The Heat Is On: The NYC Hot Sauce Expo Returns This Weekend

NEW YORK CITY — The Eighth Annual NYC Hot Sauce Expo is returning to the Brooklyn Expo Center this Saturday and Sunday after a year in hibernation due to COVID-19. And, as in every year, it promises to challenge the tolerance of your taste buds and help match you with a hot sauce that's perfect for your palate.

Because the sauces and peppers do run the gamut from mild to mind-melting, the expo takes some delight in billing itself as the "most extreme eating challenge on Earth," and asks the question, "Are you ready for death?"

So as any Mom would remind you: be careful what you put in your mouth.

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Although the expo is usually held in April, much of the country was still in lockdown last spring, according to one of the festival's original sponsors. "We couldn't do it in the spring," Peppers.com owner Chip Hearn told Patch. "So the organizers looked for the dates that were available, and here we are. Next April, we'll be right back here."

It's something of a pilgrimage for Hearn, who returns to the expo annually from his home in Delaware. Over time, he's seen both the number of vendors and the crowds grow exponentially. "We started in Brooklyn," he said, "did a year in Manhattan and then returned to Brooklyn, where we've been ever since."

This year, there will be COVID-19 protocols in place, but they won't be nearly as extreme as the heat of the peppers on hand. "We're using squeeze bottles and disposable spoons, so we can put little hot sauce on each one to sample," Hearn explained.

Events take place inside and out, as attendees will funnel past ticket-takers and be required to show proof that they're vaccinated against COVID-19. From there, they can stroll the enclosed grounds outdoors where vendors and food trucks await.

That the weekend focuses on bringing patrons to their knees by feeding them hot sauce that's beyond their human endurance is a myth, says the pepper purveyor.

"Really, the expo is for anyone who likes the flavor that hot sauces can bring to a dish," he countered. "There will be some 40 chefs on hand from a variety of restaurants, and they'll be giving demonstrations of how to pair food with hot sauces, from mild to medium to hot. It's not about scorching your taste buds."

Hearn says that for pepper aficionados, the NYC Hot Sauce Expo is a kind of Burning Man attraction that draws fans from across the country — some with a deep knowledge of growing peppers and a keen understanding of heat levels, and others who are simply walk-ins with casual interest.

"Beyond that," he says, "the contests are really a big deal, and it's a lot of fun to watch how many tacos or burritos someone can eat. The World Hot Sauce Championships are on Saturday, and on Sunday, the Guinness Book of World Records shows up to announce who won the hottest pepper, which they've already determined in a lab. And then there's a contest to see who can eat the most of those."

For more information on the expo, see their website.