Veronica “Chef Pii” Shaw was all over social media last summer, thanks to her viral “Pink Sauce” condiment.
The bubblegum-hued condiment was a concoction that Shaw devised in her kitchen while working as a private chef in Miami.
She often finished her TikTok videos by slathering whatever she cooked in the mystery “Pink Sauce.”
Although Shaw never revealed the sauce’s ingredients, her followers demanded it, so she began selling the sauce for $20 a bottle, which quickly sold out. As quickly as orders came in, the backlash followed. Customer complaints about inadequate food packaging and alleged contamination began to damper the hype around the viral sauce.
The most significant blow was when Shaw went live to address followers questioning if her sauce was FDA-approved.
She responded, “What do you mean, ‘FDA-approved’? I don’t sell medical products.”
In January 2023, Delish announced that Shaw had partnered with Dave’s Gourmet. The condiment company added “Pink Sauce” to its portfolio, selling it on Walmart.com and in 4,000 locations nationwide until July.
The sauce was now in a new bottle, providing the standard nutrition and ingredient facts. Walmart.com also stated that Shaw’s “Pink Sauce is made at an SQF and FDA-approved facility.”
While the partnership seemed to change the trajectory of Shaw’s business, the internet sensation is claiming that’s not the case.
On Aug. 17, Shaw took to her Instagram, announcing the launch of her GoFund Me page and asking for financial assistance. Shaw alleged that a partnership left her in financial ruin.
“As a young entrepreneur with big dreams, I followed my intuition and went forth toward my dreams to create something new,” she wrote on her GoFundMe page. “I made a few mistakes on the way. Which lead me to trust a company that is trying to take everything away from me. They lied to me. They are not paying me and are not being transparent about records.”
She continued by writing, “I have tried on multiple occasions to try and come to one accord with them but they refuse to reimburse me for marketing expenses that I spent my own funds toward.”
Shaw then claimed she was “silenced” and “sabotaged.” She does not name said company in the video or on social media, and she wrote that it has difficult for her to care for and feed her children.
She then revealed she has been relying on her mother for assistance, who she wrote has been giving her “$20 just to get by on a daily basis.” Her money issues have left her “facing an eviction.”
“I need legal help,” she wrote toward he end of her plea. “They are refusing to pay me the royalty that is owed to me. I don’t know what else to do. I can’t give up. I need help.”
Since divulging her hardships, Shaw posted videos on her account alleging that her marketing ideas dating back to October 2022 were “rejected” and “ignored.”
Shaw also claimed the company is removing her Instagram posts where she is outing them.
She has since deleted posts containing her allegations from her page.
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Blavity reached out to Shaw for a statement. At the time of publishing, she had not responded. Dave‘s Gourmet has also not provided a comment on her claims.
