The Sauce That Started It All
Before she was walking runways in Rome or appearing in high-fashion campaigns, Leslie Ann Woodward was a teenager behind the counter at Chick-fil-A in Spotsylvania Mall, Virginia. She was just 15 years old, sweeping floors, mopping up after closing, and taking a quiet pride in being part of something.
But it was during those late shifts, long after customers had gone home, that something unexpected began to simmer. Literally.
Leslie Ann (Ann, as she was known back then) had been experimenting in the kitchen, trying to make something that would complement her store manager’s offering of chicken nuggets. Her manager, Hugh Fleming, had recently started serving the nuggets, but Chick-fil-A didn’t offer them yet. The staff was instructed to pinch off a corner of each chicken breast and set it aside to be fried into “nuggets”. Hugh had a spark of innovation when it came to the nuggets, and 15-year-old high school student Ann matched it with curiosity about flavor. “We needed something new and different,” she says now. “I was always experimenting with recipes since I ate there so often.” What came out of those after-hours experiments, over many late nights, many failed batches, and a lot of stubborn determination: was a sweet, smoky, golden blend that the local customers couldn’t get enough of.
It would become known nationwide as THE Chick-fil-A Sauce. Born from the creative hands of a loyal 15-year-old girl who just wanted to make something delicious for her team. And for decades, that girl never told the story. She recounts, “I’ve seen a ton of copycat recipes, but nobody really gets it right. It’s so funny, some get some ingredients right and others get others right. If they would all work together, they might nail it.” She laughs. “But there is one ingredient that I’ve never seen anyone use. I’ll keep that to myself for now.” She grins.
Silence, Loyalty, and the Cost of Being Quiet
“I never said anything because I was raised that way,” Leslie Ann says now. “I was taught to respect my elders.” She would always come home to visit and never missed a chance to visit her former manager and grab a Chick-fil-A sandwich with extra pickles. Hugh would eat with her and her mom, recounting the days of her youth as the sample Girl, then the chicken suit mascot, and eventually a crew leader. “They just love your sauce around here, Ann,” She remembers him beaming with pride as someone who truly told her she could fly and gave her the first set of wings.
When Hugh Fleming claimed he made the sauce (out of love and admiration for him) Leslie Ann chose to stay quiet, even as Chick-fil-A grew into a household name and as that same sauce became a staple in homes and eventually grocery stores across the country. Over time, it became more than just a condiment. It became a symbol of the brand. But for Leslie Ann, it was a quiet reminder of something she had contributed to, but never claimed.
“I watched as my sauce became bigger and bigger,” she says now, with equal parts pride and reflection. “And I kept thinking, no one knows where it really came from. Not even close.”
The Moment Her Daughter Knew
Now, decades later, Leslie Ann sometimes finds herself at a Chick-fil-A with her now 10-year-old daughter, Everly, who knows the full story. On one recent visit, her daughter looked over at her as the cashier handed them packets of the famous sauce.
“Mom, if all these people here only knew,” she said, eyes wide, “that you are standing right here!” Everly beamed with pride.
Leslie Ann laughs when she tells the story. “Of everything I’ve ever done, all the modeling, the marketing, the celebrity connections, all of it, my daughter is most impressed with my creation of that sauce,” she says with a smile. “And honestly, I get it. It’s relatable. It’s something that people love, and I love that she sees the power in that.”
For Leslie Ann, it’s a full-circle moment. From making it in secret at 15 to watching it come full bloom on a national scale, with her child now understanding the story, there’s something poetic about it.
Hugh Fleming and the Forgotten Collaboration
Leslie Ann is quick to mention Hugh Fleming when she tells the story. “He’s the one who’s officially credited with the sauce, and I respect that. But the truth is, his focus was on the nuggets. That was his idea. He saw a future with that menu item and wanted something that would pair well with it. The sauce was just… needed.”
Hugh let her experiment. He supported her and believed in her. “He gave me the confidence and thespace,” Leslie Ann says. “Without him, I never would have had the opportunity.”
The sauce wasn’t about recognition back then. It was about being part of something, about being trusted to contribute. Leslie Ann still remembers the rush of the early days, how customers reacted, how the sauce quietly began to take off.
“It was a different world,” she says. “No one thought a teenage girl working behind a fast food counter could influence and further the success of a national brand. But that’s what happened.”
Beauty, Brains, and the Road Less Told
The story of Leslie Ann Woodward is so much more than a condiment, though the sauce was an early sign of what was to come. After high school, she moved to New York City and was signed by Elite Model Management. Her career took her from the streets of Manhattan to the Spanish Steps of Rome, where she walked for Versace, Valentino, and other iconic designers.
She graced the covers of international magazines, appeared in commercials for Levi’s and Diet Coke, and eventually built a life of creative ventures in marketing, interior design, and skincare. But even in those glossy years, the story of the sauce never made it into print.
Until now.
Because as impressive as her modeling and business credentials may be, the silent act of creation behind a now-iconic product is perhaps her most enduring legacy. It was personal. It was private. And for years, it was completely untold.
Finally, Her Voice
Today, Leslie Ann lives in California, raising her daughter, reflecting on the many chapters of her life. And while the modeling career and the high-profile relationships have earned their share of attention, she says this story, this one, about a girl, a sauce, and a quiet decision to walk away—is the one that matters most to her.
“It’s the most interesting thing about me,” she says. “Because it was mine. And no one ever knew.”
Now they do.
