Tim Sharkey comes from a big California Spanish family, and he spent a lot of time at his Grandma’s house. “I loved to help her cook,” he remembers. “My family would tease me, ‘You’re just different, aren’t you?’ because at 7 years old I’d be on a stool frying potatoes. I wasn’t really taught to cook, it was just something I did to be part of the family.”
In high school he figured out that home economics classes were where the girls were. So besides track and wrestling he took cooking classes. Culinary school would have been the logical next step, but he couldn’t afford it, so he went to junior college and then into the heating and air conditioning industry.
“It was a very successful Bay Area business, but we were so busy I got burned out. I was also commuting 4 hours a day. My wife Jenny was working for the Baker McKenzie law firm, and she was ready for a change too.”
The Sharkeys moved to Chico where Jenny had gone to school. They had a deal that whichever of them got a job first, the other one would stay home with their 6-month-old baby. Tim became Mr. Mom. “I was comfortable with that because of my family background. I love kids and cooking.”
Tim was also ready to put his creativity and energy into his own business. He had become an accomplished airbrush artist and had done markets and fairs painting t-shirts and motorcycles. He wanted to invest the proceeds in a business that would have more growth potential, and his family encouraged him to do hot sauces.
“I always got hot sauces for gifts on my birthday and Father’s Day. In addition to liking the taste, I discovered that they cleared my head at night so I slept better. I researched the health benefits of capsaicin (what makes peppers hot) and found it also helps speed up metabolism.”
In Chico, summer barbecues are very popular, and Tim began bringing his hot sauces and using them to make fondue dips. “My most popular recipe was on a post-it note,” he laughs.
Encouraged by the response to his sauce, Tim took an SBA course, qualified for an incubator grant from the Tri-County Economic Development Corporation, and took the course on starting a food business offered by the University of California at Davis.
His art background came in handy with the design of the packaging. “I really like the old produce crate labels. I chose the colors of the labels to work with the colors of the sauces, so they not only taste great, but they look great too!”
Old friends Matt and Jason and Jason’s brother Tom contribute time, energy and enthusiasm to the business. Along with friends and family, they help spread the word about the company and its products. “California Habanero Blends encompasses everything I like: coming up with new sauces, marketing, meeting people, working with good friends. I’m even eating more and loosing weight. We’re having fun with it!”