Off the Menu: ‘Sweet

“Sweet-heat,” the latest of restaurant menu trends, can be traced back to a New York City pizzeria and a young food entrepreneur, Mike Kurtz.

Kurtz had first tasted honey infused with chili peppers in Brazil while he was a study-aboard student there in 2003. He subsequently created his own version of a chili pepper-honey condiment, which he dubbed “Mike’s Hot Honey.”

Kurtz’s hot honey later made its food service debut at Paulie Gee’s pizzeria in Brooklyn, where it was featured in a “Hellboy” pie topped with hot soppressata and a drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey.

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