Gretchen VanEsselstyn, the editor for Chile Pepper Magazine, sent us this quick update about the latest news for their upcoming events:

2009 Fiery Food Challenge on the web!
We wanted to let you know that you can now enter the Fiery Food Challenge from our website at chilepepper.com. Entry season has just begun, and you have just about a month to get our early bird rates. Will this be your year to win a Golden Chile? We’re rooting for you! Any questions about the Fiery Food Challenge? Call Pam Betz at (888) 338-1445 or email Pam@chilepepper.com

Also, don’t forget to make your plans to attend Texas ZestFest 2008 at the Will Rogers Center in Fort Worth, September 5-7. We’re finalizing the lineup now and it’s going to be an amazing show! To book a booth, contact June DeRousse at 866-431-8771 or june@chilepepper.com

Well, we finally manage to upload our photos of the 2008 Cinco D’Ohio show and it is now available for viewing:

Cinco D’Ohio 2008 slideshow

Many of the pictures were good, some were not. All are available for viewing/digestion. It was awesome fun both being a judge for all the competitions as well as just enjoying the show. Enjoy the pics!

We will have our own pictorial rendition of the goings on from this past weekend’s Cinco D’Ohio event at the North Market, but in the meantime we’d like to offer up some pictures courtesy of Donavan Stanley at the Mommy It Burns Blog. Check it out:

Geckofiend’s 2008 Cinco D’Ohio photo album

Donavan was victorious for the amateur hot sauce contest, and we were lucky enough to get some samples of his sauce for our very own consumption. Yes, we will be reviewing those at some point soon. Stay tuned!!

Another great event at the North Market which we’ll be attending. We couldn’t attend last year, so we are so glad to be able to attend this year:

CINCO D’OHIO FESTIVAL CELEBRATES

THE SPICE OF LIFE IN THE BUCKEYE STATE!

Columbus, Ohio- The North Market presents a unique angle to the customary festivities of Cinco de Mayo on Saturday, May 3rd with the Cinco D’Ohio Festival. The traditional Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican militia’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. CINCO D’OHIO exalts the exceptional array of culinary commodities available from in-state producers. During the event at the North Market on May 3rd Ohio Proud vendors and their products will be flaunted in an atmosphere with fiesta flair.

Cinco D’Ohio will be the first outdoor festival of the season at the North Market. The farmers’ market will officially open and Ohio Proud vendors will join our farmers in the plaza selling Ohio-made foodstuffs. The Market is known for its festival culinary contests and Cinco D’Ohio will have three: Salsa, Hot Sauce and the Chef Taco Taste-Off! The Amateur Salsa Contest will earn the first place winner $50 in North Market gift certificates and the runner-up $25 in gift certificates. The Amateur Hot Sauce Contest winner will be rewarded with $50 in North Market gift certificates and the runner-up $25 in gift certificates. In the expert category, local Chefs can demonstrate their taco-constructing skills in the Chef Taco Taste-Off. The victorious chef will garner a special trophy and $100 in North Market gift certificates. Robin Davis will be competing in her own Dispatch Kitchen (does she have the home-chef advantage?) along with John Dornback of Basi Italia and Matt Langstaff of Bexley’s Monk.

For the kids there will be all kinds of amusement including face painters, a fun show and piñatas to burst and scramble for prizes!

“We had great fun with the Cinco D’Ohio theme last year,” says North Market Executive Director, David Wible. “Our partnership with Ohio Proud enables us to bring in a great assortment of vendors for the event who all create their products within the state.”

Cinco D’Ohio Festival Schedule:

8 a.m. North Market opens, Ohio Proud vendors open on farmers’ market plaza
9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Cooking demonstrations in the Dispatch Kitchen (dubbed CaJohns Kitchen for the day) by John Hard of CaJohns Flavor & Fire
9:00 Culinary demonstration
9:45 Lori Panda of Ohio Proud and Martha Franzel, chile pepper grower
10:30 Salsa contest
11:15 Chef Taco Taste-off
12:00 Hot Sauce contest
12:45 Culinary demonstration
1:15 Culinary demonstration
2:30 Culinary demonstration
10 a.m. – 1 p.m., music by Willie Phoenix
11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Columbus Dog Connection showcases adoptable dogs
1 p.m., kids can take a swing at the piñata full of goodies!
1 – 4 p.m., Mark Wood fun show, cowboy and magic tricks
11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Fantasy Faces face painting for the kids
1 – 4 p.m., live music by Jorge Polo and the Gadabouts

Cinco D’Ohio vendors will include: Anderson Orchard, Buckeye Mustard, Champaign Springs, Chief Cooker Coffee Roasters, Combs Fresh Herbs, Cynthia’s Wing Tongs, Dolce Pizzelles, Gypsy Bees, Heartland Herbs, Little Dipper Company, Louisiana Grill, Make it Like a Chef, Misty Mountain Estate, Montezuma Brand, Ohio Proud, Rhoads Farm, Sauce Cartel, Schmitz Gardens, Shearer’s Potato Chips, Somerset Herbs, Sparky & Spike’s, Steven’s Bakery & Orchard, Summer Thyme Farm, Sweet Louise Sauces, Toby Run Growers, Toad Hill Organic Farm, Urban Chefs, and Wishwell Farms Produce.

The North Market Cinco D’Ohio Festival on Saturday, May 3 is a free event. Festival activities will take place from 9a.m.-5p.m. Market hours are 8a.m. – 5 p.m. To participate in any of the contests and for more information, please call (614) 463-9664 or visit www.northmarket.com.

In operation since 1876, the North Market is Columbus’ only true public market. More than 30 merchants offer a wide variety of fresh produce, meat, poultry, seafood, flowers and other specialty food items. The Market also provides an international selection of freshly prepared foods, distinctive gifts and personable service from owner/operators. The North Market is open daily and located steps away from the Columbus Convention Center and Nationwide Arena.

The list has been updated by Bret at Jungle Jim’s. Added were Sauce Cartel, Urban Chefs, Flamingo Joe’s, and Rick Bayless/Frontera. You can see the whole list by clicking HERE.

The first list of vendors who have committed for the 2008 Jungle Jim’s Weekend of Fire is now in. Here are some of the fine companies who’ll be there:

Booths

1&2 Peppers
3—- Chooch+Pootan
4—- Cajun Island
5—- Mild to Wild
13– TorchBearer
14– Montezuma
15– Csigi
18– Chili Pit
17– Blane, DK,Buddah–?
19– Fat Kid Sauce
21&22-CaJohn’s
25&26–Hot Shoots
27–Defcon
28–Bodines BBQ
29–Intensity Academy
33–Porkys
34–Big Dawg
35–Texas choice
39–THT
40–Blair’s
41–Redd Eye
42–Butt Shack
43–Lee’s Mustard
46&47 Garden Fresh Salsa
49–Captain Tom’s
7–Urban Chef
44–Sauce Cartel
38-Flamingo’s Joe’s
63–Rick Bayless-Frontera
53- Tony Legner Food Polish
54- Tahiti’s Joes

Devil Duck’s Trip To Mecca, Part 3

My apologies, faithful readers, on the delay of getting this final part posted. Things have been a little hectic here at Devil Duck Central, but now I’m ready to give you the final part of my coverage of the Fiery Foods Show.

Judgment Day

It’s Saturday morning and all of the vendors are busy restocking their booths and drawing out their battle plans. There are a few attendees and wholesalers milling about and trying sauces that they didn’t get to sample the day before. The mood in the Ballroom of Doom is tense, but for the most part everyone is in good spirits. I personally revisited a few of the newcomers to the show to see how they faired the previous day and took some more notes on some companies I missed due to my molar meltdown (aka: sucker punch).

11:00am

This is the view from the ticket booth. The public is patiently waiting for the gates to open. Chileheads young and old from all over the world (I met a guy from Sweden who makes the trip annually) are talking about all of the fiery goodness that lies ahead.
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Devil Duck’s Trip To Mecca, part 2

It’s 7:30am Friday morning and I’m already formulating my plan for the day. After a cup of coffee and a few cigarettes, my wife and I head over to Sandia Resort and Casino for a decent buffet breakfast. We are going to need a little something to buffer all of the capsaicin about to hit us. While we were choking down our overcooked scrambled eggs, we noticed a few vendors there getting a little nourishment for the long day ahead.

We stopped at the ticket booth to pick up our passes for the show and I got some goosebumps as the smell of all things hot and spicy wafted past my nose. There were some complimentary bags lying on a table with the 20th anniversary logo silkscreened on the side. We decided it would be a good idea to grab a couple so we could carry our stash while we made our way through the aisles.

The first booths of note, as we rounded the corner to the ballroom, were Blair’s, Danny Cash, and Jim Campbell (Mild to Wild).

Ever been to a hot luck? Well, this one (courtesy of Jim Campbell) looks like it would be a good one to try out to see how fun they can be:

A river of tears, tears of joy, will soon flow in Madison, Indiana, at the 12th Annual “Hot Luck and Fiery Foods Exhibition at the Thomas Family Winery on Friday, April 4th and Saturday 5th. Admission is free.

The event features a “Hot Luck” pitch-in dinner on Friday beginning at 7 p.m. Those attending are encouraged to bring a fiery hot dish and recipes to share with the other chileheads. Mild dishes are also allowed for those less adventurous souls.

Saturday’s expo hours Noon to 6 p.m., however the winery will remain open until at least 10 p.m.
Saturday highlights include a salsa contest with the winner receiving the coveted “Sombrero Grande.” Entries in the homemade salsa contest need to be received by 1 pm on Saturday. The category awards of “Most Innovative,” “Most Traditional,” and “Best Overall” will be awarded around 5 pm. Prizes are guaranteed to be wacky.

Hot creatureAlso on Saturday will be assorted vendors of chile products. Guests can sample salsas, sauces, purchase dried and fresh spices, hot breads, chili powder, vinegars, even pepper plants.

Wonderful music will add sear for the day!

For photos from past Hot Lucks visit our family photo scrapbook…

The Thomas Family Winery is located in Historic Downtown Madison, Indiana, at 208 East Second Street.

For information, call Steve or Elizabeth Thomas at 1-800-948-8466, or steven@thomasfamilywinery.us.

For more information, check out their website by clicking HERE.

Devil Duck’s Trip to Mecca, part 1

Thursday, February 28.

High Noon

This is the day I’ve been waiting an entire year for… An insider’s chance to observe the Fiery Foods Show. Last year, I agreed to help the crew at Defcon by storing a few pieces of their booth and to assist in setting up the “Lair of Doom” this time. However, upon my arrival, something was amiss. Things didn’t just seem to be right. So, I phoned The Creator (as he is called by his Acolytes) to inform him that I had indeed arrived at his booth. Hmmm… It seems his flight has been delayed and he and his crew of misguided misfits are going to be late.

2:30pm

After observing several companies start on their forays, and discussing the challenges this weekend would present, spirits were indeed high for the upcoming battle.

Upon the arrival of the Defcon crew, we found out what was wrong with the booth. No Pallet of Pain. It wasn’t on the loading dock. So The Createss (That’s Ms. Defcon to commoners) fired off a frenzy of phone calls that even the most mild mannered of us would succumb to her fury.

The Pallet of Pain is still 2 hours away. Off to the bar for some beers! (This becomes the theme of the weekend as you faithful readers will soon see.)
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