When San Antonians hear the name Chris Perez, much comes to mind: he’s a Grammy Award-winning musician, a hot sauce entrepreneur, and the husband to the late Queen of Tejano music, Selena Quintanilla. One other label we can now add to the list? Pizza. Yup, that’s right — Perez now has his own pizza named after him, the Perezeroni Pizza, available at Pizza Patrón.
The collaboration celebrates the eatery’s 20th birthday in the Alamo City and uses Perez’s original hot sauce flavor (the Perez Pepper Sauce) as the key ingredient.
We recently got the change to ask him for the inside slice on this sizzlin’ collab.
How did your Perez Pepper Sauce come to be? Was it experimenting in the kitchen or maybe a family recipe?
I’ve always been a fan of spicy foods since I was a kid. So much so that I used to carry a baggie of serrano peppers to any restaurant I went to. It didn’t matter if it was a hole in the wall or a fancy place, I needed to add some heat to my meals.
My good friend John Gomez, who later became my business partner, always saw this happen and asked if I ever thought about making my own hot sauce.
In three words, how would you describe your Perezeroni Pizza?
I would say, ‘the perfect pizza’ with its spicy ranch base, 4-cheese blend (including a cheddar topper), and it is packed with pepperoni.
What was the inspiration behind working with Pizza Patron? Why this pizza spot?
The Perez Pepper Sauce logo has a lion because I am a Leo. Just like the lion is the king of the jungle, the Perez Pepper Sauce aims to be the king of hot sauces. Pizza Patrón has not only mastered the classics but pioneered the Latin-inspired pies.
I love that they aren’t afraid of bold flavors and turning up the heat on new pizzas. I am thrilled to have the Perezeroni in San Antonio, which is home to me and Pizza Patrón.
You recently released a few singles this year, should fans expect a new album soon from you and your band?
We have so many songs written and recorded. There are a few songs that I am actually singing the lead vocal on, but it’s never really been my thing. I love writing, and I’ll sing it if it’s on the demos. The whole frontman thing has never been my personality.
I also enjoy working with other artists, either through my production company, Blue Mariachi, or just business relationships where myself or the entire Chris Perez Band play the music.
Don’t miss Pizza Patron’s 20th anniversary celebration this Saturday, Oct. 28 at 7959 Fredericksburg Rd #101 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will kick-off with the announcement of the 20th-anniversary pizza box design contest winner followed by a meet-and-greet with Perez to the first 210 guests.
