Texas-style salsas made in Palmerston North

Kari Highstead chops onions for her next batch of Tex-As Salsas.

Houston, we have a problem. The salsa in New Zealand is nothing like back home in Texas.

So Palmerston North resident Kari Highstead discovered when she moved here with her husband and daughter in 2016.

She decided to make her own hot sauces, which she sells as Tex-As Salsas. The name is a combination of her Texas roots and Kiwi slang.

The nurse says growing up in Houston, Texas, Mexican food was readily available. When she lived elsewhere in the States she discovered the food styles were different.

"Then we get to New Zealand - why would I expect to find Texas-style salsas here."

So she started making her own and sharing them with friends.

"Why not share where I'm from with the community?"

Kari says her salsas are not sweet like Kiwis might be used to.

"It's different to anything I've found on the shelf here so I thought it might be a little niche area I could introduce."

In 2019, she started selling the salsas made in her certified commercial kitchen and now has 12 North Island retailers, including Be Free Grocer and Bin Inn in Palmerston North.

Her main ingredients are chillies, tomatoes, garlic, onions, coriander and lime juice.

"One of the things I'm proud of is that I use only New Zealand-grown produce."

There is a caveat - seasonal shortages of the tomatillos used in the salsa verde and garlic mean sometimes she has to use imported produce.

Her latest product is a dairy-based verde drizz currently being tested to determine its best before date.

Asked why the family moved to Palmerston North, Kari replied: "I say why not?"

The family had holidayed in New Zealand for two weeks in 2014 and was keen to move here. Palmerston North was where her husband, who is also a medical professional, got a job.

As they have travelled around New Zealand they have noticed Palmy gets a bad rap but they feel it is a good place to raise their daughter. But yes, there are days when she grumbles about the weather.

As an immigrant, Palmerston North's cultural diversity caught her eye.

"Overall the sense of community and inclusion, that's something I feel really strongly about here."

She enjoys the slower pace of life the city offers and having time for family and hobbies that were not afforded to her in the States because she and her husband were so busy with their jobs.

Two of Kari's hobbies are cooking and gardening, which fit in nicely with making salsa.