Brooklyn Peltz Beckham has determined his current life path will be charted by his palate.
The now 25-year-old first-born child of soccer icon David Beckham and designer-entrepreneur Victoria Beckham embraced the kitchen during the pandemic, evolving from self-proclaimed “foodie” to packaged goods entrepreneur with a soft spot for the hot sauces we all love—Frank’s RedHot, Cholula, and even Truff.
Peltz Beckham first flirted with making hot sauce two and a half years ago with his wife. “We were drunk in the kitchen together, and when you make hot sauce, it really kind of stinks up your whole house, and it was burning our eyes,” he says. “We were having just such a laugh with it.”
He recently launched Cloud23, a condiment line named after his favorite number, which he says is also the jersey number his father sported while playing for Real Madrid and the LA Galaxy and the date he proposed to his wife. The brand has millions of dollars in backing, exclusivity with Whole Foods Market, and Peltz Beckham’s more than 16 million Instagram followers ready to eat up his culinary adventures.
Ahead of the launch, we chatted about plunging into the hot sauce market, pasta cooking competitions with his dad, and his infamous technique for grilled cheese.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
You turned to a career in food during the pandemic. Why did that feel right after exploring so many other avenues?
Brooklyn Peltz Beckham: I’ve always been a foodie, but probably through the pandemic, I really started cooking and exploring in the kitchen more. I wanted to get into more of the business aspects of cooking. I fell in love with it. My dad and I love cooking pasta dishes. We compete to see whose spaghetti Bolognese is best.
What was your relationship to food growing up?
BPB: It has been a very big part of my life. I was lucky enough to travel and live in all these amazing places with my mom and dad, like Madrid, Milan, LA, Manchester, London, New York. And my dad’s a very big foodie, so it was always me and my dad going into all these restaurants, trying all these different types of food and cuisines.
You talk a lot about your love of sausage rolls and England’s pub culture. How has English food evolved from what you remember as a child?
BPB: I have a lot of American friends now, and they’re all, “Oh. English food isn’t great.... It doesn’t have much flavor.” I very highly disagree. Whenever I take my American friends to England, and I take them to my local pubs and some of my favorite restaurants and have some of my favorite dishes, they’re like, “Okay, I see now.” I think people go to the wrong places. Same with anywhere. People from New York know exactly where to go. It’s very much the same in the UK.
Is there a cooking moment you remember when you realized, “I really do enjoy this,” This is what I want to do?
BPB: Well, my favorite dish to make is spaghetti Bolognese. Whenever my dad said, “I’m going to make spaghetti Bolognese tonight,” I always had that butterfly feeling in my stomach.
What do you cook for your family?
BPB: My dad and I love cooking pasta dishes. We compete to see whose spaghetti Bolognese is best.
Wait, wait, wait. spaghetti Bolognese competitions?
BPB: They happen every time I see my family, which is very often. It’s a lot of fun, honestly, because it takes four or five hours from start to finish, and we’re just all vibing.
Who usually wins, and who are the judges?
BPB: My dad usually wins. Usually, it’s my sister who decides.
There’s only one judge?
BPB: My sister, yeah.
So you’re saying these competitions are biased toward your dad?
BPB: Yes.
Love it. You have decided that condiments, particularly hot sauce, are a big part of your brand. Tell me more about Cloud23. How did that come to be, and what is it?
BPB: So it’s going to be a luxury line of condiments, but I’m starting with two: sweet jalapeño and hot habanero. This isn’t just going to be a hot sauce. Every six to nine months we’re going to release two other condiments.
How many have you guys already conceived?
BPB: I’ve been working on a bunch, but I’m not going to tell you because then it won’t be a surprise.
Who do you see as your competition?
BPB: Truff. Their marketing was amazing. I’d say they’re my main competitor or definitely up there, because there’s not a lot of very high-end hot sauces.
We’ve got to talk about the grilled cheese video that has become part of your legacy. Is there a cheese you like to use?
BPB: I love a sharp cheddar mixed with a little bit of Swiss because Swiss is my wife’s favorite cheese, and cheddar is my favorite cheese.
Is there a specific technique that you like?
BPB: I like to use the flamer at the end, which I get a lot of hate for, but it’s my signature little move that I do to get that nice little charcoal.
Why do you like doing that?
BPB: The blowtorch? I don’t know. I like it more on the burnt side, so it just helps all over.
