Dick Chase sees the state of Maine as a palette of flavors. His hot sauce business, Maine Gravy, uses the freshest ingredients from across the state to create Maine-themed sauces.

For Dick, Maine had always been the final goal. When the pandemic hit, he was working as a software analyst in Massachusetts and took it as a sign to retire. He packed everything up and carried out his lifelong dream of retiring to Maine.

As Dick puts it, “I was always a foodie.” He had catered family events and experimented with endless recipes. However, it wasn’t just food that he loved, but rather it was the sauces that excited him.

Dick began creating different sauce recipes and giving them to friends and family. He made about 500 bottles per year, simply for the joy of it. However, he realized that this could become more than a hobby.

Every sauce Dick creates is named after a place in Maine. Some of his sauces include Houlton Habanero, Waterville Worcestershire, and Boothbay Blues. Dick wanted every element of his sauces to have ties to Maine and works hard to source his ingredients from local Maine farms.

“I have an attachment to Maine,” Dick says, “And I wanted to show people that through my business.”

Dick uses space at Fork Food Lab to bring his recipes to life. Located in South Portland, Fork Food Lab is Maine’s largest shared kitchen space and only food incubator. Here, Dick uses equipment like an industrial kettle boiler and a walk-in freezer in order to carry out an extensive fermentation and freeze drying process for his ingredients. While it is an amazing space, Dick loves the sense of community it has given him and enjoys using his IT background to help other food creators with their software needs.

Dick loves everything about his sauce business and has spent a lot of time on his branding with the help of his daughter, a graphic designer. Together, they created Maine Gravy’s mascot, Dave. Each bottle features a different version of Dave based on the location it is named after.

Dick finds joy in every aspect of his sauce business. What was once a hobby and a dream, is now a Maine hot sauce reality. Perfect for all sorts of recipes, Dick’s sauces are unique and true to the state of Maine. Whether he is riding around in his special Maine Gravy red truck or coming up with new pictures of Dave, Dick is always passionate about his sauces and is always creating new flavors that will make you never forget your favorite places in Maine.