John and Maggie Treviso make Big T Salsa. The four varieties are sold at Central Market in Boulder City and all Whole Foods stores in the Las Vegas area.
Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008 | midnight
John and Maggie Treviso had no idea when they rented a kitchen space in Boulder City that they and their salsa would be welcomed as locals.
The Las Vegas couple make Big T Salsa in a storefront on Elm Street and serve it as far away as a farmers market in Ely and as close as a mile away on the burritos at the Coffee Cup.
Four years ago, the two rented the Health District-certified space in Boulder City, because it was less expensive than anything they found near their home near Boulder Highway and Tropicana Avenue.
Central Market was the first to put Big T Salsa on its shelves, followed soon by Whole Foods and three Smiths stores in Henderson and Las Vegas.
From the inconspicuous kitchen, the couple dices, roasts, mixes and packages all five varieties of salsa — mild, medium, hot, roasted and peach mango — and transports them to the supermarkets and restaurants.
Boulder Dam Brewery serves the salsa, as does the Coffee Cup. The Other Side Cantina gives away pico de gallo with chips.
John Treviso, who has kept his job in construction, said cooking comes naturally to him. He grew up molding chocolate bunnies and making caramel corn in his parents’ candy store in Oregon.
The salsa chef’s journey began in 2005, when a neighbor suggested he enter a casino’s salsa-making contest. Big T Salsa came away with three prizes, including Best Overall for the medium.
His parents’ local business savvy and flair for edibles inspired him to turn his salsa recipe, seven years in the making, into a full-fledged business.
Big T Salsa appeared first at the Henderson farmers market. When the Trevisos found themselves making 50 pounds of the stuff every week in their home kitchen for friends and co-workers, they decided to “take a leap of faith,” Maggie Treviso said.
She quit her job at the Excalibur to manage the business side of the salsa, and the two now work from the Boulder City kitchen three or four times a week.
They named the food after John Treviso’s nickname: “In construction, there are probably 12 Johns on a job site,” Maggie Treviso said. “He’s a big guy, so he’s Big T. I told him he’s the one making this, it should be named after him.”
Cassie Tomlin can be reached at 948-2073 or [email protected].
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