This Gearhart company even distributes its products in the islands.
GEARHART — The flavor of Hawaii flows to Northwest markets thanks to a coast-based business selling sauces made in Beaverton and based on a recipe picked up in the Marshall Islands decades ago.
It’s not as complicated as it sounds.
Terry and Jim Morrisey were working as teachers in Majuro in the Marshall Islands in the 1970s.
“That’s where we got the recipe for the sauce,” Terry said. “The Hawaiian family that took us in had this sauce and fed it to us.”
When they came back they used it in the Stop & Go Market Jim’s parents opened in Seaside. The sauce worked well on teriyaki chicken, meatballs and other items.
It was a hit with customers who wanted to buy just the sauce, and soon they were selling cups of it for $2.
In the 1990s the bottled sauce appeared on grocery store shelves in Portland and proved popular with customers.