Heartbreaking Dawn’s Artisan Foods, LLC.
In 2009 Johnny McLaughlin, started his sauce and seasoning company with his wife Nicole, Heartbreaking Dawn’s. He named the company after a poem, “Winters Lament”, from his favorite French poet Arthur Rimbaud. Like many hot sauce companies out there, his passion came from growing his own peppers and in turn making sauces for friends and family. McLaughlin’s self-proclaimed “Love for adventurous eating” took his sauce making to a higher level, he enjoyed playing with unique flavor combinations and out of the ordinary ingredients.
McLaughlin’s original three flavors; Jalapeno Pineapple, Classic Gold and Mango Habanero became overnight sensations and as he began to hone skills, his love for cooking and creating amazing food opened doors and gave him the ability to share his passion on a wider scale. Johnny appeared on the “Chopped Through” episode of the Food Networks wildly popular show Chopped in 2012, where he made it to the second round. Next up for Chef Johnny was his appearance on the “When in Rome, Cook on a Scooter” episode of Cutthroat Kitchen hosted by Alton Brown, and yes, he had to cook on a scooter on national television. McLaughlin’s biggest television opportunity and huge boost for Heartbreaking Dawns as a company was his 2013 appearance on the CNBC show Crowd Rules, where he had to compete with three other small businesses for the chance to win a grand prize of a $50,000 investment. Johnny easily appealed to the studio audience of 100 entrepreneurs and business professionals to win the $50k grant to support the growth of Heartbreaking Dawn’s and the chance to continue to follow his dream.
In 0000 Johnny decided to step away from the hot sauce industry and sold Heartbreaking Dawn’s to Hot Shots Distributing. McLaughlin wanted to spend more time with his family and young children. He felt that we could and would maintain the highest of integrity with his recipes and overall brand. After a quick transition, Heartbreaking Dawn’s continues to be one of our best-selling brands worldwide.