Attention fellow SoCal Sriracha fans! There will be a hearing at Irwindale City Hall on Wednesday, February 26 to address the alleged odors coming from the Huy Fong Foods plant. Fans of Huy Fong Foods and its iconic Sriracha hot chile sauce are encouraged to attend the meeting to show their support. The company has maintained that there is no odor being emitted, posting a banner outside of their factory that reads: “No Tear Gas Made Here”, and offering free tours to fans who’d like to see "how [their] Sriracha is made and how delicious it smells". 

SAVE SRIRACHA! Rally — Wednesday, February 26 at 6:30 p.m.
Irwindale City Hall
5050 N. Irwindale Ave., Irwindale, CA

Resolution No. 2014-07-2667

A resolution of the City Council of the City of Irwindale California, declaring its intent to conduct a public hearing on February 26, 2014 at 6:30 pm at the city council chambers, Irwindale City Hall to determine whether any noxious, irritating or offensive odors [allegedly] emanating from the Huy Fong Foods, Inc. facility at 4800 Azusa Canyon Road, Irwindale, California constitutes a public nuisance.

Huy Fong Foods Invites Sriracha Fans to Visit Irwindale Factory 

As many diehard Sriracha fans know, Huy Fong Foods has been in a bit of a legal battle with the city of Irwindale, CA for the past several months. The city contends that Huy Fong Foods’ new factory—they recently relocated from Rosemead, CA—is emitting an odor that is irritating to local residents. (I’ve never smelled anything outside of the factory during my numerous visits.) And while the city has added a “breach of contract” charge to its lawsuit, it still looks as though Huy Fong Foods is prepared to defend their business, insisting that they’ve done nothing wrong, and that there is no offensive odor coming from their factory.

In fact, they want to prove it. Just into my inbox is this note from Huy Fong Foods asking fans to come see—and smell—for themselves. Here’s your golden ticket…

Dear Sriracha Friends: 

After many months of transitioning from Rosemead and testing our new equipment, we are pleased to announce that we are now ready to invite visitors to our new building in Irwindale. Therefore, if you are interested in seeing how our Sriracha is made and how delicious it smells, we would cordially like to invite you, at your convenience, to see our facility during our regular office visiting hours, which is Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 3 pm. Please feel free to call customer service at (626) 286-8328 to schedule an appointment. We look forward to seeing you. 

Best regards, 

HUY FONG FOODS, INC.

Willy Wonka is opening the gates! By all means, get yourself a factory tour! And if you can’t make it in person, feel free to check out the pics from my visit to the massive 650,000 square foot Sriracha mecca:

Slideshow: Huy Fong Foods Factory Tour

Recap: 1st Annual LA Sriracha Festival 

As you may recall (or maybe you saw it in the new Sriracha documentary), I co-hosted the 1st Annual LA Sriracha Festival back in October with my good friend Josh Lurie from FoodGPS.com.

Josh was kind enough to put together a great slideshow from the event with pics from our good friend Bernie Wire, and I invite you to check it out! (There are photos on both pages!)

It was an incredible experience, and we’ll absolutely be doing it again in 2014… and expanding it to other cities! While I loved it all, my favorite part was knowing that a portion of all proceeds was going to Food Forward, a North Hollywood-based charity whose mission is to rescue and donate fresh local produce that would otherwise go to waste. Over 1.7 million pounds of food has been gleaned since 2009, and given to local food pantries, helping feed over 40,000 hungry Southern Californians each month. Presenting them with a check for $2,500 felt amazing!

A HUGE thanks to our sponsors: Huy Fong Foods, ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen, Shellback Rum, TRU Organic Gin, Ten Speed Press, and Uber.

Besides having a great time meeting so many fellow Sriracha addicts, it was also really cool getting to try all the wonderful creations that our talented collection of chefs were cranking out! 

Tons of thanks to all of them:

• 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) 

What good is food—especially spicy food—without something nice to wash it down with? To drink, we had Eagle Rock Brewery, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, and Firestone Walker Brewing Co. pouring craft beers and inventive bartenders Josh Goldman (Soigné Group) and Matthew Biancaniello serving creative Sriracha-spiked cocktails. Los Angeles Ale Works created an artisan ginger ale (with or without Sriracha!) and Pure Water of Los Angeles provided beyond-green purified water from their water systems.

To all the volunteers, attendees, staff, coordinators, and anybody else that helped make this event a monumental success, THANK YOU. Looking forward to making it even bigger and better this year! Viva la Sriracha!

===

Photo slideshow: 1st Annual LA Sriracha Festival [via FoodGPS.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

# # # 

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

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Hashtag: #SrirachaFest