“It may be horseradish to you, but it’s my bread and butter,” said the relentlessly promotional, 60-year-old Tulkoff, who sports a tiger-skin blazer and matching tie when he touts his product at trade shows, factory tours and in interviews.
The tiger has been the company’s official mascot since Tulkoff returned home after World War II, during which he fought in Europe in the 802nd Tank Battalion. Its symbolic mascot was a tiger crushing a German tank. “When I returned, I said we have to put tiger into the product line.” So Tulkoff’s created Tiger Sauce, a horseradish-mayonnaise sauce, which has become the company’s second-biggest seller, after its traditional horseradish blend.