Susan Witt, CEO and founder of Unique Foods, LLC, and Ace in the Bowl Salsa poses with her product during the Fancy Food Show event held in New York.
Choctaw Entrepreneur has a Hot Hand with an Ace in the Bowl
By Kendra Germany
_Choctaw Nation-
Edmond, Okla. - Susan Witt, founder and CEO of Unique Foods, LLC, has been spicing things up for over 20 years now.
Her original mild salsa recipe was first a hit with her friends and family. One day, after bringing her salsa to a party, a friend asked her if she ever thought about going commercial with her salsa.
Witt laughed off the question. At the time she was busy with her family’s dry cleaning business and being a mom.
Four years ago the same friend told others that his biggest regret was not convincing her to market her salsa.
She then decided that it was time to take a chance on her spicy mixture.
With the help of Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Product Center, she learned the process of commercializing her product.
From that encounter Unique Foods, LLC, and Ace in the Bowl Salsa was born.
In October 2012, Ace in the Bowl was in jars and ready to go on shelves.
“Last summer, I went to the Fancy Food Show in New York City, “ said Witt. “The product was well received and was named one of the best new products of 2015 by the Specialty Food Association.”
Ace in the Bowl is a Made in Oklahoma (MIO) product and is bottled in Mustang.
She also became a member of the MIO Coalition in June.
According to Witt, while MIO covers everything from salsa to soap, the MIO Coalition is food only.
“The Coalition is governed by the major food companies in Oklahoma. They let a few small companies join. I was elected into the coalition in June,” said Witt.
Ace in the Bowl is an all-natural, olive oil-based salsa with ingredients not found in other off-the-shelf salsas. It is also a sugar and gluten free product.
Currently, the salsa comes in three flavors, mild, medium, and hot.
According to Witt, the mild has no heat and is good for children and people with digestive issues. The medium has jalapenos and varies in heat.
“Medium varies, because jalapenos vary. It always has the same amount of jalapenos, but some are just hotter than others,” said Witt.
And the hot packs a lot of heat and has jalapenos, habaneros, and crushed red peppers. 
There are no artificial preservatives in Ace in the Bowl Salsa. “The only preservative in this is vinegar,” she said.
Her original recipe only included what she had in her kitchen.
“I got lucky, because people liked it,” she laughed.
Ace in the Bowl is available for purchase on the Ace in the Bowl website. It is also available for purchase at various grocery stores in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa areas, as well as several gift shop locations. Witt hopes to soon have her products in retail locations in southeastern Oklahoma as well. A full list of those retail locations is also available on the Ace in the Bowl website.
The salsa is also featured in a few salsa of the month clubs.
“One out of Pennsylvania has placed an order and another out of Austin Texas, will be placing an order,” said Witt.
Witt was also just approved to be on Amazon and redesigned her website and packaging label. “Our website is now on our label, so people know where to contact us.”
Witt is also working towards making packaging for a three jar pack gift set.
“Those will be great for mailing gifts. If you want to send a gift to someone in California, call me up and we will send it out,” said Witt.
Ace in the Bowl also has a fund raising program splitting the proceeds with them 50/50. “We have a three pack for 20 dollars. The group collects 20 dollars and gives me 10,” said Witt. “I don’t get to keep the 10, I use it for shipping and other costs. I don’t really make a profit off of the fund raising. It is a way for me to give back to the community.”
Witt hopes to someday add other products to the Ace in the Bowl lineup. She is working on adding an Italian salsa. She also hopes to eventually have dry mixes for dips and soups.
Witt is a proud member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Her grandfather Silas Anderson King and great-grandparents were on the original Dawes Rolls. “It is really important to me that the legacy of the Choctaws continues in my family. I am proud because I know how proud my grandpa was,” says Witt.
“Oklahoma is very fortunate to have many really good MIO products. But I can say, I’m one of the few producers who is Choctaw.”
For more information about Ace in the Bowl, including prices, locations and recipes, visit aceinthebowl.com.