When Camille Worstell Allensworth began experimenting with chickpeas and hot sauce in her kitchen, she was searching for a condiment that tasted indulgent without abandoning nutrition.
Now, the Jackson High School graduate is bringing the result home.
Sauce Revival, the plant-based condiment company Allensworth co-founded with college friend Melissa Hilton, will have a place in 25 Giant Eagle Market District stores beginning Sept. 3. The rollout includes the Market District in Green, bringing Allensworth’s products close to the Stark County community where she grew up.
“I can’t be more excited to be launching our sauce line at the Giant Eagle Market Districts,” said Allensworth. “It’s like coming full circle for me, having the product on the shelf in Green, so close to my roots.
The expansion marks a homecoming for Allensworth and a major step for a young brand that began in two friends’ kitchens and quickly outgrew its initial test run.
From college friends to company founders
Allensworth grew up in Canton and graduated from Jackson High School in 2017. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in marketing from Ohio State University in 2020.
Hilton earned her marketing degree from Miami University.
The best friends later worked as product developers for Bath & Body Works, where their jobs included frequent travel.
Life on the road also made eating well more difficult. Both women experienced digestive issues and began paying closer attention to gut health and the ingredients in their food.
They shared a particular frustration about condiments. The sauces they loved were often loaded with ingredients they wanted to avoid, while the healthier alternatives tended to sacrifice flavor. Few offered any added nutritional or functional benefit.
That gap became the foundation for Sauce Revival − a line of creamy, plant-based sauces designed to deliver bold flavor along with prebiotic fiber.
A chickpea-based beginning
The pair began testing recipes in their home kitchens, eventually using chickpeas as the base of their first sauce.
Their signature Mild Buffalo sauce, nicknamed “Buff Chick,” became Sauce Revival’s debut product. The tangy, restaurant-style buffalo sauce delivers mild heat with a smooth, creamy finish.
An early launch sold out, encouraging the founders to take the next step. They found a manufacturer in Charleston, South Carolina, and completed their first official production run of 3,000 bottles in October 2025.
The sauce initially was sold online, at farmers markets and through independent retailers, primarily in the Columbus area. The founders eventually tested the product in more than 35 independent grocery locations after starting with a single Columbus store.
“The customer feedback has been wonderful,” added Allensworth. “And we’ve created a healthful, flavorful and smooth texture that anyone − vegan, gluten-free or not − can enjoy.”
Strong early sales showed Allensworth and Hilton that the concept could stretch beyond farmers markets and small production runs. They paused production to refine the recipes, redesign the packaging and prepare the business for wider retail distribution.
Allensworth moved with her husband to San Francisco in May, but the company’s Ohio roots − and its connection to her hometown − remain central to its growth.
Three sauces, one nutritional mission
Sauce Revival’s expanded lineup will launch Aug. 18 with three creamy condiments − Mild Buffalo, Honey Mustard and Fry Sauce.
Each bottle contains 48 grams of prebiotic fiber, and the sauces use chickpeas and chicory root inulin to create their creamy texture and functional benefit.
The products also are made with avocado oil and contain no seed oils, gums or artificial preservatives. The full lineup is vegan, gluten-free, low in sodium and free of refined sugar.
Apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, roasted garlic and other familiar ingredients add acidity and depth without relying on heavy fillers.
What sets Sauce Revival apart is its ingredient list and nutritional profile. According to the National Institutes of Health, prebiotic fiber serves as nourishment for beneficial bacteria in the gut and can help support digestive health.
The sauces also contain fewer calories and less fat, sugar and sodium than many conventional alternatives. The founders say their goal is to pair bold, familiar flavors with ingredients that offer added function without making condiments feel overly serious or restrictive.
The flavors include:
The Mild Buffalo sauce introduced customers to the brand. Honey Mustard and Fry Sauce will make their official debut as part of the Aug. 18 relaunch. Each variety will have a suggested retail price of $9.99.
Sauce Revival comes home
The relaunch includes updated custom packaging and manufacturing changes intended to help Sauce Revival move from small test batches into broader grocery distribution.
Customers can order all three flavors beginning Aug. 18 at saucerevival.com. The sauces are scheduled to arrive Sept. 3 at 25 Giant Eagle Market District locations.
For Allensworth, having Sauce Revival sold at the Market District in Green gives the company’s growth a full-circle quality. What began as an idea between two Ohio friends − and took shape through kitchen experiments, farmers markets and a sold-out launch − will soon be available just minutes from the community where she grew up.
Bev Shaffer, Food & Drink reporter for The Canton Repository, can be reached at bshaffer@usatodayco.com or 330-580-8318.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Jackson High School alum brings sauce brand home
Reporting by Bev Shaffer, The Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Bev Shaffer, The Repository | USA TODAY Network
