Just days before Christmas in 1988 Mrs. Dog's Products' first jar of Mrs. Dog's Mustard went on sale in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The company was named after my Golden Retriever, Nutmeg (a.k.a. Mrs. Dog). Mrs. Dog & I grew up in lovely, sunny south Florida where Mrs. Dog's Mustard evolved as a sauce for stone crab claws. Yum! Summers were spent fishing & diving in the islands, mon, where conch & goat peppers (habañeros) make your insides sing!

After I married & settled in Michigan the winters rapidly took a toll. My NEW mission: heat up the Midwest with the greatest Jamaican Jerk Marinade recipe in existence. I was rewarded by winning First Place Marinade in Albuquerque's first National Fiery Foods Show. Nutmeg, wearing her signature 3 strands of pearls, was nicknamed the "First Lady of Jerk."

Introduced next was our Mrs. Dog's Dangerously Hot Pepper Sauce which is realistically edible, deliciously hot, and so full of tropical flavor that you won't need to book a flight to experience the taste of the Caribbean ...Just the right bite! A 1999 2nd Place Scovie Award winner.

1995 brought you (shelled) Mrs. Dog's Green Chile Pistachio Nuts. In September '96 the pistachios won 1st Place in the Snack Category at Fancy Food Magazine's Hot & Spicy Food Show in New Orleans; they also won First Place in Chile Pepper magazine's 1997 Fiery Food Challenge and 1998 and 1999 First Place Scovie Awards and 2nd Place Snack in Chile Pepper magazine's 1998 Fiery Food Challenge! They remain a holiday favorite.

After living a life full of excellent adventures, Mrs. Dog died of bone cancer at a very old age. Whether we were traveling to Canada, Mexico or just the Post Office, Mrs. Dog was a great companion, a Grande Dame and a friend to all. She taught her successor well; little Mace, another wonderful traveling, sailing water dog. Mace and her goofy protégé, Moribrook's Fire & Spice, who we called Sage, are now gone as well. The top dog these days, is our delightful young Luna (Moribrook's Chile Pepper Princess).

Little Luna turned three on the Harvest Moon.

In March Mrs. Dog's Disappearing Mustard won a bronze medal at the Napa Valley World Wide Mustard Competition. We have also won many prestigious awards including 1st Place Mustard at the National Fiery Foods Show in Albuquerque, 2nd Place Mustard at Fancy Food magazine's Hot & Spicy Food Show in New Orleans in 1996 and 2nd Place in FDM magazine's Mustard Madness competition; additionally, it won a 1998 1st Place Scovie Award and 1st Place Mustard in Chile Pepper magazine's 1998 Fiery Food Challenge. Mrs. Dog's Products, Inc. has received mention in The Wall Street Journal, Chile Pepper, Fiery Foods, The New York Times, Esquire, The New Yorker, The Detroit Free Press, The Grand Rapids Press and The Atlanta Constitution, as well as countless articles syndicated nationally, and in many books relating to fiery foods.

Julie Curtis Applegate

The name Mrs. Dog's Disappearing Mustard was orginally vetoed by the Michigan Department of Agriculture "because there's no such thing." (Thousands disagreed...!)