How did it all begin, what is The Saucy Affair?
As a child, when I was asked what do you want to DO when you grow up? My answer was simple ‘make a difference’! But if asked what do you want to BE? I had no idea… It’s taken me 20 years, dabbling in several degrees, brief stints in the media, police training at Hendon, a little time off the rails, a 10-year career in the energy industry, and a couple of children to find my calling…
In October 2015, I made the life-changing decision to leave the corporate world, and turn my focus to my young family and personal well-being. Once I’d escaped the stress of the “Commuter Mum” daily cycle, I was able to re-evaluate what I was truly passionate about – great food, cooking, the arts, poetry, but above all a healthy lifestyle for myself and my family.
“I was determined to unite these passions in a way that would somehow make a difference, helping the many other parents and career-driven individuals who face the same pressures that I did.”
Cue the Saucy Affairs 😉 and my movement into the food industry in a black dress and a mask. With a dollop of chef’s instinct and a dash of improvisation, I created a range of sauces made from raw ingredients that encapsulate 
‘cooking from scratch in a bottle’. I wanted the sauces to make serving healthy, tasty meals almost effortless – perfect for people who, like me, love food and being healthy but lack the time to always cook from scratch.
In February of 2016, I founded the Dressquerade Company, now known as The Saucy Affair – Raw Sauces, and I’ve been pouring my heart into it ever since!
You’re creating tasty, healthy and easy sauces for consumers, who do you think could benefit most from your sauces?
Working parents or busy working couples that value great taste, being healthy and home cooking, but lack time due to hectic lifestyles. They want to feel some involvement in the process but want all the hard work done for them so they can focus on the end result. They want a fantastic meal created in under 20 mins and The Saucy Affair is the perfect solution! Ultimately, we want to bring people and families together. The sauce brings a meal together (turning the ordinary into the extraordinary!), The Saucy Affair brings people together.
We are on a mission to create a Saucy vibe, making ‘healthy’ more tantalising, exciting, easy and engaging!!!
You’re turning the ordinary into the extraordinary! How do you decide on your flavours?
The names came to me first, then the concept, I created the recipes to reflect the performance I wanted each sauce to deliver. My family is my inspiration, and the highly experienced tasting panel behind the scenes – Teriyaki Malarkey, Cucumber Blunder, and Beetroot Cahoot inspired by my children, I wanted to expand their palates beyond salt and sugar by exposing them to delicious natural flavours and aromas, I created Smokey Cokey for my husband to cater for his desire to barbecue all year round, Fiery Fiasco to deliver my Mum’s desire for heat, and Tarragon Shenanigan for myself, as the first sauce I ever create.
“Each Saucy Affair offers a uniquely flavoursome experience, with a fresh raw twist on the expected, as is captured in their titles – whether it’s shenanigan, a malarkey, or a fiasco.”
The sauces push the boundaries of the flavours of herbs, fruit and veg, people that don’t like Beetroot or Cucumber surprise their taste buds with delight when they dare experience a Cahoot or a Blunder!
Clearly, a lot of hard work has gone into creating The Saucy affair, were there any points when you wanted to give up?
Nothing could have prepared me for what I had bitten into when I started this! Food safety standards, shelf life, trademarks, product development, accreditation, packaging, labelling, branding, IP, manufacturing, supply chain management, commercialisation… I can say I’ve just about managed to chew and digest these – despite being told by technical experts what I was trying to achieve was impossible.
Giving up has never crossed my mind although I have felt like the odds are against me at times. There were 72hrs during the Saucy Revolution Crowdfunder Campaign when it looked like my financial situation would force me to call it a day, but I was touched by an angel, and the campaign was turned around. I have been described as relentless on numerous occasions, and I can wholeheartedly agree. The Saucy Revolution is underway, it as our duty to deliver the mission at hand.
What’s it like to be apart of the saucy affair family?
Living, loving, breathing and eating a Saucy Affair! – Tanya
You’re guaranteed laughter and a sense of belonging. Tanya has created an environment where you want to put in maximum effort, where we share a common goal and want to make a difference in people’s lives, but enjoy every second of it – Armando
When did you decide you wanted to share your wonderful sauces with the world?
From the moment I came up with the idea 😊
Why should we be buying your sauces?
Mealtime is sacred – it’s the one time that we get to stop, sit down, communicate and enjoy our families and friends. In today’s world, this may get overlooked, our hectic lives overwhelmingly demanding. We want to feed our loved ones tasty and healthy meals, but this comes at the cost of time together and enjoying the dining experience. Stats show that on average we spend 35mins to prepare a meal from scratch, time we don’t have. The Saucy Affairs encapsulate cooking from scratch in a bottle allowing you to prepare a tantalising performance with the healthy attributes of a home cooked meal, in as little as 5 mins…
“I truly believe that dinner should be a delicious, delightful and tantalising performance every time!”
A little theatricality around the table can really bring families together, “The Saucy Affair – We’re healthy in disguise… stunning in taste, a feast for your eyes!”. You’d be mad not to!
What’s been your proudest moment so far?
Seeing my children’s faces when they saw Mama’s Sauces in Costco. Every time I witness the delight on someone’s face when they taste a Saucy Affair for the first time.
Where can we find your gorgeous sauces?
The Saucy Affair will be landing on the shelves of a national supermarket early summer, so do follow us on social media for updates and to find out where and when!
What does the future hold for The Saucy Affair?
We are on the cusp of the Saucy Revolution! Going forward the focus is on marketing the Saucy Affairs and their application, gaining listings with retailers, in food service, and international distribution, ultimately we want to make a positive difference to more people’s lives.
We have a further 6 Saucy Affairs waiting backstage that I look forward to commercializing, along with further Saucy innovations. 😉
The Saucy Affair are going from strength to strength, the perfect products for those who want to make great food fast! Be on the lookout for these sumptuous sauces! Get saucy.
