Legendary New York Yankees closing pitcher and Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera made his NYC grocery store debut at the Bronx Terminal Market Food Bazaar on Aug. 27, introducing his new Habanero Hot sauce line Mo’s Heat.
Fans had the opportunity to meet and greet Rivera, get merchandise signed, take photos-ops, and purchase the Mo’s Heat hot sauce line-up at Food Bazaar.
Mo’s Heat Habanero Hot Sauce combines authentic Panamanian flavors with hand-selected habanero peppers and all-natural ingredients from a 122-year-old family recipe.
The officially licensed Major League Baseball collection features three sauces, each inspired by Rivera’s iconic pitches: “The Cutter,” “The Curve Green,” and “The Sinker.”
“It was a combination of passion and love,” Rivera said.
Rivera was introduced to the sauce 25 years ago in his hometown of Puerto Caimito, Panama, and quickly became a fan. The coastal town, known for its seafood, inspired Rivera to pair his favorite sauce, “The Cutter,” with local seafood dishes—a combination that would become central to his vision for the sauce today.
“When I pitch I show Panama, but with this sauce I’m bringing Panama to your house so you can taste Panama,” Rivera said. “The flavor of the Caribbean is our culture.”
Rivera said promoting the sauce at Bronx Terminal Market, across the road from his former workplace the Yankee Stadium, felt like a homecoming. “The Bronx is my house,” he said.
Eduardo Arango, Rivera’s business partner, introduced Rivera to his family’s generations-old sauce recipe in his hometown in Panama. Together, they refined the recipe into Mo’s all-natural signature sauces, debuting at the MLB Store in May 2026.
“It’s been an amazing ride,” Arango said. “We had the opportunity to put his image, his name, his excellent reputation with a really good hot sauce.”
In collaboration with Rokstar Chicken, Mo’s Hot Sauce served samples at its storefront inside Food Bazaar. Fans had the opportunity to try and purchase Mo’s Hot Sauce for the first time.
Richard Vasquez grew up watching Rivera playing for the Yankees. He said he came to meet Rivera for the first time, and is excited to try his new sauce, now that it’s available for purchase at his local supermarket.
“It’s not often they do events in the Bronx, so shout out to Food Bazaar for posting this and giving the Bronx fans the opportunity to meet one of the greatest baseball players ever,” Vasquez said.
Vasquez was not the only excited fan lined up to meet the former-Yankee pitcher.
Henry Diaz also grew up watching Rivera playing for the Yankees with his family in the Bronx and Washington Heights. He noted how often the Bronx is overlooked for meet-and-greet events like this and said he’s proud that the Bronx community has the opportunity to meet a returning Bronx icon near home field.
“I’m not even a hot sauce person, but since it’s him I’ll give it a try. I hope I don’t burn my mouth too much.”
Mo’s Hot Sauce is available for purchase on its website, at MLB Stores, and at Food Bazaar locations across the Tri-State Area.
