This jar of Border Grill’s famous orange border salsa was purchased in a local grocery store. (Courtesy photo)

MARQUETTE — Border Grill’s beloved orange sauce has made its way to store shelves due to popular demand.

Border Grill, a small Upper Peninsula restaurant chain estalibhsed in 1997, serves “fast casual” Mexican food with fresh ingredients, marinated and grilled meats, and made-from-scratch items.

The restaurant’s border salsa — also called the orange sauce or just the orange stuff — is a favorite among locals and even draws many former Marquette residents back to the area just for a taste.

“It is a lifeblood ingredient of many of our menu items and served on the side with chips on most of our meals,” said Border Grill certified executive chef and COO Nathan Mileski. “It’s a mild salsa we make from fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic and chiles…. This is not like other salsas as we make it from fresh tomatoes and cooked in a unique way.”

Mileski said the unique U.P. salsa strikes a chord with so many who have lived in and visited Marquette because it “strikes a fond food memory” of their childhood or college years.

Over the past three years, Mileski said the Border Grill team has been figuring out how to ship the border salsa due to many requests — some as far away as Alaska. With the help of Michigan Made in Harvey, it’s available to order online at justmichiganmade.net.

On the taste of the salsa, Mileski said, “it can and does change taste slightly over the seasons based on onions, garlic and tomato growing regions and ripeness. In the summer, for example, it is much sweeter based on better vine ripening, in the winter the onions and garlic are stronger and more predominant.”

Regardless of the taste, he assured the public that it’s made in the “same kettles” it’s been made in “by the same chefs.”

“We did not change the cooking process or recipe to get it on store shelves,” Mileski said. “I would also say that most people are used to it being chilled when they eat it, so I suggest placing it in the refrigerator prior to eating if you can wait long enough to get the restaurant experience. Serving it warm you will get more of the onion and garlic notes.”

Due to the acquisition of Mama Russo’s and a production facility in Ishpeming, Border Grill is able to work in tandem with a new company — Focus Consumer Products, a sister company to Border Grill — that handles the production, sales and distribution of the product.

“We have established an approved production process and storage method and have been in the final testing phase since the fall,” Mileski said. “The intention was to slowly roll out the product at a pilot store or two and build up inventory. What happened was an overwhelming demand as soon as the product was available. We have been very excited and slightly taken back by how fast the word was out and the calls rolled in from long-established Mama Russo’s customers requesting our border salsa. Our small controlled launch quickly turned into multiple locations throughout the Mama Russo service area and we have been running since.”

The following Marquette stores will carry the orange sauce: SuperOne Foods, Tadych’s Marketplace Foods, Cal’s Pastry Store, Campus BP, Blue Link, EZ North and Kenny’s Corner.

More local stores carrying the sauce are Lofaro’s Fresh Market and Michigan Made in Harvey; SuperOne Foods in Negaunee; Jim’s Jubilee Foods, Elaine’s Place and the 581 Little Store in Ishpeming; as well as Sawyer Village Shoppette and Larry’s Family Foods in Gwinn.

Other locations to look are Lofaro’s Fresh Market in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, Elmer’s County Store in Escanaba, the Chatham Co-op, Family Foods in Iron River, Pat’s Foods in Hancock and L’Anse, Louie’s Fresh Market in Lake Linden, Mac’s Market in Newberry and AuTrain Grocery.

Alexandria Bournonville can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 506. Her email address is abournonville@miningjournal.net.