Out of a craving for hot sauce while stationed in the Air Force – and with none to be found – Louis Dorsey started making his own. When he returned home to New Iberia, the craving grew into a hobby, and he was giving his tasty condiment to friends and family. When it became clear that he had developed one hell of a flavorful hot sauce, he began sellingBrother-in-Law hot sauce in 1998 from the back of his truck, and that was the start of his spice journey. Asked often about the origin of the business’s name, Louis says it was the nickname given to him by his own brother-in-law who worked with him at the Port of Iberia for years. The name caught on and followed him when he went to work at the Sheriff’s Department, where others knew him. Still making his original recipe, Louis has expanded to four varieties of hot sauce: regular, cayenne, jalapeño and – the hottest one – habanero and garlic. The peppers, grown by a local farmer, are combined with simple ingredients of salt and vinegar.Louis’s line of seasonings shares equal popularity with customers who like the brand’s multipurpose seasoning and two barbeque rubs, Fire Watch and Stand Up and Shout. He also makes pepper jelly, dried red pepper flakes and seasonal items like hot mash, pickled okra with jalapeño and pickled mirlitons (or vegetable pears.) It’s all made in the FDA-approved shop behind his home with the help of his son, Greg. Among hot sauce and seasoning aficionados, Brother-in-Law has a loyal following who routinely come to the Delcambre market. “Some have driven from Baton Rouge and one couple from New Orleans, who was buys our sauce, made a stop while in the area to pick up a stash,” says Greg. Best sellers include the regular hot sauce and habanero and garlic, pepper jelly, and the seasoning and rubs. The Dorseys make about 24 bottles/containers of each product for the Delcambre Seafood & Farmers Market where they have been coming since it opened in 2015. “We like the friendly people there,” says Greg. “It’s a nice atmosphere, and we get a lot of return customers every month.” When he’s not at markets, Louis has been working, lately, on a new seasoning that he plans to have ready for the holidays. You can find Brother-in-Law products on the shelves at Fremin’s Food and Simoneaud’s Grocery in New Iberia as well as Fresh Pickin’s in Lafayette.
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