Creating a Latin American-themed restaurant long had been on Randy Hobson’s mind, but the idea needed to wait its turn. After leaving a 25-year career at plastics manufacturer Berry Global to pursue food entrepreneurship, Hobson launched a trio of major ventures – Pangea Kitchen in 2016, 2nd Language in 2020, and Pangea Pizzeria in 2022. Those businesses took off quickly and expanded Evansville’s collective palate, which was Hobson’s goal from the beginning.
His next step became Sazón y Fuego (Spanish for “seasoning and fire”), which opened in October 2024 off Indiana 66 in Newburgh. A restaurant with Latin American fare and flair “was something that always was out there, but we felt like our ability to execute the other concepts at the time made more sense,” Hobson says. “As the businesses grew and we saw more Latino employees being involved, and just creating some critical mass, I think our comfort level went up to approach this.”
Adding to Hobson’s confidence was the enduring popularity of Latino cuisine. “Even in my life at Berry 10 years ago, companies like Procter & Gamble and General Mills were starting to really focus on more Latino brands, marketing to Latinos,” Hobson says. “So, those are all leading indicators that ultimately got us to where we’re at today.”
Hobson assembled an all-star squad to get things rolling. Everything starts in the kitchen, and through mutual friends, he discovered Alexis Campos, a native of Peru who had worked at Inkas Charcoal Grill & Bar on Evansville’s North Side. That business closed in 2022, and it was first thought that Campos would only play a role in forming Sazón y Fuego’s menu. But that changed when Campos quickly built a rapport with Hobson and his team.
“It was a mutual love, honestly,” says Gina Videa, Pangea Holdings’ employee development manager. “We were like, what about we do this full-time? It was just meant to be.”
Along the way, Hobson also connected with Evan Mooney, a Castle High School graduate who worked at Cavanaugh’s on the River before attending the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. He later managed restaurants in Southern California, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Dallas, Texas, before moving home and joining Hobson as operations manager for Pangea Holdings.
Hobson made another critical acquisition, although this one wasn’t a person. Sazón y Fuego uses a small charcoal oven, which Hobson describes as expensive and rare for this part of the U.S. It was built in Mexico City, and reflecting the restaurant’s “seasoning and fire” name, Hobson says the oven is used in the preparation of “anything and everything that we provide … it just imparts so much flavor.”
Onto those flavors. Sazón y Fuego’s menu is upscale, but beyond that, it does not fit a simple description. There’s influ- ence from Nicaragua, Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina, and Cuba. Several dishes are native to Campos’ Peru.
Sazón y Fuego has two varieties of ceviche, for instance, including a Peruvian choice that Campos makes. “They are definitely different, the flavor profiles and ingredients,” Hobson says. Peruvian ceviche was created by fishermen who cooked their catches with lime and salt, Campos says. He prepares the dish with two types of corn, chili pepper, and cilantro, and says it is “always on Peruvian tables.”
Other intriguing appetizers include a quinoa salad, arepas, empanadas, and chicharrones (crispy fried pork belly).
Main dishes like Peruvian chicken and pasta al pesto also are nods to Campos’ homeland. More choices include ropa vieja, which is a beef dish, and seafood delicacies such as pan-seared mahi and arroz con mariscos. Choripán is grilled Argentinian sausage, cochinita pibil features marinated pork shoulder, and lomo saltado (Peru, again) is marinated beef stir fried with onions and tomatoes.
Sazón y Fuego’s steaks are proving highly popular in the restaurant’s first few months. The picanha (commonly called a top sirloin cap). New York strip, and prime ribeye, as well as the lamb chops, all are served with tangy chimichurri. For the unfamiliar, the green, fresh herb sauce is native to Argentina and adds some zing to cuts of savory, juicy beef.
The restaurant set up shop in the space that once was The Wine Down in Newburgh. The interior is decorated with murals of South American caves and traditional tapestries — both created by artist Savan- nah Jane Walton — and masks native to Central and South American cultures. The stained glass windows originated from a church in England, Mooney says; the Sazón y Fuego team built out the front exterior wall to fit them. Diners can enjoy a full bar and desserts like passion fruit mousse, a fla- vorful mousse with a gel center, edible gold accent, and almond and caramel foundation created by pastry chef Sarah Bruggeman.
Consistent with Hobson’s other restaurants, Sazón y Fuego searches locally and far beyond for the best products available. And Hobson’s Sazón y Fuego team has embraced his philosophy of encouraging diners to sample more worldly tastes.
“It is a fun journey for us, and we are excited about it,” Mooney says. “We are trying to really use that approach with all our guests and say, here, just try it.”
