The Kenney Store Green Sauce
Rita Krueger is a self -proclaimed “foodie” who loves to create recipes. Her love of cooking came from her grandfather who also loved to cook. He would tell stories of when he was Sheriff of Wheeler County, Texas and oversaw the jail. With that, came the job of feeding the inmates. He would often do the cooking himself and told the story that some of the former inmates frequently visited the jail just for mealtime. He taught Rita the basics of cooking and measuring with your heart making sure to also teach her about having a diverse palate.
The dream of owning a restaurant was always Rita’s dream, but she followed her grandfather’s footsteps and went into law Enforcement. Sundays were her day to cook big meals, and frequently made meals for her coworkers and her family. After 20 years in Law Enforcement, she left it behind to pursue her dream.
When the opportunity for her and Tony to buy The Kenney Store came, she immediately started on recipes. There wasn’t an existing kitchen, so for the 5 months it took to build out the kitchen, Rita was developing recipes for the menu. At the time, her favorite dish was Fish Tacos. The fish had to be fried crispy, but tender inside, and have a sweet coleslaw. The only thing missing was a sauce to go on it. It couldn’t be too spicy and needed to compliment the fish and slaw. On Sundays, all the bachelors in town would come by to see what she was making. They volunteered to taste everything. It took a few times to get it right, but The Kenney Store Green Sauce was born on those Sunday afternoons. Just the right spice, flavor and consistency to make those fish tacos pop. Those Fish Tacos became a customer favorite.
A few years later, The Kenney Store Green Sauce was served with Tortilla Chips as an appetizer, and customers would buy it by the 20 oz. cup to take home. As the popularity of the Green Sauce grew, Tony and Rita knew it was time to grow bigger. In December of 2023, the Bellville Meat Market started selling it, and Brookshire Brothers in Bellville followed a few months later and it continued to grow to 50 plus stores.
Thank you for supporting our dream and our small business.
Tony and Rita Krueger
