The Rooster Sauce Guy

A food writer based in southern California, Randy Clemens is best known as the author of The Sriracha Cookbook. This 2011 cookbook is dedicated to cooking with a southeast Asian sauce named after its Thai town of origin, Si Racha. In the U.S., the chile-and-garlic sauce is frequently referred to as “rooster sauce,” after the bird logo on the most popular brand, made by the California-based Huy Fong Foods.

In recent years, Sriracha has become so trendy that, in 2010, Bon Appétit magazine dubbed it the “Ingredient of the Year.” One year later, The Sriracha Cookbook was such a hit that Clemens wrote a vegetarian sequel, out this month: The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook. Both books use the spicy, garlicky condiment as a central ingredient in a wide variety of dishes, from appetizers through main dishes and even dessert.