[dropcap size=big]L[/dropcap]aura Ann Masura said the cat-face was meant to be cute.
She said a friend designed the logo for her homemade hot sauce. Mimicking the iconic label of the Los Angeles-area company Tapatio, Masura replaced the handsome mustachioed mariachi face with that of a white cat wearing a fish-outta-water expression.
The local food entrepreneur called her hot sauce TaPAWtio, a clear reference to the internationally known brand of hot sauce that was founded in 1971 in Maywood by an immigrant from Mexico — but with a cutesy kitty twist.
Marusa began vending to a few restaurants and specialty shops, placing her bottles of cat-faced “Tapawtio” to apparently great response, according to her website. On Facebook and her personal page Laura Ann Jams, Masura said she was now selling the hot sauce because of demand.
“It WAS a secret,” the original post said. “But I got so many requests …”