Some Like It Hot

We know, we know. Having a hot sauce festival on one of the hottest days of the year is, well, a little weird. But The Austin Chronicle has always done things its own way. We are proud of our annual shindig, now in its 27th year, and believe that every bit of sweat is worth it. Over the years our little festival has grown to be the largest of its kind. Folks from across the United States have made it an annual tradition to hit up the fest, new Austinites check it off their bucket list, and some contestants have even launched businesses out of it.

Our judges, musicians, and volunteers may have gotten the occasional sunburn, but we've never heard complaints. Our in-house hot sauce team (special events guru Dan Hardick, Marketing Director Sarah Wolf, Marketing Manager Karena Rogers, and Digital Coordinator Tamar Price) and our creative team (Creative Director Jason Stout and graphic designer Zeke Barbaro) may have had to work a few extra hours, but they keep putting the fest on year after year. And the entire Chronicle family – current and former employees – keeps showing up too. We all know we have a good thing going, and we are proud to help Central Texas Food Bank in their mission to end food insecurity.

So, yes, it's a little bit odd to eschew swimming pools and air conditioners on a sweltering summer day. But when it comes to keeping one of Austin's best traditions alive, it's also no sweat.

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To prepare for their performance at the Hot Sauce Festival we invited the Tiarra Girls to play a game of "Hot Sauce Russian Roulette" with Sontava Hot Sauce and some taste-bud obliterating sauces. Warning: there were tears.