The Patriots may be on a hot streak, but vice chairman Jonathan Kraft, 39, has a hot streak of his own that goes back to childhood.

He’s a jalapeno man, on eggs, crackers, or on burgers, pickled or plain.

“When we were just down in Houston [for a November game], I had some that were deep-fried with cheddar cheese, and that was pretty good. But that was a dish,” he says. “Jalapenos as jalapenos, I don’t think you could improve them. I guess you could make them spicier, but I’m pretty much happy with the taste as they are.”

As is true for many facets of his life, Kraft says his father, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, had a role in sparking this lifelong passion: “My dad used to order roast-beef subs with pickles and hot peppers from Pino’s Pizza in Cleveland Circle, and I used to beg him for a bite. Sometime when I was around 12 or 13, he let me have my first bite, and I fell in love with hot peppers.”

In much the same fashion, Jonathan Kraft has already handed the torch to the next generation.

“I have a 7-year-old son who’s been eating them since he was 5,” Kraft says. “We were at the Fleetcenter one night. I was having nachos, with jalapenos, and was asking me to try them. Finally, to teach him, I said, ‘sure.’ But instead of hating them … He’s like me. It must be genetic.”