Fresno Chipotle, the original
Our OG. A smoky, savory blend of Fresno and chipotle peppers, sweet onions, garlic, and apple cider vinegar. The sauce that started it all.
Our story
From concrete pools to the kitchen
Born from a kitchen mistake. Built on a lifetime of passion.
Every great sauce has a story. Ours began in 2014 at Windells Snowboard and Skate Camp on Mt. Hood, Oregon, with a delivery of the wrong peppers.
But the story of Wallys Pepper Sauce really started decades earlier, in the swimming pools and skateparks of Southern California.
From skateboarding pioneer to chef
I'm Tom "Wally" Inouye, founder of Wallys Pepper Sauce.
I've spent most of my life doing two things I love: skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, and cooking. Both have taken me places I never imagined, introduced me to incredible people, and taught me that the best things in life come from creativity, passion, and a willingness to try something different.
My skateboarding journey began in the late 1960s, and by the late 1970s, I was part of the next generation of professional skateboarders helping shape the sport.
Back then, skateparks were few and far between. We rode banks, drainage ditches, empty swimming pools, and just about anything else we could find.
In 1976, Chris Strople and I started Inouye's Pool Service, better known as IPS, a fictional pool service company that became part of skateboarding history. It was our creative way of finding and skating empty backyard swimming pools.
By 1977, I was competing professionally, traveling, appearing on skateboard magazine covers, and pushing the boundaries of what could be done on four wheels.
- Readers Poll, 1977
- No. 2
- Magazine covers
- 7
- Skateboarding Hall of Fame
- 2019
I was voted No. 2 in SkateBoarder Magazine's Readers Poll in 1977 and No. 10 in 1978, eventually appearing on seven magazine covers during that era.
In 2019, I had the incredible honor of being inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame.
Skateboarding taught me creativity, determination, and a willingness to take chances. Those lessons would eventually follow me into professional kitchens and, ultimately, into Wallys Pepper Sauce.
From the archive
The 1970s, in print
Trading four wheels for chef knives
Alongside skateboarding, another passion was growing: cooking.
For more than 35 years, I've worked in the food and beverage industry as a chef, restaurant owner, and hospitality manager throughout the Pacific Northwest.
I've owned restaurants on the Oregon Coast, developed menus, managed resort kitchens, and cooked for thousands of guests, athletes, and families.
My culinary career has taken me from coastal restaurants to the kitchens of Mt. Hood's ski resorts, including Timberline Lodge and Mt. Hood Meadows.
One of my most memorable experiences was working at Windells Snowboard and Skate Camp, where our kitchen prepared meals for more than 300 hungry campers and staff every day.
Cooking for skateboarders and snowboarders was a natural fit. I understood their lifestyle because I was living it.
Throughout my culinary career, I've believed that exceptional food doesn't need to be complicated. It needs fresh ingredients, thoughtful preparation, balanced flavors, and a little imagination.
Food has always been about more than filling someone's plate.
It's about bringing people together, creating memories, and making something people genuinely enjoy.
That philosophy became the foundation of Wallys Pepper Sauce.
The happy accident that started it all
Sometimes the best ideas happen when things don't go according to plan.
In 2014, while working as a chef at Windells Snowboard and Skate Camp, our kitchen received a delivery of red Fresno peppers instead of the red bell peppers we had ordered.
Rather than return them or let them go to waste, I decided to experiment.
I combined the Fresno peppers with smoky chipotle peppers, sweet onions, garlic, apple cider vinegar, and sea salt.
The result was something special.
A rich, smoky pepper sauce with layers of flavor, balanced acidity, and just enough heat to complement food without overpowering it.
We started serving the pepper sauce at camp, and the response from campers and staff was immediate.
People loved it.
Working with Windells Camp Director Chase Burch, we began bottling the pepper sauce so campers could purchase it and take it home.
Before long, people were asking for more.
That first creation became our Fresno Chipotle Pepper Sauce: our original recipe, our OG, and the pepper sauce that started everything.
What began as an unexpected delivery of peppers became an entirely new adventure.
Wallys Pepper Sauce was born in 2014, eventually growing into a commercial brand in 2021.
Flavor first. Heat second.
As a chef, I've always believed that a great pepper sauce should enhance the food you're eating, not overpower it.
There are plenty of hot sauces designed to test how much heat someone can tolerate. That's never been our goal.
At Wallys Pepper Sauce, flavor always comes first, and heat comes second.
We carefully combine peppers, fruits, vegetables, vinegars, and spices to create pepper sauces with depth, balance, and personality.
Our original Fresno Chipotle opened the door to an ever-growing collection of unique sauces.
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Blueberry Habanero
A delicious combination of blueberries and habanero peppers, bringing together fruit-forward flavor and balanced heat. It's fantastic on everything from grilled meats to chicken and waffles, and even ice cream.
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Pineapple Orange Habanero
A tropical combination of pineapple, oranges, habanero peppers, sweet onions, garlic, and spices. Bright, citrusy, flavorful, and perfect for seafood, chicken, and grilled foods.
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Peach Carrot Carolina Reaper
A bold combination of peaches, carrots, and Carolina Reaper peppers. Sweetness and vegetable richness meet the unmistakable heat of one of the world's hottest peppers.
Our creativity doesn't stop with our original lineup.
Over the years, we've developed seasonal and specialty sauces featuring cherries, apples, jalapeños, wasabi, Thai peppers, beets, and other ingredients that inspire us.
We've also expanded into pepper-infused salts, jalapeño jelly, infused honey, and specialty seasonings.
Every product starts with the same question:
Will this make someone's food taste better?
If the answer is yes, we're on the right track.
From the kitchen
Garden to bottle
Proudly rooted in Hood River, Oregon
Today, Wallys Pepper Sauce calls Hood River, Oregon, home.
Located in the Columbia River Gorge, Hood River is surrounded by mountains, orchards, farms, rivers, and an incredible community of outdoor enthusiasts.
It's a place where agriculture, food, creativity, and adventure come together.
Living here continues to inspire our approach to developing sauces and discovering new flavor combinations.
We believe in small-batch craftsmanship, thoughtfully selected ingredients, and making products we're proud to put our name on.
While our roots are in skateboarding and snowboarding, our sauces are for everyone who appreciates great food.
Whether you're a professional chef, backyard barbecue enthusiast, home cook, or simply someone looking to make an ordinary meal extraordinary, we want Wallys Pepper Sauce to become part of your kitchen.
Because good food brings people together.
Giving back to the communities that gave us so much
Skateboarding and snowboarding have given me a lifetime of friendships, opportunities, and unforgettable experiences.
They've also connected me with people and organizations making a difference in the lives of others.
Giving back has always been important to me, and it's an essential part of what Wallys Pepper Sauce represents.
3%
of sales, split equally three ways
We donate 3% of our sales, divided equally among three nonprofit organizations whose missions are close to our hearts.
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Boarding for Breast Cancer (B4BC)
A nonprofit dedicated to breast cancer awareness, prevention education, and survivorship programs, with strong roots in the action sports community.
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Grind for Life
Founded by professional skateboarder and two time cancer survivor Mike Rogers, Grind for Life provides financial assistance to cancer patients and their families for travel to medical appointments and treatment.
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Save A Brain
An organization dedicated to raising awareness and providing education about traumatic brain injuries and concussions, especially important within action sports and beyond.
Supporting these organizations is our way of giving back to communities that have been part of my life for decades.
As Wallys Pepper Sauce continues to grow, we hope to create even more opportunities to support young people, encourage creativity, and make a positive difference.
More than just pepper sauce
When I look back on my life, there really isn't much difference between skateboarding and cooking.
Both require imagination, dedication, experimentation, and the courage to try something new.
In skateboarding, you might spend hours learning a trick, falling over and over before finally landing it.
In cooking, you experiment with ingredients, adjust flavors, and keep working until everything comes together.
Sometimes you succeed on the first try.
Sometimes you have to start over.
And sometimes a delivery of the wrong peppers changes the direction of your life.
What began in a camp kitchen in 2014 has grown into something I'm incredibly proud of.
Wallys Pepper Sauce represents a lifetime of creativity, adventure, friendships, and a genuine love of food.
It's not about being the hottest sauce on the shelf.
It's about making something that tastes great, brings people together, and turns an ordinary meal into something memorable.
Thank you for supporting our small business and becoming part of our story.
Keep skating. Keep cooking. Keep creating.
And most importantly...
Enhance your eating!
Tom "Wally" Inouye
Founder, Wallys Pepper Sauce
Skateboarding Hall of Fame, Class of 2019
Hood River, Oregon
Explore our skateboarding heritage
Curious about the skateboarding history behind Wallys Pepper Sauce? Discover our original Inouye's Pool Service heritage and apparel at SK8IPS.