Meet The Creator, Chef Ty Thames

Chef Ty Thames is a Mississippi native who has been a part of the hospitality industry since the age of fifteen. After college, he attended the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, where he graduated with distinction. After working in Italy and the Washington, D.C. area, Chef Ty returned to Mississippi in 2005 to pursue his dream of owning a restaurant. He settled in Starkville, Mississippi, bringing the best of what he had learned back to the Magnolia State.  His restaurants include Restaurant Tyler, BIN 612, and The Guest Room.  In 2015, he created Mississippi Red Pepper Sauce and has spent years refining its unique flavor profile.

“I’ve been a chef for 3 decades and have owned my own restaurants for nearly 20 years. As a chef, I know the value of a great meal.  Bland mediocre meals do not feed the soul. I created this sauce to enhance the flavors of my dishes without overpowering the palate.  You can use it to add a chef’s touch to your own food.”

The Story Behind The Sauce

As a chef, my culinary creativity is often set in motion by experiences in my life.   This could be a simple walk in the woods or a lavish dining experience in a foreign country.  Inspiration can be found almost anywhere.  The story of Mississippi Red Pepper Sauce begins with a memorable fishing trip with friends.

When we set sail one hot Summer afternoon in the 2015 Bay Point Invitational Fishing Tournament out of Panama City Beach, Florida, I was looking forward to a few days of sun, fishing, and time with friends.  I had no idea the trip would be the beginning of something much bigger.  

The seas were calm as we set sail with Captain Bill Staff on his 65-foot Resmondo boat named Sea Spray, but the excitement was just getting started on the boat.  As we led the other competitors into the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, my dear friend Dr. Mike Henry, affectionately known as Doc Mike, continued his annual tradition of setting off fireworks for all to enjoy.  While using freshly lit cigars to ignite the show (don’t try this at home, friends), we all had optimism in our eyes and cold beers in our hands.  We had a fun night anticipating the next 3 days of fishing for tuna, snapper, mahi mahi, and maybe the elusive blue marlin.

Very early the next morning, I woke up to some excitement from the back of the boat.  We were over 100 miles out in the Gulf, pulled up to an oil rig where lines had been cast, and a tuna was on a line. As the flare roared off the top of the oil rig, we pulled in our first tuna, a 90-pounder.  After the frenzy of pulling in the tuna was over, we all stopped for a moment to take in the scene.  The rising sun cracked open the sea from the horizon and an orange-red light gleamed from mid-sky to the hull of our boat, reflecting off the almost glass-like water.  The visual topped off the already-high spirits of the team that was feeling like we could place in the tuna category of the tournament.  Later that morning, we dropped some lines for red snapper and immediately started landing a few. With tuna and snapper on board, we headed off to troll the grass line in the sea where two currents meet, in hopes of landing some mahi mahi and a blue marlin.

By late morning on that first day, our team had worked up a hunger, so I set out to make some quick appetizers before lunch. I grabbed my wasabi and soy sauce, then sliced up some tuna as well as some of the snapper.  Bon appétit.  As the only chef on our team, I had taken some time before the trip to plan our daily feasts and had picked up some locally sourced produce from farmer Sam McLemore at Bountiful Harvest Farms, who supplies my restaurants (Restaurant Tyler and BIN 612) each week.  Sam had packed a “blind basket” of the freshest items available from his farm. This particular basket had several red, hot peppers in it, mostly heirloom varieties but a few cayenne, jalapeños, and habaneros as well.  He also threw in some elephant garlic and micro herbs. 


As I began to prep lunch, I came across the peppers Sam had packed for me. My brain swam with possibilities as I thought about the freshness of the fish.  To highlight that freshness, I wanted to keep the dish as pure and simple as possible, so I decided to make a ceviche, using the red snapper, fresh lime, and ingredients from Sam’s basket.   Using the red peppers, roasted elephant garlic, fresh micro basil and mint, and some vinegar, I made a hot sauce to add to the ceviche.  


After using it for lunch, I still had the better part of a quart of the hot sauce I had made, so I saved it in a couple of mason jars, for everyone to use as a condiment for the rest of our trip.  I also used it for some of the other meals I prepared on the boat.  It ended up being a hit with everyone onboard.  They tried it on everything from morning eggs to pork loin.  A member of the group (Paul) asked me if I had a name for it.  I hadn’t thought of giving it a name, but once he asked, I replied “Let’s call it Mississippi Red.”   They asked if they could have some to take home.  Inspired by their enthusiasm, I started making and bottling small batches for friends and family. As Mississippi Red evolved, I began selling it in my restaurants and had very positive feedback.  People started buying it as gifts and sharing it with their friends and family.  We had requests to mail it across the country.


When restaurant life changed dramatically in 2020, I decided to increase production. I built a production kitchen in Houston, MS and I started making larger batches to sell commercially. I was able to expand sales to small stores and farmers markets in Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas.  We are at the early stages of increasing production beyond my small production kitchen.  With the continued support of our loyal customers, we plan to expand our product line to other Chef-driven sauces, spice blends, and condiments.


Life takes many journeys, and the experience of making this sauce is one I’ll cherish forever. I hope you enjoy this sauce a fraction of what I’ve enjoyed making it.