Papa Carmine's Hot Peppers: Bringing Chicago-Style Giardiniera to the East End

Bob Schindler was an airline pilot flying in and out of Chicago when he fell in love with Hot Giardiniera, a spicy Italian condiment popular in the city but largely unknown elsewhere.

After retiring and having Hot Giardiniera shipped to his home for the past decade, Schindler had an entrepreneurial eureka moment and decided to start selling 16-ounce jars of his own mix of chopped serrano, jalapeño and red bell peppers, celery, carrots, cauliflower, olives and seasoning submerged in vegetable oil. He calls it Papa Carmine’s Hot Peppers and it can now be found at select locations across the East End.

“Most people that I had at my house … who love hot peppers really fell in love with the product,” Schindler says. “I spent the winter perfecting the recipe in my own kitchen and now I’m having a company in Chicago make it for me, and now we’re taking it and trying to spread it to Long Island.”

Papa Carmine’s Hot Peppers goes great on sandwiches, burgers, hotdogs, tacos, fajitas, pizza and just about any other meal.

“It really packs a nice heat level of a 7 ½ out of 10,” Schindler adds. “The flavor lingers in your mouth for about 15 minutes after you finish eating it. It has a really nice aftertaste.”

For more information, visit papacarmines.com.