Some of the greatest foods in the world were discovered by happenstance. The potato chip, for instance, was the result of a diner in New York complaining about his French fries being too soggy. So the irritated chef, in an attempt to prove his point, sliced potatoes ultra thin and threw them into a deep fryer. That’s how one of America’s most popular snacks was born. And the popsicle only came along because a soda maker left his equipment on the porch, and by the next morning his stirring stick was stuck in frozen soda.

Believe it or not, that’s exactly how Gesus Palomino Candied Jalapeños came along. As many of you know, Albany, in southwest Georgia, was hit especially hard during the coronavirus pandemic. During that time, most of us were working from home. One day, I received a telephone call from a buddy, who asked if I still had any of the candied jalapenos that my mother and I had given out the year before. Unfortunately, my cupboard was slap empty. So, I decided to make a big batch myself. 

As some of you already know, I don’t have as much patience as my mother. I remembered how time consuming it was for her to slice the peppers. So, instead, I decided to try something different and simply threw them into a food processor. They were delicious! After keeping a few jars for myself, I posted the remaining thirty on Facebook Marketplace. Within an hour, they were all gone! That’s how Gesus Palomino was born.

Now, you might be asking about the origin of the fancy name. To be honest, it’s just a name I heard a lot when I was growing up. Whenever something bad happened to the Georgia Bulldogs, or maybe when a bee stung somebody, they’d yell “Gesus Palomino!” instead of a curse word. 

Over the last two years, Gesus Palomino Candied Jalapeños have become my life’s passion, and I’m glad something good came out of the pandemic. At times, I feel like Forrest Gump talking to Bubba on that bus. So many of our loyal customers share photos of what they're eating. Gesus Palomino Candied Jalapeños are good on just about anything--burgers, hot dogs, tacos, fish, chicken, pork, steaks, collards, cabbage, eggs, biscuits, you name it! Like Bubba Blue said, "You can barbecue it, broil it, bake it, saute it, and throw Gesus Palomino on top of it!" Well, Bubba said something like that.

More than anything else, I want to thank all of the people who have supported me along the way in this crazy venture. The idea might have popped into my head when I was alone in my kitchen, but without the help and guidance of so many others, I would have never had the opportunity to get this wonderful product on shelves in stores throughout the Southeast. Thank you all.