I was introduced to Eric Blair Carter at Edward’s Steakhouse when the doors opened to the cheer of “Hot Sauce Guy!” That’s all I needed to hear to know I needed to meet Eric. I spent the next few hours partaking in Eric’s homemade hot sauce (Edward’s keeps a jar of EBC’s small batch hot sauce on hand at the bar) and listening as he and his fiancé and partner of eighteen years, Dermot, shared stories about Jersey City’s evolution over the last two decades. We met again at Edward’s a few weeks later to talk more about the Van Vorst Park Association – Eric chairs the events committee – and, of course, his hot sauce recipe.

First, tell us about yourself – who is the Hot Sauce Guy?

I’m Eric Blair Carter, an interior designer and proud Jersey City resident since 1996 – before it was trendy! Currently, I design the showroom for Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams showroom in SoHo, but I moved to Jersey City when I worked for Macy’s. The company had me relocate here from Washington, DC to renovate one of its stores. Over the years, I opened Banana Republic’s Rockefeller Center flagship and served as a creative director for Victoria Secret.

As for “Hot Sauce Guy,” I’ve definitely given away and sold a lot of hot sauce in this town. The night we met, another woman at the bar heard them call me that and said, “Is your name Eric? I’ve had your hot sauce!” So yes, in some circles, I guess I am the Hot Sauce Guy.

How did you get into the hot sauce biz?

I’ve always loved gardening and one of the reasons that we chose the house that we live in now on Montgomery St. is because it had a backyard. We – Dermot and I – had lived in apartments for so long. The first year I grew tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs and chilies. But the chilies were used the most. So the following year I began focusing on the chili garden. That was 1999 and I’ve been doing it ever since. I started making hot sauce and I gave it away forever. Then a friend suggested I sell it. So I set up a stand in front of my house one day and made $600. Now I do both – a combination of selling EBC’s small batch and giving it away. It’s really fun.

When Sushi Tango was around, the owner was a good friend and she’d let me set up a stand out front. I’d be doing hot sauce tastings and as people across the street were waiting for their breakfast bagel hangover sandwiches, they’d have some bread and hot sauce with me. I think I helped a lot of people with their hangovers!

I finally put my email on the jars this year. I should probably do the farmers markets, but for now I just really like the gardening and making of the hot sauce. It’s a labor of love.

Can you tell us about your recipe or is it top-secret?

When I first made it, I used a traditional recipe. But I decided that if I was going to do this, I wanted the sauce to have a unique flavor. So I came up with mangoes. I don’t use any tomatoes – it’s all mango-based. Each batch is slightly different based on which chilies are ripe at the time. Every year I do the “First Frost” hot sauce and I pick all the chilies – different types of peppers – off the vines. All those subtleties make a difference.

We go to Ireland a lot and you can’t get good hot sauce there – you get sweet chili sauce. So now I travel with it. I put it in small St. Germain bottles because I like pretty – so I have pretty little hot sauce jars.

I can’t wait to open the jar you brought me! Tell me about this name – “Teeth on the Roof Mango.”

I make the sauce in small batches – usually 18-20 jars in a batch – and I name them based on whatever might be going on in my life at the moment. My mother turned 79 this year, so I named a batch “79 Mangoes for Lena.” We went to Miami (“Off to Miami Mango”) and when we got back we kept laughing about this one liner from our trip. A friend got dentures and he had these giant teeth. A group of us were all piled into a car and he was the last one to get picked up. One of our friends asked, “Is there enough room?” and somebody answered, “We might have to put his teeth on the roof.” So I came back and made a pound of “Teeth on the Roof Mango.” It’s the little things like that, inside jokes for me. One of my other favorites was a batch I made in honor of Dermot’s aunt in Ireland. She was a nun and when she passed away, Dermot went back home to Ireland for the funeral and I couldn’t go.  So I made “Mango for the Nun.” That was a big seller because people loved the name.

The other way people may know you is for your work with the Van Vorst Park Association. What is the VVPA?

I became active in the VVPA because I really love watching this city develop. It’s my neighborhood, my city, and I like to be involved in what’s going on. The neighborhood associations are a great way of being part of the changes.

The VVPA is a community organization that has been around since, I believe, the 60’s. We deal with quality of life issues in our neighborhood, from meeting with developers to putting on events for everyone. We have a symbiotic relationship with the local government, and we have a strong voice when it comes to how the neighborhood evolves.

With what sorts of issues does the VVPA become involved?

Take, for example, challenging developers trying to put up new micro-units but not adding parking. Or challenging modernist buildings proposed in our historic district. I never thought of myself as a community activist, and I don’t think the VVPA is an activist organization. I think it’s a protective organization.

It’s amazing what can be learned participating in the community meetings. You begin to understand better the potential long-term impact of various projects and proposals. Some are great; others could be detrimental. Say there’s a proposal for a liquor license in a place that has never been a bar or restaurant before. It might be great for the neighborhood. Or, maybe in five years, it could become a TGI Fridays or a McDonald’s. So the cute mom and pop restaurant could become something very different.

Somebody from city hall is always at our meetings. It’s our right and responsibility as citizens to hold our government accountable and an organization has more power than an individual. The mayor always says, “We want to be the greatest midsize city in the country” and I think one of the ways we’re accomplishing that is through open dialogue. Just living in a place where my voice can be heard means something to me.

But the main object is to give back to the community. It’s really about enriching the lives of the people who live here.

Tell us about the events – there are some great ways people can come together to celebrate and just enjoy the city parks.

We do free movies in the park. We just had our annual Easter egg hunt. We put on Disco in the Park every summer. At Halloween, we have a candy giveaway in the park. We do really fantastic indoor events at Barrow Mansion.

One of our most popular events at Barrow Mansion was an 80’s prom. We also did a Great Gatsby holiday party. One thing I’ve learned about Jersey City – give people an excuse to put on a costume and they LOVE it.

My favorite part, of course, is designing the rooms. For a recent “Red Party,” I used 3,000 spoons dipped in red paint and hung them in a lighting installation using red light bulbs. For Halloween, we went all out with cobwebs and cat skeletons. Disco in the park is a family event. We have a DJ and put up lights in the trees and everyone dresses up. We do a soul train line so everyone can show off their costumes. Last year the costume winner was a family – a couple and their two kids – and they just looked fantastic! They were all on roller skates and they danced all night!

Dermot handles the drinks. We always have a signature cocktail – except for Disco in the Park. That’s purely a family event with six-year-olds dancing with 80-year-olds and onlookers joining as they walk through the park. That one is all about dancing and have a great time.

So much fun! What’s up next?

We’re currently planning a wine tasting event. It will be led by a neighborhood wine buyer and will be structured as a class. He’ll take us through the wines – the region, the notes – with quick breaks for a bite to eat between wine “courses.”

We’re also thinking about a Friday night “White Party”– a potluck in the park. Attendees will bring the food and we’ll supply the décor. Everyone will wear white. We think it’ll be a buzz starter.

This summer we’re also working on a golf tournament at the new Skyway Golf Course at Lincoln Park. We will have food and beverages and some kind of contest, and maybe an after-party for people who don’t golf.

The 80’s prom was so popular that we’ve been getting requests to do it again, so we’re thinking about doing an 80’s homecoming in September.

How do people find out about the events, and do they have to live in the neighborhood?

The events are open to everyone! At this year’s Halloween candy giveaway, the number of children and the diversity of the kids was so beautiful. They were from all over JC.

The VVPA has a website and Facebook page. People can find out more about our events there. We also try to hang posters around the city.

The VVPA, like the other neighborhood associations, is a nonprofit. How is the money raised by these events used?

The money supports more events and also helps pay lawyers who advocate for things that we think need to happen (or be stopped) for our neighborhood. Every decision we make is by consensus and people only need to attend two meetings to vote.

How do people get involved in their neighborhood associations?

Check out the Downtown Coalition of Neighborhood Associations to find out more. City Hall can also help.

Let’s talk about your 20 years in Jersey City. What made you decide to make this town home?

I started out in Hamilton Park in 1996. Macy’s set me up with realtors in Hoboken and I was out with a big group looking at apartments. I was the only one looking for a one-bedroom. Everyone else was looking for a roommate situation. So we spent most of the day looking at two- and three-bedrooms and when we finally got to a single, two dudes in the group said “You have to take this apartment! There’s a sorority house next door!” And I thought that’s it. This is not for me. I told the realtor I need a place with more diversity, more families. She suggested JC and I asked her to draw me a map. I came over, parked downtown and started wandering. And I immediately loved it – I’m dodging little kids on bikes, seeing families – and thinking, this is really cool. I stopped to admire an old building and realized I was standing in front of a realtor’s office, so I walked in and said, “Help me!” The realtor took me over to the place on Hamilton and I signed the papers that afternoon. I’ve been happy in JC ever since.

My first place with Dermot, about four years later, was on Jersey Ave. We moved in on a Saturday and on the following Tuesday a bar opened on the first floor. It was great! We spent a lot of time there and our apartment became the place for after-parties. It’s where Rustique Pizza is now.

We moved here when there was really nowhere to eat. We had the Hamilton Ale House, the Hard Grove Café and the Flamingo Diner (now City Diner). Today it’s amazing. I still tend to overindulge just because I’m excited about all the choices! One of the best things about JC is that you know the people who work in and own the places. It makes it a great place to live. You can be in Manhattan in ten minutes, but each year there’s less reason to go across the river because there’s so much going on here.

What was it like here in the 90s?

My friend and I were talking about this recently. When something is being built, you think, “To me that’s always going to be Woolworth’s” or whatever it was. That it’s always going to be whatever you knew it as for a moment in your life. But now I walk by things, like on Newark Ave, and try to remember what they used to be. It’s hard! I remember when it was all nail salons and dollar stores. I actually remember going to the opening of the 99 Cent Dream because there wasn’t much else to do!

The city wasn’t clean. The architecture was here so it was beautiful in that way. But I remember when I was moving here, my friends in DC said “You can’t move there. That place is a war zone!” And I was like, “DC is the murder capital…I think I’m going to be fine.” And I’ve really never felt unsafe.

Where are your favorite places to hang out in JC?

Dermot and I are regulars here at Edward’s. Orale is also a home away from home. We actually just became the first members of Orale’s new La Familia – a thing they are starting for regulars. One of the perks is happy hour prices whenever we’re there. We also love BROA. The food there is unbelievable. The codfish fritters are like little pillows – so good!

Tell me about Jersey City in one sentence.

Changing all the time.

So do you plan on sticking around for another 20 years?

I’ve been here longer than anywhere else I’ve ever lived. And I hope to be here a long, long time.

Finally, where can people get your hot sauce?

Email me for a jar: ericblairc@yahoo.com