Artie Pitt is livin’ the spice life.

After a successful 20-plus-year career in the cannabis trade and music industries, Pitt is pursuing a lifelong love of making spicy foods — particularly hand-crafted hot sauce.

Pitt launched Artie’s Hot Sauce in October 2023 after cooking up batches of hot sauce and, later, perfecting various flavors in a commercial kitchen in the North Side.

“My friends wanted to buy it and this is a passion of mine,” Pitt said.

Pitt, 45, co-created Rostrum Records and previously worked with Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller when Rostrum signed both artists. He is currently a partner in a private cannabis firm.

Getting married and starting a family that includes his two young daughters left Pitt longing for less travel, and more family and professional time close to home in Shadyside.

Pitt moved from Connecticut to Point Breeze when he was a youngster and graduated from Allderdice High School in Squirrel Hill in 1997. He graduated from Allegheny College with a degree in history and creative writing in 2001.

But his culinary skills evolved around age 14 when his friends dubbed him the Spice King, a nod to his love all of things spicy.

“I would complain to my mom that her food was too bland, so she steered me into cooking,” Pitt said.

He used a lot of crushed red pepper at first and then began pouring on the Tabasco sauce.

“It’s kind of embarrassing how high my tolerance is for spicy foods,” Pitt said.

Pitt creates artisan hot sauces ranging in flavors from smoky, tangy, hot, sweet, fiery and roasted — all with spice levels ranging from 1-10, with 10 being the absolute most spicy.

“Life is too short for bland food: spice it up!” is the tagline urging customers to embrace the heat and savor the flavor.

Massoud Hossaini | TRIBLIVE Chef Artie Pitts handmade Artie’s Hot Sauce are pictured at the commercial kitchen inside Temple Sinai in Squirrel Hill on Jan. 13.  

Hot sauce names hint at their respective sauce flavor. They include Pizza Shop ($9.99), Habanero Island ($9.99), Fiery Jerk ($9.99), Teriyaki Thai ($9.99) and Garlic Crisp ($10.99).

Arbol Insanity is the hottest sauce in the lineup and Pizza Shop is the mildest.

All are created without artificial flavors and with just a bit of vinegar added to serve as a natural preservative. All of the flavors should be refrigerated, except for Honey Sting and Garlic Crisp.

Last year, Pitt sold his sauces at more than 40 events throughout the Pittsburgh region, primarily at farmer’s markets.

Customer Doug Heilman appreciates the homemade, no-added preservatives factor.

“What I love about Artie’s hot sauce is the freshness as well as the wide range of flavors and applications — everything from my morning eggs to chicken to pizza to stirfry. It’s the best,” said Heilman.

Pitt’s personal fave, Fiery Jerk, is a Jamaican jerk-inspired flavor blended with Scotch Bonnet and Habanero peppers, resulting in a sweet, smoky, fruity and fiery sauce.

The average number of ingredients in Artie’s hot sauce is eight and he doesn’t skimp on the garlic.

“People’s reaction to me creating something I love and they love, that keeps me going every day,” Pitt said.

Pitt travels to various regional farms to handpick peppers and buy in bulk, when in season.

He cooks in a commercial kitchen almost daily at Temple Sinai Synagogue on Forbes Avenue.

“I like that I have a lot of space and that it’s quiet. I love music as much as I love hot sauce,” Pitt said of the workspace.

Customers have embraced Pizza Shop and it’s marketed toward Italian restaurants, with customers adding the sauce to french fries, steak, chicken, pasta, pizza and hoagies.

Artie’s hot sauce is sold at Frankie’s Sausage in Sharpsburg and used by Pittsburgh-area eateries that include Viva Los Tacos, Point Brugge Cafe, Buenatarde, Yoli’s, Badamo’s Pizza, Dagney’s Eatery and Frick Park Market.

Point Brugge Cafe co-owner Jesse Seager has been a fan of Artie’s hot sauce from the get-go.

Seager described Artie’s hot sauces as “pepper forward.” Seager added that Artie’s sauces are a far cry from some sauces that are more like “orange vinegar water.”

“Artie’s sauces come at you with big, bold flavors and a beautiful array of colors,” Seager said. “I always tell Artie that his sauces are a part of the meal, not a condiment. I just want to eat the whole damn bottle, for real.”

Massoud Hossaini | TRIBLIVE Artie Pitt prepares his handmade Artie’s Hot Sauce at the commercial kitchen inside Temple Sinai in Squirrel Hill on Jan. 13.  

Pitt prefers a slower approach to rolling out more flavors. The website business is growing.

“Our sauces have been ordered in 40 different states,” Pitt said. “I don’t like to build things quickly, so we make about 1,000 bottles at a time and sell them in about a month. When you build a strong core of consumers, it becomes a solid slow groundswell of success and it becomes permanent with those loyal customers.”

Next up for Artie’s spicy lineup is spicy pickles, but the hot sauce will remain the foodie focus.

“The hot sauce is the anchor,” Pitt said.

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---