Entrepreneurs Bring Caribbean Heritage To American BBQ With Award-Winning Tamarind Sauce

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. June 6, 2025: Forget everything you know about BBQ sauce. As National Caribbean American Heritage Month celebrates the rich culinary traditions of the region and it Diaspora, two entrepreneurs just beat the biggest names in the industry with a revolutionary recipe that ditches tomatoes and vinegar for an ancient superfood: tamarind.

Tamarind Heads BBQ Sauce, founded by Indian-American Sashi Kumar and Chinese-Malaysian-American Brittney Lim, earned the prestigious 2024 sofi Gold Award for Best BBQ Sauce – beating out industry giants in a blind taste test. What makes this sauce extraordinary is its complete departure from traditional BBQ foundations.

The company uses tamarind – a superfood known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties – instead of the traditional tomato-vinegar base found in almost every other BBQ sauce.

This approach honors tamarind’s rich culinary heritage across five global regions, including its deep Caribbean roots through African and Indian influences. For Lim, inspiration traces back to childhood summers in Malaysia.

“Food was the language of love, memory, and connection. Malaysian cuisine is a vibrant mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Thai influences all on one plate—and those early experiences gave me a lifelong appreciation for bold, layered flavors,” Lim explains.

The journey from concept to award-winning product took five years of development and experimentation. Their breakthrough came when they perfected a method to create BBQ sauce from raw tamarind rather than concentrates or pastes.

“It had that deep, tangy, layered flavor we remembered from childhood, and we knew it was something we hadn’t seen on U.S. shelves before, especially not in the BBQ category,” says Kumar.

Their innovation earned the sofi Gold Award – often called the “Oscars of the food world.” This three-person startup surpassed numerous established brands, impressing judges with its bold, tangy, and smoky complexity.

“Tamarind has been a global culinary staple for centuries, enriching dishes from India and Thailand to the Caribbean and Mexico. By using tamarind as our base instead of traditional tomato-vinegar foundations, we’re delivering a healthier, more flavorful experience,” says Kumar.

Tamarind’s prominence in Caribbean cooking – found in chutneys, sauces, and beloved tamarind balls – makes this sauce particularly significant for the Caribbean diaspora. Through African and Indian culinary influences, tamarind became deeply embedded in Caribbean cuisine, creating the sweet-spicy flavor profiles that define island cooking.

Ready to experience the award-winning difference? Tamarind Heads BBQ Sauce is available online at tamarindheads.com and in stores at Central Market locations throughout Texas and Pearl River Mart in NYC’s Chelsea Market. Tamarind Heads will soon be expanding nationally with plans to launch across 22 states.

Here’s an exciting recipe to try this weekend.

Tamarind BBQ Fried Chicken Recipe

Tamarind BBQ Fried Chicken. Check out this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 whole fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces

6 oz Tamarind Heads BBQ Sauce

3½ tsp seasoned salt

2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 cups buttermilk

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup corn starch

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp paprika

3 large eggs

Oil for frying (vegetable or peanut)

Prep Time: 1 hour + overnight marination | Cook Time: 1 hour | Serves: 4

Method:

Serve with additional Tamarind Heads BBQ Sauce for dipping

Season chicken pieces with 1 tsp seasoned salt and ½ tsp black pepper

Place in baking dish, cover with 2.5 cups buttermilk and 4 oz BBQ sauce. Chill overnight

Remove chicken, discard marinade, and let rest 30 minutes

Sift together flour, corn starch, 2 tsp seasoned salt, 1 tsp black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika

Whisk eggs with ½ tsp seasoned salt, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ cup buttermilk, and 2 oz BBQ sauce

Double-dredge chicken: flour, egg wash, flour again. Rest 30 minutes

Heat oil to 350°F in cast iron skillet. Fry chicken 10-15 minutes per side until internal temperature reaches 165°F