The heat is on! O’Fallon couple’s homemade salsa business is booming

What started as a hobby has turned into a cottage food business that is growing out of Nathan and Nicole Parchman’s O’Fallon home.

Nitro Salsa officially began a few years ago after friends and family encouraged them to leap into the food business. They often gave their homemade salsa as Christmas gifts, and their clientele grew as word spread.

“People would ask, ‘Can we buy it?’” Nicole said. “We thought it had good flavor and we requested feedback. We thought we’d give it a go.”

Nathan, who had grown up with a big garden in Kentucky, had planted a garden when he moved to O’Fallon 14 years ago, and that yielded the produce.

“We had found a basic recipe online and then tweaked it quite a bit,” he said. “My mom always had a garden, it was one acre, and we canned everything. We had healthy, homegrown food.”

So, two busy people with two daughters made a leap into the food business, and as Nitro Family Foods, haven’t looked back. Through exposure at the O’Fallon Craft Fair and through word of mouth and social media, the demand has grown since last summer.

They now deliver in certain municipalities and their product is available at a couple businesses, including Creative Landscapes and Gia’s Pizza. They have seasonal stands at Vine Street Market in O’Fallon Station on Saturday mornings and at the Maryville Farmers Market every Thursday evening at the Village Hall.

They researched everything they had to do, complying with state and local laws for commercial kitchens and a cottage food business license from the St. Clair County Health Department.

Today, they sell four different kinds of homemade salsa from mild to extra hot available in pint jars: Young Buck, sweet and mild with a slight hint of spice; Doe N’ Heat, medium heat with a sweet and sassy flavor; 10-Point Shooter, a sweet and steady draw with a smooth shot of heat for the kill; and Buck ‘n Rut, a sweet start with a finish so hot it will knock your pants off. A sampler pack of all four, in half-pint jars, is also available.

Nathan is a deer hunter, so the salsa names came from his hobby. The name “Nitro” came from the nickname of Nicole’s Zumba teacher. Nathan joked that he, as a banker, couldn’t have such a cool nickname. Somehow, it stuck and he became known as Nitro in the neighborhood.

“So, we ran with it,” he said.

Their two daughters, Brooklyn, 11, and Carlee, 6, are involved too.

“They help us. Everything we make is kid-tested. We’re teaching them how a business runs,” Nathan said.

Expanding the enterprise

This summer, they have expanded the product line to include pickles, sweet and unsweetened tea sold in half-gallon jugs and pizza sauce sold in 8 ounce jars. The pickles are known as Sweet Jenny (mild), The Jake (medium) and Struttin’ Tom (hot), bread and butter pickles with various degrees of spice, sold in 16 ounce and 32 ounce jars. They are working on a dill pickle and a barbecue sauce but that is currently in trials.

The sweet tea is Nathan’s mother’s recipe.

“We figured out a way to keep it fresher longer,” he said.

They are hoping to expand to a slightly larger commercial operation after the pandemic, but the current public health emergency has delayed or put many of their plans on hold. They had planned to move to a larger commercial kitchen but then COVID-19 hit.

A little background on the Parchmans

Both Nathan and Nicole work full-time in the financial business — Nathan is with Farmers and Merchants Bank in Lebanon and will be the branch manager of the new location being built in O’Fallon near the McKendree RecPlex. Nicole works for the Federal Reserve Bank in downtown St. Louis.

Nathan was elected to represent Ward 7 as an alderman in the April 2019 municipal election. Nicole teaches dance at Dynamic Fusion Dance Center.

The former Nicole Bittner, Miss O’Fallon 2002, grew up in O’Fallon. She met Nathan when they were both students at Murray State University.

They both loved to cook, and Nathan said cooking in a home economics class in high school sparked his interest.

“I had a great teacher,” he said.

In fact, he had checked out a culinary school but they insisted students work 18 months on a cruise ship after graduation, and he wasn’t too keen on that idea.

Learning the ropes of the food industry

Learning the intricacies of the food business, from regulations to stabilizing ingredients to mass production, has been challenging.

“It’s a lot. That’s the most eye-opening fact, all the rules and regulations of the food industry,” Nicole said.

Nathan said tomatoes are an acidic ingredient and one must be very careful with sealing the product so that oxygen can’t get to it. Safety precautions are paramount.

With marketing and business ideas ever swirling, the Parchmans would like to someday own a restaurant and publish a cookbook. They put recipes on their Facebook page to give home cooks ideas on what to do with their products.

Nathan described himself as a realist and Nicole as the dreamer, and their goals mesh. They are pleased they took the plunge, and enjoy the opportunity to share their creations with the community.

“We want to take it to the next level,” he said.

To order online or for more information, visit their website, www.nitrosalsa.com, or find them on Facebook.

Get to know Nathan and Nicole Parchman

Q: Do you have words to live by?

Both: When you are least expecting something to happen, open your eyes, something great or unexpected is about to take place. We have learned that if we try and plan our lives, our plans will get turned upside down or we will get thrown a curveball. So now we just tell ourselves to prepare, but do not make any definite plans because we do not know what God has in store. There is a country song out now that talks about God looking down and laughing when you try and run the show. So true!

Q: Whom do you most admire?

Nathan: My parents. My mom has had breast cancer and pulled through that while also caring for her mom (my grandmother) who has dementia. She has a selfless heart and is always there to listen. Dad currently has prostate cancer and is fighting through that now. He never missed one practice or game when I was a kid from like second grade on. I was and am blessed with very good parents!

Nicole: My parents. My parents have always been supportive of anything and everything I have wanted to pursue, from sports and hobbies to careers, they have always been my #1 cheerleader and there to provide me a helping hand. When I was Miss O’Fallon 2002, they helped me start KIDS Caring for Cancer, a benefit variety show, performed by area kids utilizing their talents to raise money for others. Over the course of the benefit’s 11 seasons, they put in hundreds of hours, helping me to put on the best show possible. My parents have been a true inspiration and I am blessed to have them!

Q: If you could spend time with a famous person, past or present, whom would it be?

Nathan: Abraham Lincoln — If you look at how many times he failed before he actually became president, you wonder why he kept trying. He had a “keep on keepin’ on” attitude which is rare. I would just like to understand what he did to stay motivated.

Nicole: George Washington — As the first leader/president of the greatest country in the world, I would like to talk with him about his vision for our future as he saw it then. Strategic planning is a passion of mine and I believe he must have been be a visionary.

Q: What is the last book that you read?

Nathan: I really do not read long books because my attention span is maybe 3 pages before I am thinking of what I need to do later, tomorrow, etc. ...Nicole says I am constantly chasing squirrels and cannot focus. I enjoy short articles on finance, business or how to become a better leader. I will read several different articles on these topics daily.

Nicole: It was a book on servant leadership. The philosophy of serving your employees and showing them by actions that you care about their personal and professional lives is how I like to lead. Helping others to be their best selves, determine what motivates them, and inspiring them to achieve their goals is what makes a great leader, and something that I something that strive to be!

Q: What do you do for fun and relaxation?

Nathan: Hunt, yardwork, and garden

Nicole: Teach dance, Netflix, and anything creative

Both: Cook, travel, camp and hang out by our pool

Q: What is the usual state of your desktop?

Nathan: One thing open at a time and all emails checked (No multitasking)

Nicole: Lots of tabs open and multiple items going at the same time (Multitasking)

Q: What did you want to do career wise when you were growing up?

Nathan: Professional baseball player or a coach if that did not work out.

Nicole: A neurosurgeon or working in a forensic science lab.

Q: What do you think are your most outstanding characteristics?

Nathan: A realist, common sense, and having “dad humor” living with 3 girls.

Nicole: A dreamer, creativity, and drive for success

Q: What irritates you most?

Both: Laziness and someone saying that they cannot do something without even trying.

Q: What type of music do you listen to?

Nathan: 90’s grunge, country and alternative rock

Nicole: Current pop radio or 80’s

Q: What do you like most about your job?

Both: We have several jobs.

Nathan: Farmers and Merchants National Bank, assistant vice president. Assisting clients to succeed personally and professionally. Helping grow the O’Fallon community through the financial industry has always been a passion of mine.

Nathan: Alderman Ward 7 O’Fallon. Community impact and helping give back. City government has so much of an impact on the O’Fallon community. It is rewarding to be able to represent my ward and city with my voice/vote.

Nicole: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. senior manager. Seeing the impact that coaching has on others. Being able to take a situation or problem and come up with a solution is what I enjoy most.

Nicole: Dynamic Fusion Dance Center, teacher. Helping kids grow and exceed their own expectations. When you coach a child and give them the confidence to get outside their comfort zone and succeed, it is very rewarding.

Both: Nitro Family Foods, owners. Hearing feedback and seeing people’s reactions when they try our products is probably our favorite part of the business. We pride ourselves on our products and do not cut corners with our recipes. When we get feedback from restaurant owners, professional chefs, or anyone in the culinary world saying our product is the best they have ever tasted, it is very humbling. That keeps us coming back to the kitchen!

Both: Landlord owners/property management. It is not very fun, LOL.

Q: If you were independently wealthy, what would you be doing?

Both: We have discussed moving to Kentucky and opening a restaurant when we retire. We would set up shop near Grand Rivers, Kentucky because we love that town and feel our food selection would attract locals and visitors alike. So, if we could do that now and not have to worry about paying the bills, we would be packing our bags. Being our own boss and creating our own success would be very rewarding. We are already creating our menu for our future restaurant, so when we are ready to make the plunge, we will have the food menu ready to go!

Q: When they make a movie of your life, who would play you?

Nathan: Brad Paisley — Many of the songs he writes are sarcastic like me, but he also writes songs that show his softer side proving that he is not just a funny guy. So I feel he would be a good character to play me because he can have dry humor, be serious sometimes, and deep down is a good ol’ redneck that prefers wearing camo versus a suit and tie just like me.

Nicole: Candice Cameron-Burre — First off, I love the Hallmark Channel, so of course if would have to be an actress from there. In her movies, Candice’s character is often trying to solve a mystery, which is one of my favorite things to do! The personalities of her characters are often very kind-hearted, hard-working, and empathetic, which I think is similar to how people would describe me.

Q: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what would you have with you?

Nathan: I would probably want to have my wife with me. She has watched a million episodes of “Naked and Afraid” and is also a good problem solver. So she would figure a way for us to get off the island I’m sure!

Nicole: Based on my “Naked and Afraid” experience, I would probably choose a fire-starter. With a fire, I can keep away the bugs, stay warm at night, keep away predators, boil water, and cook any food that I killed.

This story was originally published July 28, 2020 at 10:36 AM.