The NYC Hot Sauce Expo & High River Sauces will present the official Hot Sauce Hall of Fame Foundation. The Hot Sauce Hall of Fame will induct 5 people in 2015 who have been very instrumental in the fiery foods industry.

To be eligible for the nominating or voting process, a person must operate within the fiery foods industry for a minimum of 3 years. These people will be known as the Selection Committee which will consist of hot sauce companies, retailers, distributors, exporters, chile pepper growers, media and restaurateurs who specialize in spicy foods and hot sauce. The Selection Committee will be polled by email from the Hall of Fame’s Senators Board in which the board will eventually narrow the Selection Committee’s ballot to a list to 10.

After the nomination process The Selection Committee will then receive the final ballot from the Senators Board. To be elected, a finalist must receive the top 5 votes from the Selection Committee. If a person has been nominated 3 separate times by the committee and does not get inducted their name will be removed from future elections for a waiting period of 5 years.

The first group on the inaugural ballot are some of the biggest and brightest names in the industry.

• Blair Lazar

  Owner Blair’s Sauces and Snacks also came out with one of the, if not the, first extract hot sauce. Took the collector sauce/limited edition sauce to new heights. Also took extreme heat to the limit with some of the hottest sauces ever.

• Chip Hearn

  One of the original hot sauce websites, as well as one of the first, and one of the largest national zesty distributors, Peppers.com. Inventor of the Bloody Mary Smorgasbord in 1978. Originated the “risqué” hot sauce genre at the 1989 National Fiery Foods Show.

• David Ashley

  Owner Ashley Foods. Another one of the first users of extract sauces in the early 90’s. Was one of the first to collaborate with and have celebrity driven sauces.

• Dave DeWitt

  “The Pope of Peppers” – Author and maybe the original “Chilehead” Started the Fiery Foods Show 26 years ago and set the standard for The Big Hot Sauce Show.

• Dave Hirschkop

  Owner Dave’s Gourmet and creator of Dave’s Insanity one of the, if not the 1st extract hot sauce. Was one of the first to create “limited edition sauces” and was instrumental in the collector hot sauce craze.

• Dave Lutes

  Founder of Hot Shots Inc. one of the original hot sauce distributors and still operating for almost 20 years.

• Edmund McIlhenny

  Created Tabasco in the 1860’s and is the best-selling hot sauce ever.

• Jim Campbell

  Was one of the first pepper growers who supplied hot sauce companies their peppers from their early starts. Was very instrumental for the early success of some of the leading hot sauce makers like Blairs, CaJohns and Dave’s Insanity.

• John Hard

  Owner of CaJohns Hot Sauce. The God Father of the hot sauce industry. Started in 1996 and has garnered over 200 regional, national and international awards.

• Marie Sharp

  Owner Marie Sharp’s Fine Foods Ltd. – Started making sauce in the early 80’s and actually was the creator of Melinda’s Sauces. Her sauce is the quintessential Central American hot sauce with amazing flavor and great heat!

You can find out more about the Expo on the official NYC Hot Sauce Expo website HERE or just click on their web banner ad on the left side wall. There is a lot going on at the event as you will see at the event page, including our 3rd Annual Fiery Pizza Eating Contest co-sponsored with our friends at Volcanic Peppers and the infamous Grimaldi’s Pizzeria.