Our buddy Lars from Csigi Gourmet has a really cool article (with bio) in the most recent online edition of the Pocono Record. Csigi Gourmet should begin its infiltration of the national media soon. Check this out:

Eburg gourmet takes peppers personally

By Helen Yanulus
Pocono Record Writer
January 28, 2008

Lars Chigi likes it hot, hot, hot.

The freezer of his home kitchen in Blue Mountain Lakes is packed with such fiery chili varieties as bhut jolokia, naga morich, fatalii,
Cayenne Super II Hybrid and rocoto.

“I eat chili peppers in some form every day in at least two of my meals,” Chigi said. “It’s like a drug addiction. Once you get a hankering for flavor and heat, you want more. It’s a healthy addiction.”

Chigi has turned his passionate quest for the ultimate burn into a gourmet food business. Csigi Gourmet — which uses the Hungarian spelling of his surname — has been in business since 2005. His products, which include three varieties of hot sauces, pasta sauce, salsa, barbecue sauce and a balsamic vinaigrette, have won several awards.

And it all started when he was a youngster growing up in Hunterdon County, N.J., where he marveled at how his grandmother made the best pasta sauce. “Every time she made it, it tasted the same though she never measured it,” said Chigi, who watched her grind fresh tomatoes and add spices in a specific order as well as meat for flavor. “I try to emulate what she did in her kitchen in my own way.”

When his parents divorced when he was 13, Chigi often had to prepare meals while his mom was at work.

After high school, he began working in New York City, first for a paging company and later for a telecommunications company, and lived in New Jersey. “I enjoyed my job, but I wasn’t happy,” he said.

He eventually moved to the Poconos in 1999 since he had fond memories of the area from when he skied here as a child.

On the side, he kept playing with food. “I’ve been into spicy food since a young age. I go for less fat and more spice,” Chigi said. “There are hundreds of varieties of chili peppers. They can be used in different ways and have different aspects of heat when they hit the tongue. It’s a great way to add complexity to your food.”

Click here to read the rest of the source article from the Pocono Record

Our Raising the HEAT for Autism project officially ends tomorrow, January 31. Most of the bottles have already been shipped out to their new homes, and several more will go out this week.

Anyone wanting a bottle needs to write to us via our CONTACT FORM and reserve one and make payment arrangements by midnight tomorrow. After that, we have to gather all the cash and make our grand total announcement for money raised and get a check ready for Autism Speaks for later in February.

Thanks to everyone for their support with this. Our next project is going to be even more huge. Stay tuned!!!

Chuck Evans of Montezuma Brand passed along this breaking news to us about his ongoing efforts to protect his trademarked “Smokey Chipotle” from being pilfered by a number of other organizations in the industry. Score yet another victory for Chuck! Way to go!!!

Chuck Evans’ SMOKEY CHIPOTLE(R) Trademark Upheld in Trademark Dispute

In a recent decision filed in December 2007, the United States Trademark and Trial Appeals Board upheld Chuck Evans’ SMOKEY CHIPOTLE(R) trademark; the first trademark utilizing “chipotle” in the United States. A petition to cancel Mr. Evans’ recognized trademark was filed by Chicago-based, Urban Accents, Inc. Patton Boggs, LLP, a Washington, D.C. law firm specializing in intellectual property rights litigation represented Urban Accents, Inc. In addition, Kraft Foods, North America, the world’s largest food manufacturer, by and through their global trademark senior counsel, supported Urban Accents efforts for cancellation, resulting in a nearly 2-year legal process. Mr. Evans represented his interests in the cancellation proceeding. SMOKEY CHIPOTLE(R) has been registered since 1995.

While Mr. Evans’ trademark had achieved incontestable status under the Lanham Act; incontestable trademarks are subject to cancellation only if the trademark is used generically in the category for which the trademark is registered. The Trademark and Appeals Board agreed with Mr. Evans’ argument that the phrase, Smokey Chipotle, was descriptive of Chuck Evans’ MONTEZUMA Brand products and not a generic term used in the prepared foods category.

Where the petition for cancellation was dismissed with prejudice, the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board decision establishes legal precedent in future challenges.

Canada continues to provide proof that they’re on board with hot & spicy food…even in the eastern maritime provinces. Check out this article from The Guardian, out of Prince Edward Island, which talks about one Canuck’s love of hot sauces. Funny thing, though…we think we know who the only commercial grower in North America of Red Savinas in Indiana happens to be.

Charlottetown drum crafter Amiel LeBlanc brews up four sizzling hot sauces to torch the tongues of like-minded hot sauce aficionados.
MARY MACKAY
The Guardian

Some like it hot.

But hot sauce lovers like it hotter.

And Amiel LeBlanc of Cardigan has ignited his love of tongue-sizzling hot sauces into a business with four fiery delights made with the raging heat of the trademarked Red Savina habanero peppers.

“It’s the hottest habanero in the world,” this P.E.I. drum crafter says from his Funkfactory Drum Shop in Charlottetown where a Wall of Fire section is devoted to his sauces and other specialty brands.

To put the heat into perspective, on the Scoville heat units scale, a jalapeño pepper rates at 2,500 to 8,000, but a Red Savina habanero is a scorching 580,000. And the Red Savina extract that LeBlanc uses in his Give ’Er sauce is 1.5-million Scoville units.

LeBlanc brewed his first big batch of hot pepper sauce nearly eight years ago to send some to a Island friend out west.

He bottled up the rest for Christmas gifts.

Production really heated up when he presented some sauces along with his drums at craft shows a few years ago.

He now produces a series of four sauces: a garlic-flavoured Simply Savina, a mustard-based Yellow Devil, the extra-extra hot Give ’Er Sauce and a mango-peach sauce called Mango Madness.

LeBlanc initially bought his peppers at local stores.

“Then when I was making bigger batches I was going to every Superstore and Sobeys on the Island, literally driving up to Summerside to clean all of them out,” he says.

“Obviously that wasn’t very efficient if you need to do some production before the Christmas shows and they don’t have any peppers.”

He tracked down the only commercial grower in North America of Red Savinas in Indiana who now provides him with a Red Savina mash.

Click here to read the rest of the source article from The Guardian

In a warm-up for the amateur chili cookoff coming up at the North Market here in Columbus in 3 weeks, we decided to try our luck at another local cookoff event…this one called the “2007 Souper Bowl Cookoff,” which was a chicken soup-making contest at our local synagogue here. Soup is good food, and we eat a lot of it. Chicken soup in particular bears the distinction of being called Jewish penicillin, and we wanted to make a spicy chicken soup worthy of our hot & spicy tastes. As you can see with the picture above and below, we won the Judge’s competition (there was a people’s choice also) for this event. Joe’s picture and our recipe will be printed in the Columbus Dispatch on February 6, 2008.

As Linda pointed out when the trophy came home…we think that we are officially attention-whores. The winning recipe is here for your viewing:

Joe & Linda’s Hearty-but-spicy chicken soup extravaganza

8 bone-in whole chicken breasts (7 lbs)
3 gallons chicken broth
3 large Vidalia onions, diced
3 cups diced celery, medium-cut
5 bay leaves
5 tbsp CaJohn’s Gourmet Garlic Herb spice mix
½ bottle CaJohn’s Jalapeno Select Puree
1 jar (16 oz.) My Favorite New Mexico Foods’ Green Chile Sauce
5 tsp ground thyme
5 tsp fresh parsley, minced
1-2 one-pound bags of egg noodles (more or less depending on how much noodles you want)

In a 5 gallon stockpot, add the raw chicken breasts and enough chicken broth to completely cover the meat. Boil for approx. 2 hours or until meat is cooked all the way through. Turn off heat and remove chicken from broth. Remove all the bones, dice up all the chicken meat, and return it to the broth. Add all the other ingredients, except the egg noodles, to the broth and allow cook at medium heat for several hours. Add water or more chicken broth as necessary to make soup the desired consistency or to dilute the spice level. Near the end of the cooking time, add egg noodles and simmer for approx. 20 more minutes or until eggs noodles are at desired firmness. Serve hot.

Makes 5 gallons.

Well, we’re coming down to the wire with the end of our run of charity fund raising for Autism Speaks with the Raising the HEAT for Autism event. We’ve had a number of auctions sell thus far, but these truly rank high on the coolness scale. Uncle Big, one of our outstanding Canuck supporters, has offered up some great stuff to tempt the chileheads and hot sauce-heads out there. Check out these items that are available:

Droolin’ Devil El Diablo “Genesis Label” hot sauce pack

This auction is for one Droolin’ Devil El Diablo “Genesis Label” pack which entails one 5 oz and one 2 oz bottle, signed and numbered by Uncle Big himself!. Only 12 in existence. Number 2 of 12

Big lot of Droolin Devil and Hatari hot sauces

A big lot of sauces including the Hatari Peri Peri Power Pack, which is all five Peri Peri sauces by Hatari. Signed by Sam Shivji creator of the Hatari sauces. Garlic, Mixed Herb, Hot, Habanero, Extra Hot. The other is the Droolin’ Devil Award winner pack. Three 5 oz bottles…one each Garlic
Chilli, Chipotle, and Liquid Sin.

Uncle Big Serial Killer Private Reserve #20 of 55

We’ll be including a Uncle Big Serial Killer Private Reserve “Out of the Bag” two bottle set, signed and numbered #20 of 55.

BID EARLY AND BID OFTEN!!! These auctions are only listed for three days, so don’t miss out. Odds are we might bid on one of them ourselves!!

Sabrosa Gourmet Fire Roasted Salas Review

Manufacturer: Sabrosa (sabrosafoods.com)

Product:
Sabrosa Gourmet Fire Roasted Mild Salsa
Sabrosa Gourmet Fire Roasted Medium Salsa

Ingredients:
Diced Tomatoes
Roasted Bell Peppers
Red Bell Peppers
Roasted Jalapeno Peppers
Balsamic Vinegar
Kosher Salt
Fresh Garlic
Cilantro
Parsley

Packaging:
The 12 ounce mason style jars are pleasantly labeled and boast 100% fire roasted peppers. The colorful labeling makes you want to look and see what it is. The packaging is color-coordinated down to the golden colored lid.

Packaging Score: 17/20

Aroma:
The smell of fresh roasted peppers and garlic is enticing to say the least. A hint of a smoke gains an instant interest.

Aroma Score: 16/20

Texture:
The chunky texture of the salsa reveals pieces of green and red bell pepper in a sauce that is dark red/green in color.

Texture Score: 16/20

Taste:
The first thing that hits your taste buds is the roasted pepper and a hint of garlic. The balsamic vinegar is not overpowering and is supportive of the overall good taste. Tomatoes are readily visible in the salsa and fits well in this mixture although they are not one of the major taste competitors.

Taste Score: 17/20

Aftertaste:
The mild salsa has a slight hint of heat but you have to think about it to understand the top back of the palate has a warm feeling. The medium adds a little more heat but not bad at all.
Aftertaste Score: 16/20

Overall Score: 82/100

Summary:
While I am not a big fan of fire roasted delicacies, this salsa has a very pleasant taste whether eaten alone right out of the jar or with warm tortilla chips. My wife really likes this salsa. One of the better store bought salsas I have tried.

With the spread of what I call Naga Mania comes more and more interesting, super heated product. From Jolokia Peanut Butter, to sauces and powders, this trend is really sweeping the industry and Brian Marx from Heather’s Heat and Flavor is surely taking advantage of it!

» Continue Reading

With this inaugural review, we start a new category of product reviews here at The Hot Zone Online. With a comprehensive variety of spicy foods such as hot sauce, salsa, cooking sauces, dry spices, and the like…we have somehow neglected to pay some attention to the spicy sweets of the world. You remember these, right? Spicy chocolates. Hot pepper candies. Stuff that exercises your pancreas while gently sizzling your heat-seeking taste buds. We have a “battle” of sorts to start out with, just to make it a little interesting. An American-German tussle that hasn’t been seen since the Battle of the Bulge several decades ago.

Our first contestant is Hot Cinnamon Flaming Hearts by Flaminghotcandy.com. Steve Garner from FlamingHotCandy sent me a jar to see how I liked it and how it measured up to the desire of my palate to find that perfect mix of spicy and sweet.

The packaging: I like the small glass jar with clip-top. It keeps the candy fresh and is secure enough that you don’t have to worry about the candies leaking out of a dislodged bottle lid

The aroma: Mostly cinnamon, and lots of it. I don’t really detect any hints of chile pepper or chemical-smelling extract, and that works in its favor. I want my candy to actually smell like candy.

The appearance: Small red candies slightly larger and about twice as thick as a nickel. Cool frosted-coating look gives it that old-fashioned candy appearance from those classic candy shops where there were more varieties than your mind could grasp.
» Continue Reading

After yards of tape, wrapping paper, bubble wrap, and whole bunch of paper cuts, the long-awaited Epidemic Proportions collectible hot sauces are shipping out today. We were able to ship out a few of them already, but a bulk of the rest that were ordered will go out today. To those of you who have been patiently waiting after paying for them weeks ago, you now know that the USPS will have those for you relatively soon. For anyone who decides to crack the sauces open to eat, we’d love to hear some feedback on the taste. So far, the feedback has been good.

Enjoy!

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