Local hot sauce maker says kitchen 'became my domain' after vision loss: Jasmine Mangalaseril
"The kitchen more or less became my domain" says Jacob Wilkinson, a visually-impaired hot sauce maker
For many, apple pie is a dessert often enjoyed with a scoop of vanilla or perhaps a bit of cheddar cheese.
For Blowing Smoke founder Jacob Wilkinson, that wedge of sweet, warmly-spiced, cooked apple slices in a flaky crust is the springboard for one of his signature hot sauces.
"I just thought the flavours in that pie would go so well in a hot sauce, especially with something like a jalapeño in there," said Wilkinson. "Just add a little subtle kick to that sweetness and round everything out."
He worked backwards from his pie recipe to figure out the ratio of apples to chillies (jalapeño and Snow White habanero) and adjusted other spices, to create his Northern Lights hot sauce. The green, slightly tingly, tart, and fruity sauce, is the mildest of his signature line.
Wilkinson relies on his sense of taste, smell, sound and touch to create his sauces.
He was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis as a toddler and developed glaucoma. By the time he was 16, he lost most of his sight. Today, he sees light and shadow.
"The outside world kind of got smaller and smaller, so the inside world definitely became bigger and bigger. The kitchen more or less became my domain," he said.
Within that domain, Wilkinson developed two more signature sauces: Orange Sunshine (medium) and Magic Dragon (hot).
His seasonal blends spotlight Ontario's harvests: In summer, Niagara peaches and plums go into Marmalade Skies hot sauce. Roasted pumpkin and apples are in the autumnal Devil's Night. Winter squash and poached pears are in Yellow Snow. And his spring edition is Molten Maple Hot Maple Syrup.
"It's a local maple syrup that we infuse with five different hot peppers," explained Wilkinson. "It kind of starts off with that nice, sweet maple flavour and then you get a nice kick of heat afterwards."
A sense for cooking
Wilkinson's passion for cooking started as a child. As his sight deteriorated, he started listening to cooking podcasts and videos to progress his skills. He taught himself how to bake and, more recently, classical French techniques and dishes.
He uses adaptive devices like talking scales and thermometers. Others work with him in the commercial kitchen to make sauces.
Friends and family guide him on visual aspects. He differentiates the dozen or so chillies he uses by scent, and specific sounds signal how far along the vegetables are.
"It's like, I know the timer should be going off any second because those tomatoes are cracking and popping. They really sound like they're close to being done," said Wilkinson
"And it always does, when he says that. Within a minute," added his mother, Lana Doucette.
Building a business
With entrepreneurs in the family (his father is a retired financial planner, and his stepfather owns The Colossal Onion concession at the St Jacobs Market) Wilkinson said starting a business was always a possibility.
Wanda Deschamps, who was diagnosed with autism, is the founder of Liberty Co, a consultancy focused on increasing neurodiverse employment. She said because inclusive workplaces can be inaccessible, many people with disabilities are pushed into entrepreneurship.
"We haven't been able to enter the workplace because we haven't even been able to get a job interview or stay in a job." she said.
And while a 2024 StatsCan report showed that more than a quarter of Canadians older than 15 have at least one disability, the start-up programs Wilkinson saw excluded those with disabilities.
"It seems that a lot of, if not all of the government-funded programs, pretty much any funding that you would get, you are excluded from, if you already receive disability [ODSP]," said Wilkinson.
He said the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre was pivotal in getting Blowing Smoke off to a good start through their food business primer. And he's building a professional network that includes Jeff Davis of Island Son and Kris Ronan of Ginger Goat.
"We've been beside him every step of the way, during obviously what has been somewhat of an uphill battle for him. He's overcome lots of adversity to get where he is today," said Doucette. "We are extremely proud of the business that he has built."
About two years into operation, Wilkinson's sauces are available in 18 shops in Ontario and online via Blowing Smoke's website.
LISTEN | How this local hot sauce maker creates fiery recipes without sight
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