Whether you’re the type of person who puts hot sauce on virtually anything or you’re a newbie who’d like to learn about and taste the different types available, head to the Hot Sauce Fest ATL on Sunday, Nov. 17, to give your taste buds a kick.
The festival will be held from noon-8 p.m. at Snackbox Studios, 135 Krog St. NE, Atlanta, and includes hot sauce samples with chips and/or spoons, vendors, live music, giveaways, a fire performer, a kids’ zone and food for purchase, including oysters and caviar from Bovino After Dark. Hot sauce blogger John Hollner, winner of last year’s People’s Choice Award, will host a tasting table and guide attendees through a selection of sauces. Similar to the way a sommelier might enhance your experience with wine, Hollner will help you learn about sauce and what foods pair well with different sauces.
Admission to the festival is $25, which includes a $5 coupon to spend at any of the onsite vendors. Samples and entertainment are included in the price, but food is extra.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Hot Sauce Fest ATL/Dani Smith
Credit: Photo courtesy of Hot Sauce Fest ATL/Dani Smith
The event started last year on a smaller scale and is growing substantially in its second year, marketing coordinator Dani Smith said.
“We had about five vendors last year and expect over 20 this year,” she said. “I think there’s definitely a niche for it in Atlanta. People really love hot sauce.”
The festival was inspired by her husband Woody, who is a serious hot sauce aficionado.
“He has a little mini fridge, and it’s all hot sauces,” Smith said. Her husband likes to put them on everything, especially mashed potatoes, tacos, eggs and pizza, with grilled meats being his favorite foods to enhance with hot sauce.
“In his words,” she said, “‘Food is a vessel for sauce.’”
For more information, visit hotsaucefestatl.com.
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