Gil’s Gourmet
In 1989, on the realization that America’s taste buds were heating up, Gil Tortolani opened up Gil’s Gourmet Gallery and Hot Shop on Monterey’s historic Cannery Row. Hot Shops, in those days, were a new thing: shops dedicated to making and/or selling specialty hot sauces. Gil’s was one of the original Hot Shops in the nation, offering up rare treats like Gil’s XXXtra Hot Garlic Salsa, one of the world’s hottest salsas at the time, featuring habañeros and garlic fresh from neighboring Gilroy. The business quickly evolved into a combination Hot Shop/Wine Tasting Room, where customers could try adventurous new food and wine combos.
“We started stuffing jalapeños and olives and soaking them in chardonnay, and letting people taste them with the wine. This did so well that we started making other products, like wine-soaked cherries in chocolate for instance. We put heavy red zinfandel in salsa and we started having tastings. People loved it.”
In 1993 Gil closed the Hot Shop on Cannery Row and moved the business into it’s current location, a bigger facility where he was able to build a full-size legal kitchen for the manufacture of his ever-growing line of popular gourmet sauces and appetizers. Along with his son, Dylan, they expanded their family business and product line slowly to the line-up you see on this website today, with a vigilant eye on quality and a commitment to using only the finest local ingredients. Some of the classics are still there, along with a great line of new, unique, regional treats like Chardonnay Artichoke Salsa, featuring Artichokes from neighboring Castroville.
Moving into the 21st century, Gil’s Gourmet has introduced a successful private-label program which produces a wide range of top-quality gourmet sauces for small businesses around the nation.
“ With private labeling, I provide businesses with a few cases of unlabeled product. We then add a custom label for that business, with that business’s logo, address and phone number on it, and the customer comes back again and again for this unique salsa. Since I’m the manufacturer, I carry all the insurance and liability, and the business has a good product that will ensure repeat business.”
Gil’s Gourmet Gallery is a family business, rooted in the central coast community, proudly supporting local farmers and businesses, while producing top quality gourmet products for sale in over 2,000 stores nationwide.