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

AUSTIN! I’ll be in you this weekend, judging at the 2013 Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival on Sunday!

The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival, which began in 1990, has become the world’s largest, drawing as many as 15,000 spectators and more than 350 entries every year. This year The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival will take place on Sunday, August 25 at Fiesta Gardens (2100 Jesse E. Segovia St.) in Austin, Texas. 

FREE to the public (with a donation of three healthy, nonperishable food items or a cash donation to the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas), the event draws upward of 15,000 spectators and more than 350 entries every year.

And the night before, I’ll be at Garrido’s Restaurant signing books and drinking beer and margaritas with fellow hot sauce cookbook fiends Robb Walsh, Mando Rayo, Jarod Neece, and David Garrido!

Come by, have a drink, and say hi!

Garrido’s Book Signing & Cocktail Hour
Saturday, August 24, 5:30-6:30pm
360 Nueces St., Austin TX

RSVP on Facebook

The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival is on Sunday, August 25 from 11am-5:30pm. More information here. RSVP on Facebook here.

Watermelon-Sriracha Sangria Recipe 

I’m not a psychic, but I can tell you two things for sure about the future: 1) It’s going to be hot as hell this weekend, and 2) I’ll be drinking plenty of Watermelon-Sriracha Sangria to help counteract that.

It’s crisp, refreshing, and delightfully boozy, with just a hint of the almighty rooster’s heat. Plus it’s super easy to make! It’s one of my favorite recipes from The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook, and I hope you’re inspired to enjoy some with me!

Recipe: Watermelon-Sriracha Sangria

• 8 cups cubed seedless watermelon
• 1 (750 mL) bottle dry unoaked white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio)
• ¼ cup Calvados, light rum, or brandy
• ¼ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons Sriracha
• 2 limes, thinly sliced
• 12 fluid ounces natural ginger ale (such as Reed’s Original Ginger Brew)
• Ice cubes, for serving
• Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

In a blender, puree 6 cups of the watermelon. Strain into a large pitcher. Add the wine, Calvados, sugar, Sriracha, lime slices, and remaining 2 cups of watermelon. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (This can be made up to 2 days in advance.)

When ready to serve, give the mixture a healthy stir, then pour in the ginger ale. Put a few ice cubes in each glass, then fill with the sangria, making sure to get some lime and watermelon goodies in everyone’s cup. Garnish with a sprig of mint and serve immediately.

Reprinted with permission from The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook: 50 Vegan “Rooster Sauce” Recipes That Pack a Punch by Randy Clemens. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc. Text copyright © 2013 by Randy Clemens. Photographs copyright © 2013 by Leo Gong.

Recipe: Sriracha “Pulled Pork” Sammiches with Pickled Red Onion 

As you may know, The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook is coming out in just a few days! I’m super excited, and my good friend/vegan blogger extraordinaire Kristy from KeepinItKind.com is too! She’s hosting a giveaway where you can win a copy of my new book, and she’s sharing my recipe for Sriracha “pulled pork” sandwiches! It’s made with young jackfruit, which mimics the texture of pulled pork perfectly, and the delightfully spicy sauce adheres to it beautifully. I love it and know you will too!

Vegan Sriracha “Pulled Pork” Sandwich recipe & The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook giveaway (via KeepinItKind.com)

Pssst… Live in L.A.? Wanna come to the book release party on July 2nd?

VIDEO: The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook

Here’s the quick little one-minute teaser video for The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook, which comes out on July 2, 2013! 

If you’re around L.A., I hope you can make it to the book release party at Golden Road Brewing that night!

Not just for vegans and vegetarians, this new book—a delightful companion to the original Sriracha Cookbook (if I may say so myself)—is for anyone who loves vegetables, and is curious about incorporating more of them into their cooking. No gross fake meat soy nugget crap here, just wonderful veggies, fruits, beans, and grains! (Tofu and tempeh do make the occasional appearance… but it’s for the best.)

From the back cover:

Devoted Sriracha addicts know that this fiery red condiment adds the perfect spicy kick to their favorite foods. But for those who want to take it to the next level, Randy Clemens shows how versatile this garlicky, pungent sauce can be when paired with the almighty veggie in everything from breakfast to dessert, appetizers to entrées.

These delicious plant-based recipes—from Stuffed Sriracha ‘Shrooms, Sriracha-Cauliflower Mac 'n’ Cheeze, and Cajun Quinoa Cakes with Lemon-Dill-Sriracha Rémoulade to Maple-Sriracha Doughnuts and Watermelon Sriracha Sangria—showcase an exciting range of fruits, grains, and veggies, without the processed fake meat found in many vegan recipes. Featuring 50 flavor-packed, inventive combinations of vegetables and Sriracha (with notes on how to adapt them for a gluten-free diet), The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook will take your rooster sauce obsession to bold, new heights.

Viva la Sriracha!