Willard Ashburn ’70 earned a runner-up award in Garden & Gun’s 2016 “Made in the South” drink category for his Crabby Bloody Mary Mix. The awards honor Southern makers’ commitment to creativity, craftsmanship and quality.
The Crabby Bloody Mary mix, which Willard calls “one of my girls,” includes Chesapeake Bay crab, dehydrated East Coast lobster and shrimp. “Kettle-cooked with tomato juice, hot sauce, horseradish, Worcestershire and clam juice, the crab breaks down to produce an umami-rich flavor and a texture similar to spicy cocktail sauce—a welcome taste of the coast at Sunday brunch,” according to the Garden & Gun announcement.
Willard has been operating his Ashburn Sauce Company since 2003. According to his website, the company “…believes in a consistent, uncompromising commitment to quality throughout the entire production process. Ashburn creates finest lines of private label bloody mary mixes, sauces and other specialty products. The sole motivation behind this passion is to deliver the wonderful experience that food can provide when ‘done right’!”
After graduating from Blue Ridge School, Willard earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Hampden-Sydney College. He then earned a graduate degree in microbiology from the University of Virginia as well as Thermal Processing Credentials from Cornell University.
Willard bottled his first barbecue sauce, Bucking Willy’s Sassy BBQ, in the early 1990s. In 2000, he left his job to create and sell his own line of sauces and food products, including the critically acclaimed Sassy Mary Bloody Mary Mix.
In 2004, his company became a member of Virginia’s Finest – a program that works to feature top quality Virginia-produced and processed products that meet the organization’s rigorous quality standards.
Today, demand for Willard’s line of Bloody Mary mixes and his original line of barbecue and hot sauces are at an all-time high. His company continues to expand both their menus and push the creative pallet of their customers. “Ashburn and Ashburn Sauce Company are vibrant and have a cutting-edge philosophy and blueprint for many future sauce combinations and other gourmet specialty foods!” writes Garden & Gun.
Willard is a native of Virginia Beach and the “quintessential, southern gentleman,” according to the Ashburn website. He is the ultimate outdoorsmen. He grew up on his family’s farm, has been a sportsman from an early age and still enjoys hunting, fishing, horseback riding and many other outdoor activities.
