1st Annual San Diego Sriracha Festival

Making its highly anticipated debut is the 1st Annual San Diego Sriracha Festival on Saturday, September 20, 2014 at Liberty Station.

This chef-driven, all-inclusive, 21+ event from The Sriracha Cookbook and Food GPS spotlights the world’s most iconic hot sauce at a unique, historical venue. Multiple stations allow guests to enjoy a variety of Sriracha-themed dishes, including desserts, at their own pace. Local craft beer, cocktails, sodas, iced coffee and iced tea help tame the heat while a live DJ set helps create a fun and unforgettable food and drink experience.

Some of San Diego’s best chefs and restaurants participating in this year’s event include:

• AQUI ES TEXCOCO — Francisco Perez (Best Tacos in 15 US Cities, Zagat 2014)
• THE BELLOWS — Schuyler Schultz (Best New American Cuisine Nominee, San Diego A-List)
• GANG KITCHEN — Craig Jimenez (San Diego’s Best Eats, Drinks & Restaurants, Discover San Diego 2014)
• HASH HOUSE A GO GO + THE TRACTOR ROOM — Craig “Andy” Beardslee (36 Hours in San Diego Must Have Dinner, New York Times, 2009)
• THE PATIO — John Medall (San Diego’s Top 10 Weekend Brunches & Breakfasts, TheCultureTrip.com)
• SLATER’S 50/50 — Brad Lyons (Best Hamburger, UT San Diego 2013)
• STONE BREWING WORLD BISTRO & GARDENS — Steve Robbins (The Best Restaurants in San Diego: Best Brewpub, San Diego Magazine 2014)
• SUPERNATURAL SANDWICHES — Christian Eggert (The Iconic Sandwiches of San Diego, Eater San Diego)
• URBN ST. BREWING — Alex Carballo (12 to watch in 2012, Hospitality Magazine)
• URGE AMERICAN GASTROPUB — Marc Liautard (Best Neighborhood Bar Nominee, San Diego A-List)
• WOW WOW WAFFLE — Joe Kraft (7 New San Diego Restaurants You Need To Try This Summer, Thrillist 2014)

DESSERTS: Churros El Tigre, Peterson’s Donut Corner, and Quenelle will be serving desserts throughout the festival.

BEVERAGES: Stone Brewing Co., Iron Fist Brewing Company and URBN St. Brewing will be pouring local craft beer, while inventive bartenders Jason Bran & Damian Windsor will serve creative cocktails. The event will also feature craft sodas from Los Angeles Ale Works, coffee from Portola Coffee Lab, and tea from Seventh Tea Bar.

CHARITY: A portion of proceeds from the San Diego Sriracha Festival will directly benefit Mama’s Kitchen, a San Diego-based charity that prepares and delivers three meals a day—free of charge—to approximately 350 men, women, and children affected by AIDS or cancer in San Diego County. Mama’s Kitchen has served over 7,000,000 meals since it was founded in 1990 and has never turned away a client who qualified for its services. More info at mamaskitchen.org.

TICKETS AND MORE INFO:
http://sriracha.nightout.com/ 

SRIRACHAHOLIC VIP PASS: Making its highly anticipated return is the 2nd Annual Los Angeles Sriracha Festival on Sunday, October 19 from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm at L.A. Chinatown’s landmark Central Plaza. A limited number of diehard Sriracha fans are invited to buy VIP tickets to both fests for a discounted bundle price that including one-hour early admission and guaranteed seating at both events.

About The Sriracha Cookbook: Randy Clemens released The Sriracha Cookbook in January 2011, incorporating his favorite hot sauce in 50 unique recipes. Due to popular demand, The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook recently launched in July 2013 with an additional 50 recipes, all plant-based in nature. Both books are available on Amazon and at independent bookstores nationwide. More info at TheSrirachaCookbook.com.

About Food GPS: Josh Lurie founded Food GPS in 2005. Since then, his Los Angeles-based website has remained dedicated to pinpointing the highest quality, best-tasting food and drink, regardless of price or cuisine, and sharing stories of people behind the flavor. Food GPS, Inc. also produces unique culinary events. More info at FoodGPS.com.

FOLLOW SRIRACHA FESTIVAL UPDATES ON:
Facebook: facebook.com/TheSrirachaCookbook | facebook.com/foodgps
Twitter: twitter.com/SrirachaBook | twitter.com/foodgps
Instagram: instagram.com/foodgps
Hashtag: #SrirachaFest

RSVP/INVITE FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/events/445604262246851/

PRESS CONTACT:
Lawrence Moore & Associates Inc. 
Lawrence@LawrenceMooreAssociates.com 

The Los Angeles Times reports that residents of Irwindale near the new Huy Fong Foods factory have lodged complaints about headaches and burning eyes, which they allege are the result of the emissions coming from the hot sauce production facility.

“The city of Irwindale filed suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday, claiming that the odor was a public nuisance and asking a judge to stop production until the smell can be reduced.”

I visited the factory a few weeks back with my friend Josh Lurie from FoodGPS.com, and while we could definitely smell the Sriracha being made once we stepped inside the factory’s production areas, neither of us noticed any such aroma outside the facility. In fact, I remember the smell being much more apparent from the outside of their previous Rosemead location, and I always loved rolling my windows down as I approached.

We’ll see what happens as the story progresses, but I’m hopeful that it doesn’t halt Sriracha production or cause any delays. Huy Fong Foods relies on fresh chiles for its Sriracha—100 million pounds’ worth this year—which are all grown by Underwood Family Farms. They are trucked directly to Huy Fong Foods from the farm, and are washed, processed, and turned into hot sauce immediately, at the peak of their freshness. Harvest season for their jalapeño hybrid peppers is almost over, but they still have plenty more deliveries scheduled which will help ensure supply for next year. An action by the court could cut into that supply.

Get the full story from the Los Angeles Times

View pictures from my tour of Huy Fong Foods

The 1st Annual L.A. Sriracha Festival  

The 1st Annual L.A. Sriracha Festival is taking place on Sunday, October 27, from 3 pm to 6 pm at LOT 613 in the downtown L.A. Arts District. This chef-driven, all-inclusive, 21+ event spotlights the world’s most iconic hot sauce in a casual industrial setting. Multiple stations allow guests to enjoy a variety of Sriracha themed dishes, including desserts, at their own pace. Local craft beer, cocktails, and sodas help tame the heat while a live DJ set helps create a fun and unforgettable food and drink experience.

Some of L.A.’s best chefs and restaurants participating in this year’s event include:

• Wesley Avila— Guerrilla Tacos — “Best Tacos in LA Under $10”, Time Out LA (2013)
• Nadav Bashan — Bashan — “Most Underrated Restaurant in LA”, Eater
• Neal Fraser — BLD, Fritzi Dog, ICDC, Redbird at Vibiana, The Strand House —Top Chef: Masters (Season 5)
• Gabe Gordon — Beachwood BBQ & Brewing — “Best Brewpub in Southern California”, RateBeer.com (2013)
• Eric Greenspan — The Foundry on Melrose, Greenspan’s Grilled Cheese, The Roof on Wilshire — Iron Chef: America, The Next Iron Chef
• Tai Kim — Scoops — ”10 Best Ice Cream & Gelato Shops” (#8), LA Weekly (2011)
• Esdras Ochoa & Javier Fregoso — Mexicali Taco & Co. — “The Best Tacos in Los Angeles”, laist (2013)
• Christian Page — Short Order — “5 Reasons to Get Out and Explore LA”, Bon Appetit (2012)
• Tui Sungkamee & Jazz Singsanong — Jitlada — Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants (#9), LA Weekly’s 99 Essential Restaurants (2013)
• Chloe Tran & John Vu Cao — East Borough — “One Perfect Day in Costa Mesa," Sunset Magazine, opening restaurant in Culver City
• Ernesto Uchimura —Plan Check Kitchen + Bar — “Chef of the Year”, Los Angeles Magazine (2012) — also featuring a cocktail from Matthew Biancaniello

Beverages

To drink, Eagle Rock Brewery, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, and Firestone Walker Brewing Co. will be pouring craft beers throughout the event. Inventive bartenders Josh Goldman (Soigné Group) and Matthew Biancaniello are serving creative cocktails in the main festival area and at the Plan Check Bar booth, respectively. Los Angeles Ale Works has created artisan ginger ale (with or without Sriracha!), Pure Water of Los Angeles is providing beyond-green purified water from their water systems.

Sponsors 

Huy Fong Foods, Inc. has generously come on board as a presenting sponsor. David Tran, founder of Huy Fong Foods and mastermind behind their Sriracha, will be making a rare, special appearance at the event. Uber is offering festival guests a free ride valued at up to $20 for first time users, and Ten Speed Press is giving a copy of The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook to all VIP guests.

Charity

A portion of proceeds from the L.A. Sriracha Festival will directly benefit Food Forward; a North Hollywood-based charity whose mission is to rescue and donate fresh local produce that would otherwise go to waste. Over 1.6 million pounds of food has been gleaned since 2009, which goes to local food pantries, helping feed over 40,000 hungry Southern Californians each month.

Ticket Information

General Admission tickets are $49 per person in advance, and $59 per person at the door, if still available. Tickets are all-inclusive, and enable attendees to sample freely from all food and drink vendors as they please.  Tickets are only available for people 21+.

VIP Tickets for the event are $80 in advance, and $90 per person at the door, if available. They include reserved seating, one-hour early admission from 2 pm to 3 pm, and a signed copy of The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook. Tickets are only available for people 21+ and are for sale exclusively at LAsrirachafestival.nightout.com. 

Parking

Valet parking is available at nearby 619 Imperial Street for $10 per car, and free street parking is also an option.

Location 

LOT 613, 613 Imperial Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90021,www.lot613.com

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About The Sriracha Cookbook: Randy Clemens released The Sriracha Cookbook in January 2011, incorporating his favorite hot sauce in 50 unique recipes. The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook recently launched in July 2013 with an additional 50 recipes, all plant-based in nature.

About Food GPS:  Josh Lurie founded Food GPS in 2005. Since then, his Los Angeles-based website has remained dedicated to pinpointing the highest quality, best-tasting food and drink, regardless of price or cuisine, and sharing stories of people behind the flavor. Food GPS, Inc. also produces unique culinary events.

FOLLOW THE 1st ANNUAL L.A. SRIRACHA FESTIVAL UPDATES ON:

Facebook: facebook.com/TheSrirachaCookbook | facebook.com/foodgps

Twitter: @SrirachaBook | @foodgps

Instagram:  instagram.com/foodgps

Hashtag: #SrirachaFest

David Tran, creator of Huy Fong Foods Sriracha.

The man behind the almighty rooster sauce stands in front of what I wish was my pantry. Businessweek writer Caleb Hannan got a rare glimpse into the story of Huy Fong Foods and the family behind it, while examining the cult status that surrounds their Sriracha. (And hey, look at that! I’m even quoted in the article!)

Their success continues because of an unrelenting focus on quality and word of mouth alone. Huy Fong Foods has never advertised, has no official Facebook page or Twitter account, and their website hasn’t been updated since May 2004.

ALL HAIL DAVID TRAN.

Read on for a fascinating look behind the curtain:
Sriracha Hot Sauce Catches Fire, Yet ‘There’s Only One Rooster’ - via Bloomberg Businessweek

[Photograph by Nathanael Turner / Businessweek]