Houston Hot Sauce Festival
2015 Chile Pepper Awards
Barbecue Sauce / Alcohol-Infused
1 Ole Ray’s Sauces Ole Ray’s Kentucky Red Bourbon Barbeque Sauce
2 Deep River Specialty Foods Rodeo Whiskey Grill Sauce
Barbecue Sauce / Cayenne
1 Wood Bar B Q Sauce Woody’s Hickory Hot Bar B Q Sauce
2 Stagecoach Salsa Co. Miss Cynthia’s No So Spicy Stagestop BBQ Sauce
Barbecue Sauce / Chipotle
1 Firefly’s BBQ Firefly’s Beelzebar Sauce
2 CaJohns CaJohns Bourbon St Smoky
Barbecue Sauce / Fruit Based
11 1 Ole Ray’s Sauces Ole Ray’s Peach-A-Licious
12 2 Ole Ray’s Sauces Ole Ray’s Apple/Cinnamon
Barbecue Sauce / Habanero
1 CaJohns CaJohns Bourbon St Fiery
2 Black Swamp Gourmet Sweet & Fiery BBQ Sauce
Barbecue Sauce / Molasses Based
1 Firefly’s BBQ Firefly’s Dixi Kiss Sauce
2 CRC CRC BBQ Riley’s Triple R Sauce
2014 Best Salsa in the World Contest – Results
I would like to thank all the companies that helped us with raising money for the Snowdrop Foundation which funds research and assists families that are affected by Pediatric Cancer. 100% of the $10 entry fee went to Snowdrop. If you would like to add to the totals please click on their name above, and thank you in advance for your kind heart. I also would like to thank our judging team of Ken Alexander, Ken’s son Jonathan, James Wreck of iBurn, Dana Romero from the LA Hot Sauce Expo and last, but surely not least, representing Snowdrop, the one and only Grape Nut aka Grapie.
Read more2014 Houston Hot Sauce Festival Preview
Event Details:
Admission: $10, children under 12 free
Times: Sat. 11 – 6, Sun Noon – 5
Location:
Stafford Centre
10505 Cash Rd.
Stafford, TX
Contact: Carol Borge
Phone: 281-558-3518
Email:
ca***@ho*************.com
Web: http://www.houstonhotsauce.com
Parking: Free
NO Pets or Coolers
2014 Houston Hot Sauce Festival: Vendors’ List & More
Event Details:
Admission: $10, children under 12 free
Times: Sat. 11 – 6, Sun Noon – 5
Location:
Stafford Centre
10505 Cash Rd.
Stafford, TX
Contact: Carol Borge
Phone: 281-558-3518
Email:
ca***@ho*************.com
Web: http://www.houstonhotsauce.com
Parking: Free
NO Pets or Coolers
The Houston Hot Sauce Festival Exhibitor List… 90 Vendors from all over the country.
Read more2014 Best Salsa in the World Contest
Since it was a huge hit the last 2 years at the Houston Hot Sauce Festival, (over 70 jars of salsas submitted last year), we are doing this contest once again. This time we are joined by Ken Alexander from www.FieryWorld.com who has graciously agreed to take my place at the event since I can not be there. Since he did a bang-up job at the Louisiana Hot Sauce Expo, I know he will carry that professional approach to this contest as well. Thanks Ken! That is not all folks, James Beck from iBurn has agreed to add to the prize for the winners. All 3 first place winning salsas in their respective categories will be bought to sell at their brick and mortar and online stores. That is a huge bonus beyond just the trophies we provide. James will also be a judge, so if he tastes something he loves, he just might be looking to add those salsas as well. So you people who can’t make the festival, can still be able to experience a little of the best salsas in the land through iBurn! Thanks so much James for being a valuable partner with us this year.
The most important factor in this salsa contest is to raise money for the Snowdrop Foundation which helps with Children’s Cancer research and support.
Read moreBuddah’s 2013 Ultimate Chilehead Roadtrip – Part 2
September 20, 2013
I owe a lot of my sanity on this trip to the Sauce Goddess, Jennifer Reynolds. I was still having personal issues that I could not drop, and she told me to focus on where I was and have a good time with the people around you. Jennifer and I shared hotel rooms in Houston, TX as well as New Iberia and Lafayette, LA. We did the tourism thing in Louisiana and I had a great time with her company. Thanks very much Jen, you were an awesome travel mate. Our Friday schedule immediately became a bit sketchy because of the weather. It was raining and it was going to get worse and worse as a big storm was heading our way. Friday was setup day at the Stafford Centre for the Houston Hot Sauce Festival, so it was a matter of choosing the best time to dance between the raindrops.
Both Jen and I decided to visit the new iBurn brick and mortar hot sauce store before helping her setup her booth. The look of the store was amazing. So clean and professional looking. The murals were so very artistic. See the pic at the top for the outside mural and part of the inside mural is below. I really liked the way the bottles were child-protected by these small metal bar guards. While that was good against bottles tipping, the appearance was extremely sharp and appealing. Proprietors, as well as newlyweds, James and Amy Beck/Wreck had started selling products last year online and having such a widely successful show close by, they are going to support the festival by bringing in some of the vendors that appear. The idea is to tell the attendees at the show if you like the vendor’s products you will be able to reload at iBurn. Many of the vendors at the show gave away iBurn postcards to push home that point. Good marketing.
Read more13th Annual Houston Hot Sauce Festival- Salsa Winners
We are here to announce the winners of the ILoveItSpicy Best Salsa in the World Contest. I would like to thank all the companies that participated. We asked for $5 entry fee/salsa to be donated to the Snowdrop Foundation and many of these companies spent way more to help support this great charity. The Snowdrop Foundation’s is dedicated to assisting patients and families at Texas Children’s Cancer Center through funding for continued research to eliminate childhood cancer and scholarships for college bound pediatric cancer patients and survivors. If you would like to help add to our totals here is the information to send your donations:
Snowdrop Foundation, Inc.
7155 Old Katy Rd., Ste. N270
Houston, TX 77024
713-232-9051
Okay now to our winners. Out of 75 salsa entries in 3 different categories, here are the results:
Read more13th Annual Houston Hot Sauce Festival
What is happening this year at one of the best hosted hot sauce shows on the planet? Promoter Carol Borge has made this a go to show, now entering it’s 13th year. It is special in so many ways that other shows fall short of doing. I get this feedback from the vendors. Carol is very attentive to the vendors and her guests needs. She wants everyone back and she makes sure everything goes smoothly, and she circles the event throughout the weekend asking if everyone is happy. She knows the value of saying thank you which is lost on some of the other venue hosts. This being my 3rd year out of the last 4 years, I would certainly call Carol a friend just on how special she has made me feel over that time. I wish nothing but success to all the vendors and its reflected right back to her in their praise of the show. This year will be quite special too.
Read moreBuddah’s Ultimate Chilehead Road Trip Part 2
The start of every awesome journey must have an amazing end. So we begin on mine. I am taking off after work at high noon. Depending how grubby I get at work, I might head home first for a quick shower and change. Otherwise I hit the open road an hour later at worst. My first goal is Nashville, TN, but am I biting off more than I can chew? Having to get up at 3am for work is the fly in the ointment here, and my 5 hour energy drink only goes so far when you have to travel almost 10 hours.
Leesburg, VA to Nashville, TN
Distance:
636.50 miles
Approximate travel time:
9 hours 38 minutes
Okay, so I might be stopping off earlier than I want to, but I still have to go as far as I can go. I usually go to sleep at 9-10pm, so if I stay the course with only small pit stops, 10 hours will get me there at 10-11pm. A little past my sleep time. At any rate, I am meeting Jim O’Brien of Crazy Good Sauces at 11:30am in Memphis, TN for lunch.
Nashville, TN to Memphis, TN
Distance:
212.26 miles
Approximate travel time:
3 hours 11 minutes
So if I do make it to Nashville by my schedule, then I will need to be up and ready to drive at 8am to meet Jim. Jim knows his BBQ since he knows Memphis quite well. He tried to convince me to join him at one of his favorite BBQ staples. Pigheaded as I am (pun intended), I want to go to the place where I had the best plate of ribs of my life, the Rum Boogie Cafe. Not listed on most BBQ desired destination stops, I can help but want to experience something I have longed for since my trip about 15 years ago. I am not going to be making many trips to Memphis, and this very well might be my last. So I have to go back dang-nabbit! Of course, I am also on my diet, and BBQ is a weakness, so there will be no full rack of ribs for me. If I can get a child’s plate with a side salad, I might be doing that. Come all the way to my favorite rib joint, and get a salad? Yes, I am that focused on losing weight. A vacation is meant to be enjoyed, but it is temporary, and I have to be able to get home with my pants still fitting around my waist.
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2013 Best Salsa in the World Contest – LAST CALL!!!
Since it was a huge hit last year, (55 jars of salsas submitted last year), we are doing it again. The most important factor in this salsa contest is to raise money for the Snowdrop Foundation which helps with Children’s Cancer research and support. All salsa entries are $5/salsa with 2 jars of salsa per entry to be submitted, but we will gladly accept more $$$ because 100% of the proceeds are given to the Snowdrop Foundation. If you did not hear about this salsa contest last year, we are sponsoring it in conjunction with the Houston Hot Sauce Festival. The salsa entered can be from anywhere, but must be manufactured in a legal kitchen and have nutritional and ingredient declarations on the label. No fresh salsa will be allowed, only sealed jars to be as fair as possible. We had 2 categories last year – traditional and fruit-based. We have now added in a black bean/black bean & corn salsa category. You can enter as many salsa categories as you desire. Who knows you might win them all.
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2013 Best Salsa in the World Contest
Since it was a huge hit last year, (55 jars of salsas submitted last year), we are doing it again. The most important factor in this salsa contest is to raise money for the Snowdrop Foundation which helps with Children’s Cancer research and support. All salsa entries are $5/salsa with 2 jars of salsa per entry, but we will gladly accept more because 100% of the proceeds are given to the Snowdrop Foundation. If you did not hear about this salsa contest last year, we are sponsoring it in conjunction with the Houston Hot Sauce Show. The salsa entered can be from anywhere, but must be manufactured in a legal kitchen and have nutritional and ingredient declarations on the label. No fresh salsa will be allowed, only sealed jars to be as fair as possible. We had 2 categories last year – traditional and fruit-based. I will open the contest to a black bean & corn salsa category if I can get at least 10 companies interested. As soon as I have 10, I will alert all the companies that inquired, so they can add these salsas to their mailing list.
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