Lenny Awards – Best Spicy Products of 2014

2011 Lenny Award

Welcome to the 5th Annual Lenny Awards. The Lenny Award is dedicated to my late Father, Leonard Goldenberg who died on the 19th of December in 2010. My Dad gave selflessly to help people whenever he could, and this heart award represents the love I had for him. So each year I give out the Lenny Award in his name to my favorite products and to the best reviewed products for the year. No one helps in the decision making and it is a surprise I reveal to the world with the video below, and none of the product makers have a clue that they are getting this accolade.

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Hey Chilehead, Do you like hot sauce?

iBurn 2014 Holiday purchase

I mean, do you really like hot sauce. Are the kind of Chilehead that buys it or makes your own. Perhaps both. Me? Well, I enjoy tasting the creations of others. I have been lucky over the years to have attending many shows and have brought home so many wonderful tasty spicy things. Most people can’t do that. Most Chileheads I am afraid have only their local supermarket and/or grocer to satisfy their thirst for fiery fun. They can not travel to spicy food shows and do not have one close enough to their home to ride to and back. So unless they are satisfied with Frank’s, Tabasco, Louisiana hot sauces, Cholula, etc, they live the life not knowing how many craftsmen and women have creating flavors with heat that would blow their chile pepper loving mind. It is really a shame.

So again I ask, but more specifically, do you like hot sauce enough to spend a little extra for something original and delicious? If it is no, then no reason to read on. I will just bore you more than I usually do with my endless rants about supporting your Mom & Pop Shoppe hot sauce makers. Yet, if you answered yes to my question. You must read on because the chilehead community is about to take a huge blow to these Mom & Pop Shoppe businesses and you might just be the last hope on this planet to let the flame keep on burning. Now, let me get to more specifics before I dive right into what I am alluding to. If I could get you the convenience of a hot sauce store in your neighborhood, the benefit of going to a fiery festival without the cost of admission and have it all delivered to your porch without any extra cost to you, would you be interested? Come on Buddah, stop with your questions and get to your point. Wait folks there is more…

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2014 Best Salsa in the World Contest – Results

Chef Kaz of Monkey McGee's

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.

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2014 Houston Hot Sauce Festival: Vendors’ List & More

New Festival T-Shirt Design

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.

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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 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.

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21st Annual Oxnard Salsa Festival – Update

http://www.oxnardsalsafestival.com/resources/1/Home_Page_Graphic_2014.jpg

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

Press Contact:
Janis Flippen, Public Relations
Phone: 805-389-9495
Email:

ja***@ja************.com











2014 Oxnard Salsa Festival
21st Annual Festival
Celebrating Salsa – The Food, the Music & the Dance!
July 26-27, 2014
Plaza Park, Downtown Oxnard
11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Free Admission and Parking

Oxnard, CA – Get ready to spice things up during the 21st Annual Oxnard Salsa Festival! One of Oxnard’s signature events, the Oxnard Salsa Festival celebrates salsa food, music and dance on July 26-27, 2014 at Plaza Park, Fifth and “B” Streets, in historic downtown Oxnard.

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2nd Annual NYC Hot Sauce Expo

2014 NYC Hot Sauce Expo poster

Building on the success and momentum of last year’s Expo, Steve Seabury of High River Sauces is working very hard to elevate his baby to a whole new level. From last year’s outdoor event in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to the indoor confines of the Penn Plaza Pavilion right next to the infamous Penn Station in New York City. With a bigger venue, comes bigger expectations, but Steve Seabury seems up to the task with major spots lined up for the week. Highlighted by NBC Nightly News at 7pm on Thursday March 27 & CBS This Morning Show Saturday Morning at 8am. Pulling all his media connections together Steve has the print media, Radio and TV entertainment world covered. If you look at how well the first year went, then the 2nd year is bound to be an event for the ages.

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Spicy Product Makers Round Table – Part 1

Spicy_Makers_Roud_Table_photoshop

Whilst gathered at CaJohn’s Flavor & Fire Headquarters in Westerville, Ohio for the Fiery Food Festival Weekend at the North Market, I got a chance for a special interview. This special interview was with some of the faces in our great chilehead community. Since we had much fun over the years with the Bloggers Round Table, I thought it would be great to do a similar version with a select crew of our various award winning sauce makers. This is the 1st of 2 videos in which I get to ask some topical questions to this panel of hot sauce makers. To add to the discussion, there had been some drinking going on which only added to the conversation as you will soon find out. There is quite a bit of profanity, so please be aware of this before starting the video when surrounded by those easily offended. The discussion deteriorates pretty fast between part 1 and part 2 as you will soon find out as the liquor starts to kick in with some of the makers. Our round table existed of Jeremy Walsh from Bigfats Hot Sauce, Ed Bucholtz from Born to Hula Hot Sauce, Steve Seabury from High River Sauces, Chuck Evans from Montezuma Brand, Sauces & Salsas, Johnny McLaughlin from Heartbreaking Dawns and Joe Leicht from Flaming Joe’s, Inc. A big thanks to them all for giving us the time to do this. As well as a huge thanks to CaJohn for letting us use his place and private meeting room to house it in.

I will post part 2 tomorrow at 7pm est. If some of you other spicy product makers would like to do one of these at the NYC Hot Sauce Expo or perhaps at Bowers in September, I am sure we can do another one or two. The more the merrier since there are so many great spicy product makers out there. Enjoy the round table! There will be the occasional shaky camera, but it will be steady most of the time. Also, you will note another camera crew here and there. They are filming something very special for one of our own in the community, and I am not sure I am allowed to mention more than that at this time.

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