Made from Scratch

The bright red Heinz ketchup so many people grew up on is the nostalgic choice for dousing French fries and slathering on burgers. But, truth be told, it doesn't really taste like anything but sweet and tang – not that there's anything wrong with that.

Chef Tim Kilcoyne introduces his reimagined version, with Scratch Ketchup. His has zip. It has zing. It even looks different, with flecks of spices throughout and toneddown red color.

Kilcoyne, who launched Scratch as a local food truck and gourmet product company, makes the ketchup with high-quality canned San Marzano tomatoes from California, adds locally sourced onion and garlic and the requisite sugar and vinegar. From there, he tweaks the tried-and-true flavors by tossing in cinnamon, cumin, cloves and star anise.

The result: a not-too-sweet, easy-to-pour condiment with personality. Use it on sandwiches, burgers and, of course, fries. Or venture out by dipping chilled, boiled shrimp in a pool of ketchup.

Scratch ketchup is the first of what Kilcoyne hopes will be more condiment offerings. "The plan is to have a few seasonal limited-quantity runs, like an heirloom tomato ketchup and a pumpkin ketchup," he says. "Those will mainly focus on using only local ingredients."

Bottles are available at the food truck, which can be spotted throughout the week at many popular county venues and events, and at select Ventura County retailers.

Visit ScratchVentura.com to see the full list.