Each year award-winning exhibitors compete for the People’s Choice awards, “Best” Categories include: Red, Green, Salsa, Marinades, Pickled Products and more. One of the most popular categories is the “Hottest Hot Sauce at the Festival.” When one of the crazy hot sauce manufacturers, such as CaJohns, Danny Cash, or Mild to Wild, distribute a tiny drop of their product to sample on the end of a toothpick… Be for warned! Black Mamba, Stupid Hot (2003 and 2004 winner) and Danny Cash’s Corruption are not for the faint of heart.
Two stages of continuous entertainment, including the ‘house band’ the Zydeco Dots and local performers will thrill your eyes and ears while giving your taste buds a chance to cool down. For the hot tots, a free children’s area will feature face painting and a coloring contest.
Other events include the annual amateur salsa competition, arts and crafts, cooking demonstrations and information on the Stehlin Foundation.
Last year more than 10,000 Chiliheads braved the heat at the Houston Hot Sauce Festival while helping to raise money for the Stehlin Foundation.
Carol Borge, festival organizer and breast cancer survivor, started the red-hot tradition after receiving treatment for breast cancer at the Stehlin Foundation.
“The Hot Sauce Festival is my way of giving something back to the Stehlin Foundation for saving my life,” said Borge. “More than 12,000 Texas women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. This is my way of making sure that the research being performed at Stehlin continues to help those women.”
For more information on the Houston Hot Sauce Festival and the Stehlin Foundation visit their websites at www.houstonhotsauce.com and www.stehlin.org.
Houston Hot Sauce Festival
Dates:September 17 & 18th, 2005
Location: Houston, Texas.
Sponsored by: Houston Press
Description: The Original Houston Hot Sauce Festival, an annual event “Always in September”, featuring hot sauce, salsa, chipotle, jams, spices, marinades, chips, dips and more fiery food products. Thousands of Chiliheads pour into the Arena to sample 100’s of award winning products. There’s also ongoing stage entertainment, free kids activities, cold drinks, a wide variety of food, “amateur salsa competition”, contests, prizes, arts & crafts, pepper merchandise, and more…. Information 281-558-3518 or email:carol@houstonhotsauce.com
More Information: Go Here