This fast-growing salsa company in Denton is deeply rooted in family history and vibrant flavors of Tex-Mex

There’s a new salsa king in Denton. Though he’s humorously self-appointed, the title is both a mix of John Gallegos’ lighthearted personality, vibrant as his salsas, and having spent nearly a lifetime producing handcrafted, high-quality gourmet salsa.

As owner of Johnny G’s Salsa Co., Gallegos’ enthusiasm for sharing the product line with salsa lovers everywhere is almost contagious.

“My name might be on the bottle, but in the end I’m merely a conduit for the countless generations that came before,” he said. “Every jar of Johnny G’s salsa that goes out into the wild pays homage to that, and it’s a privilege to have a front-row seat to witness it all.”

Strongly committed to honoring Hispanic culture, Gallegos takes great care to ensure his salsa reflects its rich history, which is tied to his own Texas roots.

Gallegos was born and raised in Lubbock, and his great-grandfather Santiago Rios — the family’s master salsa maker — hailed from the West Texas town of Lorenzo. It was there that Gallegos grew close to him, watching as he created varieties of authentic scratch salsas.

“It’s always been a staple in our house, but I never thought about selling the products until the pandemic hit,” Gallegos said.

After working in the wireless industry for 10 years, an unrelated job offer brought him to Denton.

“About five years later, the pandemic motivated us to return to Lubbock to be close to family. I needed to make a living, and while job searching, I made salsa for friends and family. Word of its goodness spread, and the product kind of caught fire,” Gallegos said. “We use the freshest, top-quality, hand-selected ingredients for all our salsas.

Applying preparation methods passed down for generations, each variety is roasted, and all the peppers are smoked, which typically takes an entire day. A slow process, but worth it, because they’re all “Texas in a jar,” as Gallegos says.

Johnny G’s Salsa Co. offers a salsa for every level of taste, ranging from mild to robust to not for the faint of heart. Beginning with a mild (green) verde, their rojo (traditional red) has two versions, mild and medium. A fiery duo completes the lineup with a hot tatemada and extra hot Full Send, made from Carolina Reaper peppers.

Regardless of heat level, all the salsas emit a slow heat. The company also offers limited runs of ahuacatl, an avocado salsa, and seasonal Hatch green chile salsa.

Each jar is packaged in a nondescript brown paper bag for two reasons.

“We don’t need to be flamboyant. Let the product do the talking,” Gallegos said. “And it’s an homage to my great-grandfather and memories of sitting on his porch surrounded by paper bags filled with peaches left to dry in the sun.”

The significance of their logo? “Like a Lubbock tornado, our salsa is powerful.”

Before the family’s return to Denton in June 2023, Johnny G’s Salsa Co. built a loyal following of salsa fans in Lubbock and the surrounding area, appearing at farmers markets and stocking the shelves of local stores. Now it is Gallegos’ wish to share with Denton County what has been a staple in their family for generations.

Working from a commercial kitchen, the staff is composed of Gallegos, his wife, Rachael, and their 14-year-old daughter, Mykal.

“Mykal helps when she can because she’s starting to realize the value of a family business,” Gallegos said.

“I just want to share some of my background, the goodness of our product and what a proper salsa should be, while including some history of salsa’s origins and the culture that celebrates it,” Gallegos said. “At the end of the day, our customers are getting the Cadillac of salsas, and we are privileged to have our product on people’s tables. In some way, it makes us part of their family.”