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JTD Alumni Spotlight: PJ McNall '97

By Mary Corman '97
We recently had a chance to catch up with PJ McNall ‘97, co-founder of Zab’s Hot Sauce. His career spans multiple arenas and countries, but remains grounded in his Los Angeles community.
How did JTD shape where you are today?

I have very fond memories of John Thomas Dye. And I think it started me on a great path to where I am now. JTD was a fantastic school. It really shaped me. My business partner and best friend, Miles Soboroff, and I became friends at Harvard-Westlake, but we first met in fourth grade on the football field when JTD played Curtis. We still laugh that Miles and the Curtis team showed up to JTD, took one look at me and asked “Whose that huge guy. JTD is definitely going to win!” 

In good and difficult times, the teachers at John Thomas Dye were always supportive of both me and my family. If I had gone anywhere other than John Thomas Dye, I wouldn’t have gone to Harvard-Westlake, I wouldn’t have meet Miles and Zab’s wouldn’t exist.

Tell us a little bit about your life after JTD?

After graduating from USC, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I always loved cooking and food. I began working in the kitchen at Spago and then worked in different Los Angeles restaurants, moving up to sous chef. But after four or five years in kitchens, the lifestyle was really hard. You miss every holiday, every weekend with friends. So I decided to do something completely different and enlisted in the Army. I signed one contract for four years, was stationed in Texas and then deployed to Afghanistan and then South Korea. 

When I came back to the states, Miles was working in Florida and found this rare chili pepper that only grows in one part of Florida. The Datil chili pepper. It has this unique flavor that’s a little sweet and tingly. He brought it to me and asked if I could make a hot sauce with it. We started making small batches of Zab’s Hot Sauce and giving it to friends to taste. After a year and a half tweaking the recipe, we brought it to the Brentwood farmer’s market in fall of 2019 and have been expanding ever since. Because the flavor is more nuanced, it doesn’t blow out your palette, but actually makes you aware of what you are eating. Restaurants like Butcher’s Daughter and Prime Pizza and Prince Street use Zab’s because it elevates the food. We’re in supermarkets like Erewhon and Bristol Farms and Whole Foods around the country. And we’re continuing to expand. 

What is a day in the life of an entrepreneur?

We’re moving into a new factory this month, which expands our capabilities a lot. So each day is different. But before the move, we had our kitchen facility in South Central LA. I literally make our sauce there every day. Everything by hand. The Datil pepper is grown by one farmer in St. Augustine, Florida who we have an exclusive relationship with. Laying out the fresh ingredients, hand bottling and labeling them one at a time. We can do 1800 bottles a day. But as we expand, I’m focused more on the logistics. Shipping and distribution and making sure we can keep up with demand. 

What is your favorite JTD Memory?

It’s hard to pick just one. But there was one year my mom was the Head of The JTD Fair. I think it was 1994 and the theme was Wild Things. They choreographed a dance for the kids to open The Fair. We had to get to school early in the morning and everyone dressed up as jungle animals. I wore a lion costume and we all sang and danced to the Wild Thing song. It was really silly but so much fun. 

What is your favorite JTD Tradition?

I loved doing The Salutation of the Dawn. Everyone around the upper field, coming together each morning. A traditional moment of pause, to focus on time. Thinking back on it, it's such a good philosophy on how to approach the day—not to worry about tomorrow or yesterday, but focus on today. If I could remember all of words, I would still do it today. And if I have kids, I would teach it to them too. The Salutation of the Dawn was really very cool. 

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The John Thomas Dye School


11414 Chalon Road
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Phone: (310) 476-2811
The John Thomas Dye School admits students of any race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs.

Located In Los Angeles, CA, John Thomas Dye is an independent school for grades K-6. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.