla, toffee, and a subtle note of chocolate—perfect for pairing with dessert at Eleven Madison Park or sipping solo in a Chelsea loft.

  • Ozama Gran Añejo: Rich and elegant, with aromas of honey, dates, candied fruits, and fine wood. This is a sipping rum made for slow conversations in the Upper East Side, where the bottle becomes the centerpiece.

Price points are as approachable as the flavor profiles—ranging from $25 to $40 for 700ml—making Ozama accessible luxury in every sense.

A New Spirit for a City of Tastemakers

New York is no stranger to premium spirits. But Ozama enters the market at a moment when consumer interest in rum is booming. According to Global View Research, the global rum market was valued at $11.77 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow 5.6% annually through 2030. That growth is driven by a shift toward artisanal, culturally rooted spirits—just the kind of origin story Manhattan drinkers crave.

And Ortiz isn’t just lending his name. The former MLB star partnered closely with a team of Dominican artisans and Abbott Wolfe, CEO of Drink2Success, to bring this vision to life.

“From day one, David had a clear vision to create an ultra-premium rum that feels authentic, vibrant, and undeniably Dominican—it was important to him to spotlight the Dominican Republic and at the same time give back to the community that raised him,” said Wolfe.

Giving Back, the Dominican Way

Ozama Rum’s purpose doesn’t stop at the bottle. Two percent of the brand’s profits will go toward cleaning up the Ozama River and supporting underserved communities along its banks. It’s a gesture that feels at home in a city that values global citizenship and local impact.

Where to Find Ozama in New York City

Available now online at drinkozama.com, Ozama is rolling out this summer at select retailers, bars, and restaurants across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Early interest from high-end mixologists in Tribeca, Williamsburg, and the Upper West Side suggests Ozama will quickly find a place among New York’s finest pours.

Whether it’s mixed into a refined mojito at Dante, poured neat at Maison Premiere, or offered as a pairing in the city’s growing number of Afro-Caribbean culinary spots, Ozama is a rum built for New York sophistication—with a heartbeat from the Dominican Republic.

Final Pour: The Big Apple Meets Big Papi

In a town where everything is fast, curated, and fueled by narrative, Ozama Rum offers something deeper—a bottle with a backstory, a cultural anchor, and the kind of authenticity that New Yorkers respect.

As Ortiz says, “They say that perfection doesn’t exist, but you can get close to it.”

And here in Manhattan, close to perfect is more than enough reason to raise your glass.

Taraji P. Henson Brings Her Seven Daughters Moscato for with Manhattan NYC Magic to the High Seas with Princess Cruises

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Broadway lights, Harlem hustle, and now—Taraji P. Henson’s Moscato on the open ocean.

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“Seven Daughters is more than just a bottle of wine; it’s a celebration in a glass,” Henson shared. “Our Moscato is inviting, refreshing, and perfect for moments of connection which is what makes this partnership with Princess Cruises so amazing. Now we can experience this feeling with people from around the world, whether they’re toasting under the stars or relaxing on the open sea.”

That connection is something every New Yorker craves—especially when escaping the city’s breakneck pace for a well-earned recharge. With Princess Cruises offering sailings from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, it’s never been easier to trade the city skyline for an ocean horizon—glass of Henson’s Moscato in hand.

Featuring notes of tropical fruit and honeysuckle, Seven Daughters offers the kind of bright, celebratory flavor that fits perfectly between a jazz brunch in the West Village and a rooftop toast in Midtown. Now, thanks to Princess Cruises, it’s also a go-to at sea.

“Princess Cruises is committed to curating distinctive, high-quality experiences for our guests, and Seven Daughters aligns seamlessly with that vision,” said Sami Kohen, Vice President of Food and Beverage at Princess Cruises. “Taraji’s Moscato reflects a bold yet approachable style that we know our guests will love.”

Henson’s wine joins an all-star lineup of bottles in the Love Lines Premium Liquors Collection, which includes Jason Momoa and Blaine Halvorson’s Meili Vodka, Camila and Matthew McConaughey’s Pantalones Organic Tequila, Blake Lively’s Betty Booze and Betty Buzz, Liev Schreiber’s Sláinte Irish Whiskey, Jason Aldean’s Melarosa wines, Romero Britto’s Love Prosecco, and Kylie Minogue’s No Alcohol Sparkling Rosé.

But Henson’s addition feels especially New York in spirit—sophisticated, stylish, and full of character. For city dwellers looking to trade the subway for a stateroom, Seven Daughters is an invitation to unwind without leaving the energy behind.

As Strategic Advisor and Creative Collaborator, Henson has helped shape every aspect of the wine’s personality, much like she’s done with her most iconic roles. And just like New York, this Moscato is lively, expressive, and impossible to ignore.

Whether you’re a downtown art dealer, an Upper East Side socialite, or a Brooklyn creative looking to unplug, a Princess cruise with a glass of Taraji’s Moscato might be just the blend of luxury and leisure you didn’t know you needed.

So the next time you’re booking a departure from NYC, remember: this isn’t just another cruise. It’s a chance to sip something special—with a side of Taraji—and toast to life beyond the grid.

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Manhattan Is the First Stop for WWE and Seagram’s Escapes Spiked Boozy, Slam-Worthy Drinks

WWE and Seagrams Just Dropped Boozy, Slam-Worthy Drinks—And Manhattan Is the First Stop

NEW YORK, NY — In a city where everything moves faster, hits harder, and parties louder, WWE is making its boldest off-the-top-rope move yet—launching its first-ever ready-to-drink alcoholic beverage right here in the heart of Manhattan.

WWE and Seagram’s Escapes Spiked just announced a multi-year partnership that’s as wild as a Hell in a Cell match in Madison Square Garden. The result? A brand-new, wrestling-themed lineup of flavored malt beverages, designed for fans who live big and drink bold.

And New York, you’re first in line. From East Village rooftops to uptown bodegas, the Seagram’s Escapes Spiked WWE Series is already popping up across the five boroughs—just in time to raise a can and body slam the summer heat.

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This isn’t just a licensing deal. It’s a cultural collision between two icons—WWE, the global entertainment empire born in gritty arenas, and Seagram’s, a brand rooted in fun, flavor, and that “no apologies” energy New Yorkers know best.

Seagram’s has a rich history of innovation and a deep commitment to authenticity, making it the ideal partner to go to market with our first-ever licensed ready-to-drink product,” said Grant Norris-Jones, EVP and Head of Global Partnerships at TKO Group Holdings, WWE’s parent company. “And let’s be honest—there’s no better place to launch than NYC.”

Flavor That Hits Like a Superkick

The new Spiked series isn’t here to sip quietly—it’s here to stand on tables in the Meatpacking District and shout “Let’s get ready to rumble!” at rush hour. The three debut flavors bring serious personality:

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  • Pineapple Powerhouse™ – With bold pineapple, cherry, and lime, this can packs all the energy of a 2 a.m. dance floor in Hell’s Kitchen.

  • Slammin’ Blueberry™ – A clean one-two punch of blueberry and lemon, tailor-made for chill park days at Bryant Park or Union Square pre-games.

All three flavors are now stocked across Manhattan—from your corner deli on Lexington to upscale liquor boutiques in the West Village.

WWE Superstars Coming to a Bodega Near You?

This isn’t just about what’s in the can. As an Official Partner of WWE, Seagram’s Escapes Spiked will be front and center at major WWE events—Money in the Bank®, SummerSlam®, and Survivor Series®—and heavily featured in exclusive digital content starring your favorite Superstars.

But NYC gets something even better: in-person appearances from WWE Superstars at select retailers across the city. Think autograph signings, selfie ops, and unexpected encounters with wrestling royalty at your go-to wine shop in the East 60s or downtown bodega.

“Our collaboration with WWE marks an exciting moment for Seagram’s Spiked as we connect with WWE’s global—and very NYC-centric—fanbase,” said Jaime Polisoto, brand director for Seagram’s Escapes. “Our sales team is amped to bring Superstars directly into the city to meet fans where they live.”

From MSG to Madison Ave—This Is New York’s Drink of the Summer

If there was ever a city made for this kind of crossover, it’s NYC. From the gritty legacy of wrestling nights at Madison Square Garden to the rooftop bar culture that defines Manhattan summers, Seagram’s Escapes Spiked WWE Series is built for the urban fight fan, the flavor chaser, and anyone who wants to sip something loud while living larger.

So next time you’re grabbing a six-pack for a rooftop party in Williamsburg, pregaming before a Barclays event, or just need something cold to crush after a subway grind—grab a can and drink like a champion.

Because this summer in NYC, the most electrifying drinks in entertainment have officially entered the ring.

One comment on “Chilli No 5 Wants their Super Health, Super Flavor ‘Sauce of Life’ on your Next Meal

  1. Monica says:

    This sounds delicious

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