SEATTLE — One hot sauce company is feeling a little spicy after thieves took their livelihood– and they’re needing to bring the heat back to their business.
Chris Anderson and Zariya Whidbee started Sheeesh Hot Sauce about two years ago.
“We used to throw barbecues, and we used to make these sauces and our friends would be like ‘you guys should bottle this stuff up,’” said Anderson.
So, they did. They started selling their hot sauce at pop-up events, festivals and farmers markets.
Anderson says they were building steam, until earlier this month when their van was stolen in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
“I like look up and I’m like ‘Where did I park. Where’s the van?’” said Anderson.
The business partners had just bought the van, a blue 2003 Ford, about a week earlier to store supplies, signage, tents and marketing materials.
“I figured the van had been towed because we didn’t have the plates on it yet – waiting for registration,” said Anderson.
He says there was around $10,000 worth of supplies in the van, including his drum kit.
Anderson is known as the Pike Street Drummer – playing outside Mariners and Seahawks games. But now, he’s missing out on performing and selling hot sauce during the playoffs.
“I would have been out there playing my drums, energizing the fans going into the Seahawks games,” he said.
Anderson says they’ll keep going and, hopefully, catch a break getting their stuff back.
“Somebody has all that right now – playing drums and eating hot sauce, probably.”
A GoFundMe account is now set up to help the business get back up and running.
©2026 Cox Media Group
