When someone walks up to 13 Stars Hot Sauce in the Rhode Island building at The Big E, the conversation might start with talking about hot sauce called The Dragon’s Breath or Nuclear Option. But when founder Sean Maloney meets a veteran or first responder, those conversations often transcend the casual small talk of a fair.
And that’s the goal.
“We have a lot of individuals that will come to the booth and the waterworks go. People will just open up. They’ll tell me their life story, those things that they’re struggling with,” Maloney said.
Maloney understands all of this on a personal level. He served for the United States Air Force and was deployed to Djibouti, Africa and Germany. And he has dealt with his own post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“It just kind of clicks when you have other individuals that … have gone through the trenches, especially the mental health aspect of it, and can just open up and not have to bottle it up anymore,” Maloney said.
When talking about something as difficult and often stigmatized as mental health, there can be a fear of judgement or “appearing weak,” Maloney said.
But, he added, “that is the exact opposite of what it is. It takes strength to be able to open up about your mental health and those demons.”
About 17 veterans die by suicide each day, according to a 2022 National Veteran Suicide Prevention report. And about half of veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq have been diagnosed with a mental disorder associated with substance use disorders (SUDs) and 63% of those diagnosed with SUDs also met criteria for PTSD, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.
Sometimes that first conversation is a little bit easier when talking to another veteran over hot sauce.
“[This] is my purpose in life. That’s the simplest way I can put it,” Maloney said. “It’s an absolute blessing every day being able to be an advocate for those individuals, help other individuals get to that mental health that they need … and at least get you towards those right resources, so you can get the absolute help that you need and deserve.”
And the passion doesn’t stop with Maloney. It is also behind each item sold.
A portion of all items sold through 13 Stars Hot Sauce is added to its project fund to help veterans and first responders. When the funds are big enough, money is given to a partnered non-profit.
13 Stars Hot Sauce was started by Sean Maloney and helps other veterans.Sean Maloney
How it started
13 Stars Hot Sauce didn’t come together until after Maloney came back from deployment. But his love for hot sauce has been with him forever.
His mother used to crave “all things spicy” when she was pregnant with him. The cravings were so intense, she would go to Taco Bell just to eat the hot sauce packets, he said laughing.
“I was a chili head before birth,” he said.
Then, when he was about 12 years old, his doctor told him he had high blood pressure from all the spicy food he was eating.
“It was the point where I was putting it on pancakes in the morning, on my eggs, and just literally everything, every single meal had hot sauce on it,” he said.
During his deployment in 2018, he began realizing “that our time on this planet is forever fleeting.” He wanted to make sure what he did was important.
So, he began reading entrepreneurship books and listening to podcasts.
When he came back, he still wasn’t exactly sure what to do. But he began making hot sauce in the backyard with a friend whose parents grew various peppers.
He said they were mostly bad. But at least one hot sauce was really good.
They began offering it to friends and family. Then they had strangers try it for free at a New England Patriots game.
Everyone loved it.
The only problem? The original creation hadn’t been made with the intention of selling it, so the recipe wasn’t written down.
It took them another six months to recreate the good batch.
Once Maloney returned from another deployment in 2019, he was ready to launch his new business featuring his love for hot sauce and passion for helping the community.
How hot can you handle?
Sometimes after Maloney tries a new flavor attempt, he has to sit there for 5-10 minutes because “I can’t taste anything else right now because it’s too hot.”
But when it makes it to the sales floor, the hot sauces are balanced with heat and flavor “so you’re not just blowing your butt off for no reason, you’re really able to appreciate the flavorful vials that we’re pushing forward into the sauces.”
With the exception of one item — the Lone Star Challenge.
The challenge is to eat one chocolate star. Only, that chocolate star is “crafted from the planet’s most scorching peppers,” Ocean State Pepper Company’s Devil’s Dust.
“Every single person that ends up eating it, I can remember their face,” Maloney said.
The challenge started at The Big E four years ago as a way to bring in crowds and tell them about their mission.
Every $20 chocolate star purchased helps supports Pets for Vets, which pairs veterans with shelter dogs. The dogs “provides the Veteran with unconditional love and support, easing stress, depression, loneliness and anxiety,” the website states.
“It’s my favorite day of the year when we get to go cut a check towards them,” Maloney said.
13 Stars Hot Sauce was started by Sean Maloney and helps other veterans.Sean Maloney
Fair food combinations
Maloney has tried a number of combinations with his hot sauces.
For example, the Mean Green, he said, goes well with tacos, while Big Red One goes well with Bloody Marys.
A few fair food options can be improved with his hot sauce, Maloney said.
First, popcorn.
“Open it up, pour hot sauce in there, and then close up the bag and shake it up,” he suggested.
Next, hot sauce lovers need to try it on a baked potato from The Big E.
“The Connecticut and Maine potatoes are really good, really, really good with Big Red One,” he said. “I do that every single year.”
Finally, end with The Dilly Dilly Dog, which is a huge pickle with a hot dog stuffed inside and then deep fried in corn dog batter.
“That thing is really good with Nuclear Option,” he said.
Don’t believe him? He said he’s willing to let people try it for free — just bring your food to his booth in the Rhode Island building.
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, you are not alone.
- Samaritans Statewide Hotline
- Call or Text: 1-877-870-HOPE (4673)
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
- Press # 1 if you are a Veteran
- Or text: 838255
- Click here for the Veterans Crisis Line online chat
- The Trevor Helpline
- 866-4-U-TREVOR (488-7386) Support designed for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth and young adults
- For more specifics on veteran mental health, click here.
