2014 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 Wreck 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. All salsa entries will be going up to $10/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. We are increasing the entry fee so we can actually drum up more money, and we hope you salsa makers understand and will still support us in this fundraiser. If you did not hear about this salsa contest in the past, we are sponsoring it in conjunction with the Houston Hot Sauce Festival, and the judging will take place a couple of hours before the gates open up. The salsa entered can be from anywhere, but must be manufactured in a legal US 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 have the same 3 categories as last year – traditional, fruit-based and black bean.

All categories will be judged separately, but with the same grade scale:
1- Flavor/Taste- (scoring) 1 – 10 pts
2- Appearance- 1 – 5 pts
3- Addictability- 1 – 5 pts (See the definition at Urban Dictionary HERE)
4- Aroma- +1/-1 (most salsas have a neutral scent, so only points will be given or subtracted if the salsa either is exceptional in smell or makes your nostrils close).

The deadline for receipt is Monday September 8th, 1 1/2 weeks before the show which is on the 20th & 21st. If you are vending at the show you can hand it to us, but you still need to inform me exactly what your entries will be by the same deadline via email. In fact, ALL submissions whether they are shipped or received at the start of the Houston Hot Sauce Festival must first be acknowledged by me via email at

al******@ya***.com











by Tuesday September 2nd, the day after Labor Day. So if you sent an email to me, and have not received a response in return, you better try again. If you have posted on Facebook, ILoveItSpicy or the Show page your intentions, that is not good enough. You need to contact me your intent via email with the name of ALL your salsas by name. Late submissions will not be accepted.

During the award ceremony we will announce our winning salsas. If you think you have the salsa of champions and want to pit yourself against the very best of salsa out there, then this is your chance to put your salsa where our mouths is/are. Once again so there is no confusion, NO fresh salsa is allowed in the contest, only jarred, professionally labeled products are permitted.

If you wish to help out even if you are not a part of the salsa contest then please do.
Send your all your salsa entries & donations (checks and money orders made out to the Snowdrop Foundation) to:

ILoveItSpicy Salsa Contest
Houston Hot Sauce Festival
12327 Piping Rock
Houston, TX 77077

Remember, simply shipping and bringing your salsa to the show is not going to get your salsa into the contest. I repeat, you MUST send me an email by September 2nd with your list of salsa for the contest, and if you are not vending at the show, your salsa MUST be received by September 8th as well. Those vending will be required to submit the salsa to the event coordinators before the start of the show, September 20, before 8:00am. We need to create a list of the submissions prior to the show, so no salsa will be permitted after the deadline. We have to wrap each salsa so the judges will not be able to see them, so it is important to hand your salsa over to the staff as soon as you get to the grounds.

Houston Hot Sauce Show
Website: www.HoustonHotSauce.com
Location:
Stafford Centre
10505 Cash Road
Stafford, TX 77477
Festival Hours:
Sept 20, 2012 11 a.m. to 6 pm
Sept. 21, 2012 noon to 5 pm
Admission to be announced and parking is free.
Chile-dren under 12 will receive free admission.

Vendor Information: CLICK ME