Austin Chronicle's Hot Sauce Fest helps benefit Central Texas Food Bank

AUSTIN, Texas - Most of Austin enjoyed the break from 100-degree weather Sunday, but a couple of hundred others decided to sweat it out at the return of the annual Hot Sauce Festival.

"Normally, it's a scorcher, but I have to say we got really lucky today," said Sarah Wolf. "I think it's the coolest weather we've had in the history of the Hot Sauce Festival."

For hot sauce lovers, it only makes sense to kick the heat back up a notch

"It's got 1 percent reaper pepper," said Boerne Brand Hot Sauce.

"Oh wow, yeah, that's bold," said Adrian Leal, one of the many hot saucers fans at Far Out Lounge and Stage Sunday. "I would say definitely smokey, tasty."

The Hot Sauce Fest brought makers from all over Texas, and even a few from out of state, like Eddie Stankiewicz, who owns Stanky Sauce in Orlando.

"Historically, my favorite is my pineapple habanero ghost pepper sauce," said Stankiewicz.

This is his 3rd year at the festival.

"The spice community in Texas, in general, is huge, it's one of our most shipped-to states in the country," said Stankiewicz.

But for others, it’s their very first time. Lisa and Bob Jansen moved here a year ago and were excited to finally attend.

"I liked the peach habanero, and the other one was great too," said Lisa Jansen.

"I like the various flavors here behind the hot sauce," said Bob Jansen. "They were really good. We're gonna come back and probably get some of these."

Every ticket spreads some love to the Central Texas Food Bank.

sauce

"It's just an ideal fit for a foodie fest like the hot sauce festival, and so we love this partnership with them," said Wolf.

Wolf, with the Austin Chronicle, said Hot Sauce Fest is one of their largest fundraisers for the food bank.

Since its start, it's helped provide a sizzling 1.25 million meals.

"Being able to come to someone else's community and help them, you know, give back that's a pleasure, it's an honor for us," said Stankiewicz.

It’s a cause certainly worth taking the heat for.

"You see that they really like to push themselves to try new sauces, you see friends egg each other on when trying like the Carolina Reapers or the ghost pepper sauces," said Wolf. It's just fun to see people's reactions. That's why these shows are so popular where you eat spicy things right? It's just really good people-watching."