Following our recent article on the ongoing rift between Starr Edwards, founder of Bitchin’ Sauce, and her brothers Ryan and Porter Smith - now the faces of rival company JeeSauce - SanDiegoVille received an email Friday morning from Luke Edwards, Starr’s husband and co-founder of Bitchin’ Sauce. The email, sent under his signature as Founder and President of Bitchin’ Sauce and Bitchin’ Music Group, pushes back on the narrative shared by the Smith brothers and provides a trove of private correspondence from within the divided family.
"I recently saw your article covering Bitchin' Sauce that described the broadcasting of my wife's private personal email correspondence. I figured you might as well have the full thread, as the broadcasted email and context is incomplete," Luke wrote, before attaching eleven separate documents. He noted that several came with consent from the authors - family members and friends who have supported Starr since the company’s early days.
Among the documents are letters from cousins and longtime friends, all condemning Ryan and Porter's social media tactics and podcast "saucecasts," which have repeatedly taken shots at Starr, her company, and even her children. The tone of the letters ranges from heartbroken to scathing: relatives accuse the Smith brothers of "publicly humiliating" their sister, "trading love for bitterness," and "turning pain into product."
One letter, signed by Starr’s cousins, pleaded: "Public storytelling doesn’t win people back. It pushes them further away." Another from the company’s CFO, Olivia Edwards, stated bluntly: "Accept that you were treated fairly and respectably when you quit and that your early work does not entitle you to any part of the business. There is no debt owed you from Starr, Bitchin’ Sauce, or anyone affiliated."
The most striking attachment, however, appears to be a document attributed to Ryan and Porter themselves. Titled "Letter from the Brothers," it allegedly contains claims accusing Starr of misconduct within the family and urging her to seek reconciliation through personal reflection. The text suggests a belief that her financial success is linked to their collective past, though the details remain unverified.
However, following publication, the Smiths’ mother contacted SanDiegoVille directly to request that her personal letter be removed, explaining that she had not authorized her sons to share it. In response to her request, the letter has since been taken down from this article.
Luke also addressed a swirling side controversy involving Bitchin’ Sauce's former Carlsbad Lagoon property, where rumors claimed Starr's ownership displaced a small business, Floating Yogis. Luke pushed back: "Bitchin’ Inc. purchased the property in January 2021 as a community outreach and recreation center… The Floating Yogis solicited us for employment at the Bitchin’ Beach Club and were subsequently hired to run our yoga and water sports program, following the sale of their business." He added that the property hosted nonprofit events serving foster and refugee children before being sold earlier this year.
The email closes with Luke defending Starr's restraint: "Starr has made a concerted effort not to publicly or privately disparage or incriminate her brothers over the events that happened over 10 years ago and since. We both believe that a contentious and incomplete narrative is misleading and a false representation of our broader Edwards and Smith families, our business, and brand."
This marks one of the first times Bitchin' Sauce leadership has directly engaged with the feud in such a public way, countering the Smith brothers’ narrative with its own stack of documents. While the attachments cast Ryan and Porter as aggressors bent on "smear campaigns," they also confirm just how deep the wounds still run in one of San Diego’s most successful entrepreneurial families.
The email closes with Luke defending Starr's restraint: "Starr has made a concerted effort not to publicly or privately disparage or incriminate her brothers over the events that happened over 10 years ago and since. We both believe that a contentious and incomplete narrative is misleading and a false representation of our broader Edwards and Smith families, our business, and brand."
This marks one of the first times Bitchin' Sauce leadership has directly engaged with the feud in such a public way, countering the Smith brothers’ narrative with its own stack of documents. While the attachments cast Ryan and Porter as aggressors bent on "smear campaigns," they also confirm just how deep the wounds still run in one of San Diego’s most successful entrepreneurial families.
Now, with Porter Smith’s new email and their mother’s letter entering the public fray, the divide is even more stark—pitting Luke and Starr’s defense of the company’s legacy against pleas from within the Smith family for mediation, repentance, and reunion under faith.
For now, the Edwardses appear intent on keeping Bitchin’ Sauce aligned with its philanthropic and business growth - the brand is stocked in Costco, Whole Foods, and Starbucks nationwide, with sales reportedly topping $55 million annually. JeeSauce, meanwhile, continues to lean into its underdog story, marketing itself as the true successor to the "sauciest story ever told."
What’s clear is that the Bitchin’ family drama isn’t just a private dispute - it’s become part of the brand identities themselves, fueling loyalty, criticism, and fascination in equal measure. And now, thanks to the release of these personal letters, the saga is more public than ever.
What’s clear is that the Bitchin’ family drama isn’t just a private dispute - it’s become part of the brand identities themselves, fueling loyalty, criticism, and fascination in equal measure. And now, thanks to the release of these personal letters, the saga is more public than ever.
For more information about the history of the Bitchin' Sauce battle, check out our original article, and see the email and attachments below.
[ATTACHED LETTER REMOVED AT BERNADETTE SMITH'S REQUEST]
