WHEELERSBURG — The 5th Annual Hot Pepper Awards wrapped with a multitude of honors handed out to the best spicy condiment manufacturers of 2011.

Each year, The Hot Pepper Awards judges hundreds of fiery food products, mostly condiments.

Awards given are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for each sub-category, as well as The Hot Pepper Award, to the overall category winner. Most of the products are boutique products, meaning they do not have major chain distribution. The majority of commerce occurs on their respective websites.

Award competitions such as The Hot Pepper Awards help these small companies gain the exposure needed for future success.

Patter Fam Sauces of Wheelersburg is just such a company. It’s owned and operated by Sam and Joyce Peters.

The company followed up it’s wins at the Hot Pepper Awards for 2010 by taking awards for their Hot Barbecue Sauce (2nd Place in Hot Sauce BBQ category) and for their Jamaican Jerk Sauce (2nd Place Ethnic/Regional Sauce category).

Their new awards for 2011 demonstrate a determined focus on high quality food products. Patter Fam Sauces began in the Peters’ kitchen.

Sam, who works as a pastor of a small town church has been a foodie and sauce maker for 30 years. Along with his wife Joyce, they had a passion for great sauces that couldn’t be found anywhere else.

Together they are constantly creating new recipes to accompany great food. With encouragement from friends and family, and divine intervention the company was founded in 2009.

They’re always asked where the name came from — it came from a two year old boy in their church that called him “Patter Fam” instead of Pastor Sam. Soon it became a nickname. Patter Fam Sauces is located at 8220 Hayport Rd. Wheelersburg and products can be purchased online at patterfamsauces.com or at many fine retail outlets.

It offers offer hand-crafted, all natural sauces, marinades and glazes that enhance the quality of your dining experience.

Sam Peters says, “Our goal is to create sauces and seasonings with layers of flavor that enhance the natural goodness of food. We are meticulous about the flavor of our food. We will never sacrifice flavor for the sake of gimmicks. If we won’t eat it, you won’t see it.”