Glen Powell’s Got the Sauce: We Tasted His New Condiment Line, and Here's What We Think

The Hollywood heartthrob wants to bring people together—and his love language might just be his key ingredient.

April 2, 2025

Illo of Glen Powell sauce for Smash Kitchen

Forget words of affirmation. Hollywood’s most sought-after heartthrob is all about acts of service. Specifically, food service.

I’m talking about Glen Powell, who has steadily climbed the ranks to become a bona fide movie star. If his effortless charm (and shirtless moments) in Anyone But You didn’t win you over, maybe his rugged, country boy swagger as the tornado wrangler in Twisters did. Or perhaps it was the way he embraced those viral capybara memes in stride, proving that he’s not just a pretty face—he’s got a great, easygoing sense of humor too.

Whatever the reason, there’s no denying that Powell’s got that refreshingly down-to-earth it factor that’s made him a fan favorite. So when I got an invite to grab lunch with him to discuss the very sexy topic of…condiments, I was confused—though all the more excited to attend. You see, Powell is launching his own line, Smash Kitchen.

On a sunny Tuesday afternoon in New York City, I joined the actor for a casual lunch featuring his favorite American classics—sliders with ketchup, hot pretzels with Dijon mustard, mini BLTs paired with spicy mayo, and of course brisket drizzled in barbecue sauce. (That last dish is the namesake of his Instagram-famous dog, Brisket, who couldn’t join us, though Powell happily showed photos on his phone.) Of course, every sauce on the table was Powell’s own creation. Alongside traditional ketchup and mustard, Smash Kitchen will debut with more creative condiments like hot honey ketchup, organic spicy mayo, and hot honey BBQ sauce.

As he eats alongside us—a mixed bag of media folk invited to, well, taste Glen’s sauce—Powell talks about each snack with enthusiasm and excitement, pairing every bite with a fun personal anecdote. Take ketchup, for example. “I used to eat so much ketchup,” Powell says. All that changed when, “I was at my buddy’s house sophomore year of high school, and he had a little sister. They had sleepovers at the same time we did, so we slept outside on the trampoline while the girls got to stay in the house. And while we were sleeping, they poured ketchup all over us. We didn’t feel it, we woke up in the Texas sun, and it had baked on us.” At this point, everyone around him is laughing. He’s charmed us all. “After that, I couldn’t eat ketchup for years and years and years,” he adds. That is, until he created his own.

While Powell might not be (yet) known for his culinary skills, he’s quick to point out that, as a proud Texan, he knows a thing or two about quality flavor—what tastes good, what’s too vinegary, what’s made with the best ingredients and leaves out, as he describes, the unnecessary ones like dyes and high-fructose corn syrup, and what’s overpriced. “In Austin, no one’s gonna pay $15 for a bottle of ketchup,” he bluntly points out. And despite his love for authentic Texan cuisine, the actor admits he’s never found a BBQ sauce that truly hits the mark—a major reason he wanted to make his version (which, I can confirm, is smoky, bold, and, more importantly, delicious).

For Powell, Smash Kitchen isn’t just about flavor, though—it’s about connection and bringing people together. “Growing up in Texas, life for the Powell family was always sort of around the kitchen,” he says. “We make hot sauces as a family.” Before his Top Gun fame, Powell was also the go-to chef at University of Texas tailgates, serving up wings and brisket for his hungry friends. And in addition to playing classic drinking games (he says flip cup is a mainstay), his family invented their own Thanksgiving tradition that he calls “eating games.” Basically, “everyone pays each other and bets on how far they can take it with hot sauce,” he explains with a smile. “It’s like betting on horses.”

While the internet keeps guessing about Powell’s mysterious love life, there’s at least one thing he’s clearing up: Whipping up delicious food is his ultimate love language. “I’ve realized that the way I express my love is with great ingredients,” he says. “I want to give people the best if they are the best.” (That’s part of the reason he tapped his own family members—his sisters, nieces, and nephews—to taste-test each and every one of his products over the past two years.)

As for what’s next for Powell, he’s got plenty on his plate already—he’s starring as a disgraced college football star in Hulu’s upcoming Chad Powers and recently wrapped filming for The Running Man (a remake of the original starring Arnold Schwarzenegger). And potentially…opening a restaurant? (To clear up any confusion, no, it doesn’t exist yet.) “Someone, I think, made it up,” Powell says about those theories. “They said I had a restaurant. I don’t have one…. But eventually I do want to open one in Austin.” And honestly, after spending two hours sampling his secret sauces, I’m all in for whatever he’s cooking up next.