Ready for the Pepper X Heat? Visit the New England Hot Sauce Festival

HAMPTON, NH – If you thought the last couple of weeks have been hot, just wait to see what is planned for the New England Hot Sauce Fest on Saturday, July 29 on the expanded outdoor field behind the Smuttynose Brewing Co.
Last year, the first annual spicy food event drew 2,400 heat seekers. And this year, organizer Gabe DiSaverio, owner of the Spicy Shark sauces and foods, promises the festival will surpass its first year with more eating contests and more entertainment, including music from the 1980s for the adults and face painting, a magic show and a bouncy house for the children.
The field behind the brewery can now accommodate 4,200 festival goers, DiSaverio said.
Added this year will be a Duel Chip Challenge, a contest organized by Ed Currie of Puckerbutt Pepper Co., the inventor of the renowned Carolina Reaper. The challenge, which begins at 3:30 p.m., pits experienced pepper eaters like Mike Jack, who broke his own hot chip-eating record last year, to determine how many chips dipped in Pepper X powder they can eat in an hour.
The contest with Pepper X has been on YouTube, but never held live, until this year at the New England Hot Sauce Fest, DiSaverio said.
Other contests open to all brave participants will include a spicy wing eating contest, where each wing will be progressively more spicy, and two pepper-eating contests, featuring the Carolina Reaper that will test contestants’ endurance and taste buds.
“Last year, the contestants were really into it,” DiSaverio said.
Smuttynose will be on hand to quench burning throats, but its beer will be the only alcohol served in the family friendly event. Ten food trucks will offer a way to put out the fires in mouths, while a variety of local crafters will showcase their specialty products.
Bella and Dark from Heat 101 will return as the event masters of ceremony, keeping the energy levels high throughout the festivities, and 35 Northeast hot sauce companies will provide samples of their fiery products.
The event starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. Tickets are $11 for regular admission. VIP tickets are $15, which allows attendees to enjoy the festivities an hour earlier at 10 a.m.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.newenglandhotsaucefest.com.
DiSaverio said he launched the Hot Sauce Fest after he realized that there was no such festival in New England. Promoting his Spicy Shark craft sauces and condiments, he attended hot food festivals across the country and was surprised that there was not a hot food festival in New England.
When no one stepped up to create a hot food festival, he decided two years ago to do it himself.
The festival helps promote hot sauce and food vendors from New Jersey to Maine, many of which are relatively young companies, younger even than the six-year-old Spicy Shark.
The Hot Festival also raises money for DiSaverio’s other passion, protecting the oceans and the fish in them, especially sharks.
Last year, DiSaverio, who drives a replica of Chief Brody’s 1975 Chevrolet Blazer from the movie Jaws, led a successful campaign to stop a shark killing tournament in Newburyport.
A majority of the proceeds from the event goes to the Blue Ocean Society and the Seacoast Science Center, non-profit groups dedicated to protecting the oceans and fostering environmental education.
Last year, each of the non-profits were given more than $4,300, DiSaverio said.
Local sponsors include the Bangor Savings Bank, The City Tobacco & Beverage, Coca Cola Northeast, Great Island Realty and Port City Veterinary Hospital.