Hamilton-made cotton candy hot sauce is the official hot sauce of the CNE

CNE Sweet Heat, by Tijuana Tom's House of Hot Sauce, will be featured on a concoction by Jerk Dogs, another Hamilton brand, which is serving its chicken hot dogs on a waffle bun, topped with cotton candy and big drizzle of hot sauce. The CNE opens today and runs until Sept. 7.

The Canadian National Exhibition, which opens today, is known for wild food creations and this year, two Hamilton food makers are playing a big part in the far-out offerings.

Tijuana Tom's House of Hot Sauce has come up with the CNE’s first official hot sauce in its 147-year history. CNE Sweet Heat has a cotton candy-inspired flavour profile, with a kick of spice that rates at three out of five on Tijuana Tom’s spice meter.

“It’s a habanero and raspberry base, and it's got huge kicks of vanilla, an undertone of molasses, which gives you that like burnt sugar, caramelized sugar element to it, with notes of vanilla, and lemon juice,” says Tom Marshall, the namesake of Tijuana Tom’s.

“So it's bright. It's acidic. It's super sweet, and it's got a good kick of heat from the habanero. It's like the ultimate dessert hot sauce, which is just so unique and so different.”

The concoction will be sold at the CNE merchandise shop and will be used in a variety of ways by food vendors. That includes Hamilton-based Jerk Dogs, which is serving its jerk chicken hot dogs in a waffle bun, topped with blue cotton-candy cream, pink and white coconut crumb, fresh cotton candy, and drizzled with Tijuana Tom's CNE Sweet Heat.

“So Hamilton is on the map at this CNE,” says Marshall. “It's classic CNE, over the top.”

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It’s been a big year for the brand and Marshall says he can’t believe it’s being featured at the iconic Ex.

“If younger Thomas could see what Tijuana Tom is doing today … I grew up at the Ex. My dad worked at the Ex. It’s just really cool.”

Marshall, who worked as a chef before launching his business, describes Tijuana Tom's as a globally inspired, consciously sourced artisan hot sauce company shaped by his travels to 43 countries across five continents. The business has six core sauces, along with special editions, but always emphasizes flavour over extreme heat.

“We're not here to burn your brains out. We want to see these products on your table every night. We want to accentuate your food. We want to highlight your food, not take away from it with crazy heat."

But a limited edition line of sauces in Tijuana Tom’s Brewline Collaborative Project in which local craft brewers incorporate their beer into a sauce, has featured some extremely hot varieties. Marshall makes 800 or 900 units and once they are gone, the recipe is filed away.

Marshall and his wife Kendra, who works for a company that builds websites for non-profits, moved to the Keith neighbourhood about four years ago after launching Tijuana Tom’s in Milton in 2019. The ability to buy a house, the thriving independent restaurant scene, and Hamilton's entrepreneurial culture were draws to the city.

“We loved the fact that downtown there are no chain restaurants. I thought that was like the coolest thing.”

He also says the city is making a big name in the hot-sauce game.

“Hamilton is the unofficial hot sauce capital of Canada,” says Marshall. “Some of the best hot sauce makers are coming out of the city.”

Marshall produces his creations at one of Hamilton’s best-known hot sauce companies, Dawson’s Hot Sauce on Barton Street. Working in Dawson’s production facility has allowed Tijuana Tom to grow from about 20-case, 60-litre runs to about 90-case, 190-litre volumes for bestsellers.

Brodie Dawson has become a friend and mentor, says Marshall, and that’s crucial in the very difficult consumer packaged goods industry.

“Brodie was one of the first people that I reached out to, and I said, ;Hey, man, I'm starting a hot sauce company.’ And he literally said three words: ‘Are you sure?’ And I now see what he means by that.”

Marshall sells online, at local independent retailers, and at farmers markets in Ancaster, Dundas, Waterdown, Milton, and Georgetown. He provides delivery in Hamilton, too.

2026 has been a hot year for Tijuana Tom’s even before the CNE. A collaboration with 97.7 Hits FM called Hot for Peaches sold 4,000 bottles in its first month. The company was also one of four winners of the FirstOntario Credit Union 1Awards, and worked to create a white-label Canadiana sauce for The Hamilton Spectator's 180th anniversary.

He’s also built a series of collaborations that are the heart of Marshall’s approach. He’s worked with Wildcat on Barton Street, Grain & Grit Beer Co., and Fairweather Brewing Company, among others.

Marshall has lived in Japan, Vietnam, and Australia, and spent time travelling Central America, Mexico and Europe. He met his wife, who hails from Uxbridge, when they were both travelling in Thailand.

“We picked inspiration from some of our favourite places that we've lived in or travelled to,” says Marshall. “So I lived in Japan for a year. We taught English out there, and one of our flavours is called Asian Kick, and it's a Japanese-inspired hot sauce, so it's got beautiful shishito peppers, and a heavy kick of citrus. We take a blend of orange and lemon, try to replicate that yuzu citrus of Japan, and then it finishes off with notes of ginger and a gluten-free tamari for a salt component.”

The most mild sauce in his line is Pura Vida, inspired by travels through Mexico and Central America. The Canadiana flavour has a red habanero base, sweetened with local maple syrup, and a hit of hickory smoke at the end.

“It reminds me of sitting up north drinking beers around a campfire.”