Well said Chris, Nick deserves a thank you from us all.

Very wel written, Chris - and yes, a big thank you to Nick!!

I agree whole heartedly! Thanks Nick and thanks to you all for the fun, information and for the new friends! Long may HSB reign!

Holy shit d00d, where did ya learn to write like that
I have to agree, he does a great job.
I would try to do something like that and it ends up being twice as long and like it says thanks d00d uhh yer really good an uhh,*scatch head* ya make web easy like. God do more. Props.
Thanks for sayin what the rest of us only thought or took for granted!

Kindest Regards to Nick and Chris K, (and all others, yes even you parker (parker is mad at me)

Paul MacDonald
aka pmac on HSB

Thanks Chris for putting it into words, I agree that it has been an experience over the last few months. Nick has shown over and over to be the consummate professional and has provided every service and/or request possible to just about anyone who has asked- without being to squishy, thanks Nick.

Well put Chris. I was getting all warm and squishy reading that as well. Very well put. You took the words out of all of our mouths. Thanks Chris and enspecially a big THANK YOU to Nick. I met some really great people because of the Blog and I hope to meet many more. Good Stuff!

I’m ssoooooooo dead!

Not that I have been around all that long, Blair & Jim C make me look like an adolescent, this blog thing is the best new thing to hit the hot sauce/chilehead community since habaneros. I have told both Nick & Joe / Linda that this is the perfect way for a manufacturer to interact or just lurk and discover just what it is that makes our products good/bad or succeed/fail. It’s also a great way to see just what the other guys (competitors, although I don’t look at them that way, I just think we’re all in this together) are up to.

One of the things I’ve often said about chileheads, they possess a passion once they’ve made the step to hot/spicy. There is no middle ground (lukewarm) feelings, it starts a quest for hotter, more flavorful, whatever. Dave Dewitt made the comment on one of the FoodTV specials Jim & I were on, “You never hear hear someone who says I’ve tried hot/spicy and now I’m going back to bland”. It becomes a passion for life. Even if one can’t handle the burn of extract or the fire of habs, they find a level of heat and just dwell at that level. Best of all they are welcomed into this brotherhood with open arms!

Every once in a while we are joined by a few that take an evangelical approach to their passion. Nick and Joe/Linda are the sort I’m talking about. They have devised a way to extend and unite the chilehead community with ideas of their own. We can see what some of these products are like and not have to go by the marketing mumbo jumbo we makers put on the bottle or in our ad material. And, we can meet people (sometimes I wonder if that term fits) who are as crazy about all things fiery as we are. Just a phenominal idea and the biggest thing to hit our industry in years.

Nick, great job. Thanks to Joe & Linda as well. Chris, kudos for taking the time to express what many of us feel. It’s good to be a part of this.

I would have commented earlier, but I couldn’t stop crying…haha
Nick…I really appreciate the work you put into this site! Thanks for allowing me to be apart of the crew..

Good job and thanks Chris for writing that. A big thank you to Nick for all that you have done for everyone.

Very well put Chris! Nick really does go all out to make this Happen. We should take him out for beers!

mad props al’round.

Nick Lindauer on 3/26/2006 at 10:32 am said:

Ah shucks - You guys are giving me a warm squishy feeling.

No, wait, that’s the Napalm Burger from last night

eww.

Yeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhhh Boooyyyeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!

Here Here

I totally agree with everything said. Not only does Nick put it alot of work to appeasing us all but you can tell it is also a passion of his. His sites are always well designed and thought out. Around here people here I collect hot sauce and they say oh thats cool but here it is normal and I feel at home! Whether we collect or just eat it the passion is the same. I enjoy reading the new additions to the blog every day and the people just make it better by contributing their ideas. Nick keep up the good work man! If you ever need to delegate some responsibilities to help out you know where to find us!! Chilieheads unite!

I’m in the same boat as a lot of you guys. Where I use to have a lot of projects being completed, now much of my time is spent cruising this damn blog. Needless to say I don’t think my wife isn’t very happy about it. And it’s all Nick’s fault!!!!!!

Seriously though, Nick deserves every bit of praise he’s given. Thank you Sir for giving us this venue for the sharing of ideas, knowledge and goodwill for all who come!

One thing is certain, we’re all becoming a large part of Hot Sauce History!

We should also not forget the The Hot Zone Online.com and Hot Pepper.com. If you’re not visiting and commenting on either one, you’re missing a wonderful opportunity to make more friends!

Humbly Yours,
Randy the…Mississippi Sauce King

MSK on 3/26/2006 at 2:17 pm said:

I’m in the same boat as a lot of you guys. Where I use to have a lot of projects being completed, now much of my time is spent cruising this damn blog. Needless to say I don’t think my wife isn’t very happy about it. And it’s all Nick’s fault!!!!!!

Seriously though, Nick deserves every bit of praise he’s given. Thank you Sir for giving us this venue for the sharing of ideas, knowledge and goodwill for all who come!

One thing is certain, we’re all becoming a large part of Hot Sauce History!

We should also not forget the The Hot Zone Online.com and Hot Pepper.com. If you’re not visiting and commenting on either one, you’re missing a wonderful opportunity to make more friends!

Humbly Yours,
Randy the…Mississippi Sauce King

We all hear the same thing MSK - “Get off the computer!” LOL

Hey, it’s not just the wives that complain. I got a hubby that seems to think I live at the desk when I’m home. Our computer is in the bedroom so sometimes I wake him up when you all make me laugh. I may not post as often as the rest, but I’m here lurking about.

But seriously Nick great job and huge thanks.

Nick you do some amazing work.. thanks for the everything.. and keep it up.. who know’s what you’ll think of next

Shanethemac on 3/26/2006 at 3:06 pm said:

Nick you do some amazing work.. thanks for the everything.. and keep it up.. who know’s what you’ll think of next

Yeah I second that. Thanks Nick - Great work!!!

seriously when you think about it.. after the Signed HBS idea.. kinda makes ya shiver a little wonder what other amazing ideas nick can come up with.. (or it could just be me)

Guys, thanks for all the support.

For those not around for the birth of the HSB Signed Bottle, here is a recap of what went down.
This was a joint idea from a couple of great guys who were just “talking” here on HSB and its a testament as to what can happen when we all get together and start thinking.
Thank you my brothers!

chris k on 2/28/2006 at 7:48 pm said:

here is one more ryan…(and everyone)
we could (dont laugh, its just an idea) all agree on a bottle to use.
each of us buys a bottle and signs it…we then send it to the next person on the list and so on.
in a couple of weeks (ending around the same time), we would each have a limited and unique bottle of hot sauce and it would be signed by all the die-hard chileheads on HSB???
only cost is the original bottle - use something “normal” and the cost to ship (over and over again) still under 100 bucks
what do you think? its a bottle that no one else could produce since all of us hand signed it.

eman on 2/28/2006 at 8:09 pm said:

That is a killer idea!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nick Lindauer on 2/28/2006 at 8:12 pm said:

Who would end up with the final bottle though?

ryan on 2/28/2006 at 8:26 pm said:

I like the idea. Let’s get to work on it. We’ll figure out the details in the coming days.

chris k on 2/28/2006 at 8:55 pm said:

everyone would end up with one.
see, each of us starts with a bottle of sauce (we need to decide which one and each buy one)
We sign it and send to next person (need to make a list of all involved and get addresses and maybe include that “paper” in the box with the sauce.
this would go on until everyone signed all the bottles
we would each end up signing X amount of bottles and we would all end up with “a signed by all bottle”.
and, each bottle would be just a bit different because of where we sign em..need to set some rules though. only sign your name and no extra comments
we need alll the space for everyones signature.

Nick Lindauer on 2/28/2006 at 9:19 pm said:

Alright then, you guys pick out a sauce and let me know. I can start things off here since I have access to more then a few cases. We need to get a list of addresses & names together first of all that would be interested.

As you know, the rest was history.

You’ll have to do it again sometime so that those of us who were a bit late to this game can get in

Re: what can happen when we all get together

I think that is also what has a lot of people *worried*

jim campbell- Mild to Wild(R) on 3/26/2006 at 4:36 pm said:

You’ll have to do it again sometime so that those of us who were a bit late to this game can get in

Re: what can happen when we all get together

I think that is also what has a lot of people *worried*

Hey Jim,

I believe there will be a batch #2 going around,
will have to talk with our leader, Nick

Worried? only good things come from HSB…

After this lovefest - I better not hear another crack about me spending days in the gym with my daughter baton twirling (she did great today btw)

OK, Really… great piece Chris. Took the words right out of my mouth. Great job Nick

Thanks Chris for saying what everyone has been thinking for a while. I thank Nick for the Blog, and thank ALL that comment and visit. This is for sure THE central spot for any and all things hot sauce related.

I know I don’t get involved a lot, but every time I come back to get caught up, I feel right at home and welcome each time, no matter f I am just reading or commenting. Thanks again Nick and everyone here.

Chris.. just re-read your note. Very well written my friend.

DK on 3/26/2006 at 5:58 pm said:

Thanks Chris for saying what everyone has been thinking for a while. I thank Nick for the Blog, and thank ALL that comment and visit. This is for sure THE central spot for any and all things hot sauce related.

I know I don’t get involved a lot, but every time I come back to get caught up, I feel right at home and welcome each time, no matter f I am just reading or commenting. Thanks again Nick and everyone here.

It’s really cool if you think about it. A few folks just commenting away on the blog, an idea is throw out into the mix, and the next thing you know..BAM..several peeps (most of whom have never met) rally together and develop projects that the entire chilehead community are talking about. The Ultimate blog sauce signed bottle, and Spice for the Troops are just two of the fine examples. This is truly an industry where EVERYBODY involved counts. (Of course there are exceptions…and we are all well aware of what happens to them.. haha)

Agreed. A great trend for the industry. Nick’s kind of like the inventor of the thong….

Inspiring!

Lee@DC on 3/26/2006 at 7:30 pm said:

Agreed. A great trend for the industry. Nick’s kind of like the inventor of the thong….

Inspiring!

Great.. now I have have a picture of Nick in a thong. I’m going to need a lot more beer to forget this

Lee@DC on 3/26/2006 at 7:30 pm said:

Agreed. A great trend for the industry. Nick’s kind of like the inventor of the thong….

Inspiring!

Quite a statement, considering the greatness that is the thong:)

Shanethemac on 3/26/2006 at 3:18 pm said:

seriously when you think about it.. after the Signed HBS idea.. kinda makes ya shiver a little wonder what other amazing ideas nick can come up with.. (or it could just be me)

To set the record straight and give credit where credit is due, the signed sauce was thought up by Chris. I made the nomination of the HBS, and Nick is the one that decided it had to be for everybody after reading our comments while everyone was in NM. Not trying to sound like a jerk, but if it weren’t for Chris, the majority of people on here wouldn’t even see the “Ultimate Signed Blog Sauce”. For those of you that are partaking in this project, you owe Chris a big THANK YOU. This is his baby that was “adopted” by the HSB. Thanks Chris

Ryan on 3/26/2006 at 7:41 pm said:

To set the record straight and give credit where credit is due, the signed sauce was thought up by Chris. I made the nomination of the HBS, and Nick is the one that decided it had to be for everybody after reading our comments while everyone was in NM. Not trying to sound like a jerk, but if it weren’t for Chris, the majority of people on here wouldn’t even see the “Ultimate Signed Blog Sauce”. For those of you that are partaking in this project, you owe Chris a big THANK YOU. This is his baby that was “adopted” by the HSB. Thanks Chris

Thanx Chris!

huvason on 3/26/2006 at 7:31 pm said:

Great.. now I have have a picture of Nick in a thong. I’m going to need a lot more beer to forget this

Ryan, are ya feelin creative??

Soon as my blood sugar gets back to normal I might be. I’ll give ya a call shortly if you’re not busy.

Tracy C on 3/26/2006 at 7:46 pm said:

Ryan, are ya feelin creative??

I agree- this blog looks like a very good thing for the industry. Thanks Nick- again

I’ve a worse mental picture of the Cash boys in thongs

I’d definitely been in on a round two if/when it happens

Ryan on 3/26/2006 at 7:47 pm said:

Soon as my blood sugar gets back to normal I might be. I’ll give ya a call shortly if you’re not busy.

not busy at all..just hitting the refresh button..over and over and over…

If Jim gets in… then I’m in one way or another

C-John back in the house!

Working on some labels for hand outs at Ft Worth You’ll like them & pickled Chip *definitely* will

OK Again this is why this blog fu^&ing rules. For me, I’ve been serriously collecting hot sauce for a long time. I devote alot of time and money into my hot sauce. Untill a few months ago, I thought i was the only weirdo that collected hot suace. I knew of all the shops and online stores but even talking to people I thought I was kind of an anomally. One of the things that I always wished was to meet the people that made all these hot sauces. Then while looking for more hot sauce I came across this Blog. The Blog has really opened my eyes. So many people are just as “weird”. To top it off now I’m talking to the people who I admire on a daily basis! John I have to take a pic of all your sauces I have here. I’m a huge fan! It’s fu^%ing incredible. Again THANKS NICK

You folks all need to put Sept 23rd & 24th on your calendars if you want to meet other ‘weirdos’

jim campbell- Mild to Wild(R) on 3/26/2006 at 9:23 pm said:

You folks all need to put Sept 23rd & 24th on your calendars if you want to meet other ‘weirdos’

What the 23rd and 24th Jim?

That’s the dates of my Open Fields. I throw my chile field open to folks world wide. They come, camp out, pick chiles, eat LOTS of food, maybe drink a little bit, and tell lots of stories.

jim campbell- Mild to Wild(R) on 3/26/2006 at 9:29 pm said:

That’s the dates of my Open Fields. I throw my chile field open to folks world wide. They come, camp out, pick chiles, eat LOTS of food, maybe drink a little bit, and tell lots of stories.

That sounds like a great time!

Dam babys room!!! I missed out on all the tears and “way to gos”

So here is mine….
First of all, I want to thank Nick for giving this strange herd somewhere to call home.
..A place that dosen’t think you are crazy for being passonite about something others dont understand. (you spent how much on what?)
..A place that has actualy broght my wife and I closer together because we have a common interest in something. (Blair..you rock)
..A place where there are others that share your same passion and where “everyone knows your name”
..A place where you look forward to go to everyday and night and when not there you are wondering “what did i miss out on”
..A place where others are happy to see you and sad when its bed time(or when your wife gets mad…Rilley)

My wife and I have met many new friends here and look forward to someday meeting everyone. We enjoy the comrodery and the hillarious things that go on here. We also enjoy how no one really cares if you spell things right

…So all in all,
I love you guys(and gals)
thankyou for making just a computerscreen be such a happy part of our lives….

Tracy C, Ryan, Chris K, Nick, Mad, pmac, huvason (your awesome!!!)

with love
eman and mrseman(and baby too)

loco luna brian on 3/26/2006 at 9:30 pm said:

That sounds like a great time!

Yeah SOUNDS GREAT! Need to write down that date!

That sounds way cool!

It is Chileheads from Denmark, England, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and all over the US come to the fields to find out that they too are not the only wierdos that are into this ‘chile thing’. I’ve got about an acre of chiles (8,000 plants) that I devote to this thing, about 45 varieties. Up to 150 people pass through there with over 40 of them choosing to camp in the chiles A veritable chile Woodstock.

eman
Great comment
love ya too.
How far did you get?

jim campbell- Mild to Wild(R) on 3/26/2006 at 9:35 pm said:

It is Chileheads from Denmark, England, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and all over the US come to the fields to find out that they too are not the only wierdos that are into this ‘chile thing’. I’ve got about an acre of chiles (8,000 plants) that I devote to this thing, about 45 varieties. Up to 150 people pass through there with over 40 of them choosing to camp in the chiles A veritable chile Woodstock.

Sweet! Needs some serious blues playing and it will be perfect!

Thanx eman.

Definitely made some great new friends here. Can’t wait to hang with you all.

Mad_Reilly on 3/26/2006 at 9:35 pm said:

eman
Great comment
love ya too.
How far did you get?

Framing is done and most of the electrical. Should get the electrical finished,ducting and insulation done this week and hope to start hanging drywall next week!

this thing is going to kill me

Well, now that you mention it- we DO have live blues playing there Several folks that attend are pretty musically talented & join around the bonfire at night for a jam session.

eman on 3/26/2006 at 9:40 pm said:

Framing is done and most of the electrical. Should get the electrical finished,ducting and insulation done this week and hope to start hanging drywall next week!

this thing is going to kill me

I thought I posted… must have screwed up.

It won’t kill you eman. Remember it’s for the Little one! It’s always worth it for the kids!

huvason on 3/26/2006 at 9:44 pm said:

I thought I posted… must have screwed up.

It won’t kill you eman. Remember it’s for the Little one! It’s always worth it for the kids!

That’s for shure! I t’s hard to get anything done when you are always comming to chech the blog every 15 min
I have it set up now where I work and my wife tells me whats going on here…works pretty good!

eman on 3/26/2006 at 9:49 pm said:

That’s for shure! I t’s hard to get anything done when you are always comming to chech the blog every 15 min
I have it set up now where I work and my wife tells me whats going on here…works pretty good!

Nice - she must really want that room done!

Thanx Mr and Mrseman! You guys rock! (rockabybaby) I’ve got a few old barney videos that I’ll send you guys…hehe…I’ll even sign ‘em if you’d like!

Maybe mrseman can publish a book for chilehead wives “How to cope with a husband that’s a chilehead”…my wife could use a little help.

huvason on 3/26/2006 at 9:50 pm said:

Nice - she must really want that room done!

We both want it done…I did not have to ask her to watch the blog for me…she is on here more than i am..she just reeds it out loud now

Ah Eman you’re almost there! before you know it the paint will be dry and the “little bundle” will be in the crib. Home stretch just make sure you have beer and take the odd HSB break.

Tracy C on 3/26/2006 at 9:55 pm said:

Thanx Mr and Mrseman! You guys rock! (rockabybaby) I’ve got a few old barney videos that I’ll send you guys…hehe…I’ll even sign ‘em if you’d like!

Maybe mrseman can publish a book for chilehead wives “How to cope with a husband that’s a chilehead”…my wife could use a little help.

The sad thing is she is just as into it as I am. She was so frusterated yesterday because she had been going over the budget. I asked her what was wrong and she said she was trying to figure out how to pay for all the baby stuff and still be able to get all the Blairs and CaJohns stuff SHE wanted…how cool is that?

contrary to popular belief…we do have spending limits also

Mad_Reilly on 3/26/2006 at 9:59 pm said:

Ah Eman you’re almost there! before you know it the paint will be dry and the “little bundle” will be in the crib. Home stretch just make sure you have beer and take the odd HSB break.

Not that much of a drinker but take pleanty of HSB breaks!!!

Eman, just catching up here, we love ya too. Thank you for your kind words

MSK on 3/26/2006 at 2:17 pm said:

I’m in the same boat as a lot of you guys. Where I use to have a lot of projects being completed, now much of my time is spent cruising this damn blog. Needless to say I don’t think my wife isn’t very happy about it. And it’s all Nick’s fault!!!!!!

Seriously though, Nick deserves every bit of praise he’s given. Thank you Sir for giving us this venue for the sharing of ideas, knowledge and goodwill for all who come!

One thing is certain, we’re all becoming a large part of Hot Sauce History!

We should also not forget the The Hot Zone Online.com and Hot Pepper.com. If you’re not visiting and commenting on either one, you’re missing a wonderful opportunity to make more friends!

Humbly Yours,
Randy the…Mississippi Sauce King

Thanks for the kudos, esp. to MSK and CaJohn. Our blog happen to be our pride and joy, and we’re quite sure Nick feels the same about the HSB. It’s encouraging to know that adoring fans & readers take a great deal of joy in what both blogs do. Hopefully, we can continue to work together to keep the chilehead community thriving for a long time to come!!

Nick Lindauer on 3/27/2006 at 8:02 am said:

VooDoo - Long time no post man! Since you’ve been gone we’ve laid out a few rules here. #1 play nice with others. (we’re just one big family)

For those of you that don’t know who VooDoo is, he was the first commentor here on the HSB.

Welcome back VooDoo. You have a lot of catching up to do - lots of things going on around here. Nick’s been very busy!

I just want to reaffirm what everyone else has said here - Great job Nick! The HSB is the first place I go when I wake up, and it’s the first place I go when I get home from work. So that definately says something great! To make such a name for yourself on the internet these days is a really big deal - think of all the sites out there! And all the greatest chiliheads and people like Blair and Cajohn and The Creator come here to post!

Ok chileheads, and my brothers, I just re-read all of these great comments and I felt another need to say something here. I am so proud to be a part of this whole thing and am just as proud by all the support that has been shown here. I thought that when I sent Nick the letter last week and now I can multiply what I said by 10X. It is a great thing here.

pmac, Dood, I luv it, when you say that.
I dont know why I can write like this, but thanks for saying it
MAD, go have another beer (just kidding) , feeling squishy? I understand
CaJohn some good points
“You never hear someone who says I’ve tried hot/spicy and now I’m going back to bland”
and my favorite
“Best of all they are welcomed into this brotherhood with open arms!
“ couldnt have said that better!
Lisa, Jodie, and Kristi, I know your working hard right now, and couldnt comment, but thanks for being a part of this and taking the time to fit in, you are a nice addition to the Hot Sauce World and to HSB.
eman, well I loved your comments, that new little chilehead is going to grow up a great person because of you and the mrs
tracy, well, I let you know ha ha
huvason the tech guy, we still need a shaker
Creator, well it is always good to have someone from the dark side on board
MSK, well, I loved the signed head
And Ryan, dude, you always have my back and you speak your mind. Others may not agree, but you keep it in check and you keep it real thanks man
Dan, loca luna Brian, Vic, Cody, Anthony, Thakswet, Scott, John, Aaron, and all the other I have not mentioned here, and of course Nick.
Thank you all for taking the time to comment and for keeping this place alive.

chris k

Nick Lindauer on 3/27/2006 at 8:02 am said:

VooDoo - Long time no post man! Since you’ve been gone we’ve laid out a few rules here. #1 play nice with others. (we’re just one big family)

For those of you that don’t know who VooDoo is, he was the first commentor here on the HSB.

Sorry Nick, shouldn’t post before my morning coffee. no offense meant

huvason on 3/27/2006 at 8:06 am said:

Welcome back VooDoo. You have a lot of catching up to do - lots of things going on around here. Nick’s been very busy!

Thanks man - been lurking around here a longtme now

Hey Chris…. You live in PA right? Any where near Kutztown? I will be there in June (1-4th) Wondering if there are any Hot Sauce shops around!

huvason on 3/27/2006 at 10:47 am said:

Hey Chris…. You live in PA right? Any where near Kutztown? I will be there in June (1-4th) Wondering if there are any Hot Sauce shops around!

Hmmmm, I admit, I live about 14 miles from there although it would take about a half hour for me to get there.
I will have to let you know on the “shops”, nothing special, thats why I buy mainly on the inet.
There is a farm there that grows / sells pretty many varieties of pepper plants you might want to check out.

chris k on 3/10/2006 at 11:12 am said:

Guys, check out this link. Link.
Read about James Weaver about half way down.
Meadow View Farms happens to be about 15 miles from me. I am lucky enough to be able to go there and actually pick out my pepper plants. Give it a shot, its fun to watch what you can grow yourself. Like Nick, I’ve even grown some habaneros.

chris k on 3/10/2006 at 11:14 am said:

This tiny little town also has a chile festival in Sept. and I think there are tours of the farm.
Not as big as others, but interesting. http://www.pepperfestival.com/

Oh and huvason, there is not much going on in Kutztown except for the unniversity. If you are looking for some excitement, you may have to travel a bit. I will see what you think after you come back

No I didnt say this, but since defcon does it why cant I
Hmmmm, a chris k day
let me think on that one there huvason cause as soon as MAD sees the word party, its all over

Aww Chris, your a sweetie thanks for the mention, you couldnt have said what you did any better

Those were some great words Chris. I know the Tamales are real thankful for the open arms and great friends we’ve made. Can’t wait to see you all at Zest Fest! Thanks for everything Nick.

Hey Tamales, you get that sample of mash yet?

Oh yeah- fine John! You yell at ME for selling a quart of mash, but you’ll send out samples to the ladies, huh? At least you have your priorities

I know nothing…

This I know to be a lie. You know so much! I never tire of listening :)did you get my e-mail CaJohn?

nick, you’re neat.