Episode 505: Stefan Nicodemou of Saucy Rascals - Long Island, NY. From Wall Street to Sauce Street. The Subway Flavor Ride to Sauce Town. What [THE SMELL] is BLACK GARLIC TERIYAKI? Clean Ingredients.

How does a successful executive in the high-stakes world of finance and technology channel his creative energy into an entirely different venture: a family-centric, craft sauce company? In this inspiring episode of the JUSTIN AND THE [FOOD] ENTREPRENEURS Show, host Justin Bizzarro sits down with Stefan, the founder of Saucy Rascals. This is a powerful story about balancing a demanding corporate career with a passion project, and the journey of turning a backyard hobby into a legitimate, scalable brand. Stefan shares the authentic origin story of his company, which began not in a boardroom, but at a local charity barbecue competition on Long Island. He recounts how, with the help of his two young sons, he created a signature barbecue sauce that won the competition two years in a row. Spurred on by friends and a desire to create, he began the long process of transforming a home recipe into a commercial product. This is a masterclass for anyone with a "side hustle" they dream of growing. Stefan details his strategic evolution, from initial kitchen experiments to taking a pivotal "gap year" to focus on scaling the business. He provides invaluable insights into navigating the complex world of CPG, from finding the right bottle suppliers to partnering with a third-generation co-packer who could execute his vision with precision. Discover the heart and soul behind the Saucy Rascals brand. Stefan explains how the company is a true family affair, with the logo featuring the charming, mohawked faces of his two sons—the "original saucy rascals." He unpacks his product line, from the award-winning barbecue sauce to a creative Black Garlic Teriyaki, all built on a core philosophy of clean ingredients and flavor-first development. This is an essential listen for any aspiring entrepreneur trying to balance their passion with their profession. It's a story filled with practical lessons on product development, finding the right partners, and the grit it takes to build a brand that is as meaningful as it is delicious. IG: @saucyrascals Address: www.saucyrascals.com Entrepreneur interested in being on the show: https://calendly.com/justin-bizzarro/podcast Hosted By: Justin Ryan Bizzarro (IG: @justinbizzarro and LinkedIn: FOLLOW ME ) Who is Justin Ryan Bizzarro? – Justin Bizzarro is a serial food, restaurant, technology, media and marketing entrepreneur, who helped build a 24-year-old group of food and restaurant related businesses, he created with his father and business partners out of his family’s basement, in 1998. He is a highly desired business management, personal and athlete growth, free market, food diversity, and entrepreneurial leadership speaker. Justin’s expertise are in human growth, motivation, leadership and management development, health foods and beverages, global lean manufacturing facilities, vertically integrating businesses, food marketing and advertising, supply chain creation and management, direct to consumer fulfillment, transportation and distribution, personal brand building, restaurant development and construction, and entrepreneur acceleration. Justin received his BA in International Business and Management from Dickinson College, in 2002, and his MBA from University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, in 2014. He is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity in Leadership from Denver Seminary. His leadership and entrepreneur podcasts have positively impacted millions of people across the globe. Our [ELITE] Food, Farming, Hospitality, Nutrition, and Beverage Entrepreneurs Community: Under [NEW] Construction Blog Anyone?: GorillaBrave Blog Fellowship and Food: GorillaBrave Events and Summits On Instagram: GorillaBrave on Instagram GorillaBrave Group on Whoop: COMM-473D96 Free Podcast. No Advertisements. The stories of Food, Beverage, Farming, Hospitality, and Nutrition Entrepreneurs and how their failures led to the successes in their lives and in their business. What does the future have in store for the food, beverage, and nutrition entrepreneur? JUSTIN AND THE [FOOD] ENTREPRENEURS Email: [email protected] Instagram: @justinandthefoodentrepreneurs ( #foodentrepreneurs ) All music is scored by host or royalty free.