Red Robot Hot Sauce Added to ZestFest 2014 List of Awesome Products!

My name is Eric Borland and I am the co-owner of a gourmet hot sauce company called Red Robot Hot Sauce.  We just joined your blog for the Zest Fest and are looking forward to January, our first year participating as a vendor at the festival.  

We make a roasted, red jalapeno-based sauce using all natural ingredients.  We really concentrate on making a sauce with a great mixture of flavor and heat and our growth as a company over a short period of time shows that people love it as much as we do!  We are currently in 22 retail locations around the Atlanta-area as well as 2 restaurants and a couple specialty food websites.

It all started about 2 and a half years ago when a bumper crop of jalapeno peppers in our small, backyard garden resulted in so many we couldn't give them all away.  My business partner and friend from childhood, Mike Van Dorn, and I started tinkering with making hot sauce.  After a few months of toying around with different recipes, we finally found one that we both thought nailed it.  We sold out of everything we brought to our first festival and both decided to turn our hobby into our small business.  

After a year of getting through the certifications, process approvals, roadblocks and learning experiences along the way we were finally ready to legally sell to the public in November 2012.  In just a year, we've grown quickly, adding customers on a weekly basis.  With our production now handled by a co-packer, we are able to focus our time on sales.  The Zest Fest is going to be a great opportunity for us to meet and talk with key distributors, producers and customers.  Again, we are really looking forward to the festival and I love the blog about the festival to get the hype started!  Thanks again.

Best Regards,

Eric Borland
Co-Owner
Red Robot Foods

redrobothotsauce@gmail.com

www.redrobothotsauce.com

Deadline to enter the 2014 Fiery Food Challenge!

The countdown is on for the deadline to enter the 2014 Fiery Food Challenge. All entries and products MUST be received by January 6, 2014. Don't miss this once-a-year opportunity to showcase YOUR terrific products!

2014 Fiery Food Challenge The MOST Prestigious Fiery Food Competition in the country!

The Fiery Food Challenge's signature award, THE GOLDEN CHILE, is the most widely recognized award for products in the spicy, zesty food industry. For the past decade, the FFC has been a gateway for small businesses to launch their products and get Trade Buyer recognition. Companies that have entered products in the FFC over the past decade know the value of this award. 

The Fiery Food Challenge Awards Presentation, held on Friday evening during show weekend, gives the opportunity for small business owners to meet, enjoy great food, and cheer each other on during the awards presentation. 

The FFC is the "Oscars" of this industry, and the Golden Chile is OUR coveted award. The judging takes place for three days prior to ZestFest. This is a "blind" tasting involving close to 100 judges. With specific guidelines in place, the judging is based on samplings and a proven scoring method . 

The 2013 Fiery Food Challenge had over 700 entries, with everything from sauces to salsas, rubs and seasonings, beverages, prepared foods, and even desserts. Our judges are restaurateurs, chefs, caterers, qualified "chileheads", and even a few general consumers. This year, we are honored to have Cajohn Hard as our Senior Product Consultant. John will be working with Amy Bigham, FFC Coordinator, and will be overseeing the entries and judging. We'll miss having his great products to sample and taste, but his knowledge in the industry is second-to-none! 

 Take a moment to download the 2014 Fiery Food Challenge entry form and find the category YOUR product belongs in. It's a once-a-year opportunity to GO FOR THE GOLD!

2014 FFC ENTRY FORM

ZestFest 2014 TV Promo

Helping Others at Irving Cares

What are the three hardest words to say? “I was wrong.”  “You were right.” How about, “I need help.”?   Last year, over 44,000 said, “I need help,” and Irving Cares was there and was able to meet many of the basic needs for low-income Irving families.

Programs offered include food pantry; financial assistance for rent, mortgage, utilities or transportation; job search assistance; transportation to medical appointments; information and referral.

Average annual income for a family at Irving Cares is $24,000. At that income level, any “extra” expense can cause a financial crisis: a higher-than-usual utility bill, a sick child who needs a doctor’s visit and a prescription, job loss.

We are most pleased our clients and supporters say we provide those services with dignity and respect. Surveys from Food Pantry clients stated the items they received in their food orders met their nutritional needs and were plentiful in quantity and variety. A volunteer wrote in his online review at www.greatnonprofits.com, “If you donate to Irving Cares, you know that your dollars are being spent wisely and effectively.”

You can help support Irving Cares at ZestFest 2014 by making a donation during the Celebrity Chef tastings, or visiting our booth in the exhibit spaces. When neighbors work together, great things can happen. 

So is Everyone Spicing up the Holidays?

Most of you are familiar with the Scoville scale - the scale rates the SHU or Scoville Heat Units of various spicy ingredients.  The scale goes from 0 for a non-spicy bell pepper to as high as 16 million for some pure capsaicin.  So, you can pick your seasoning pepper variety by how much you want to turn up the heat.

First the flavorful but no heat BELL Peppers.  They are most commonly green which are harvested before full ripening and have a slightly bitter flavor.  A bit more ripened, you get yellow and orange that have a more fruity flavor.  Then there is the red bell pepper that still has no heat but rather a sweet flavor.  The bells are great for adding color and extra flavor to lots of dishes including salads.

JALAPENO Peppers are the best know for spicing up a chili or other dish.  These peppers are small usually and kind of bullet shaped.  It is a medium heat pepper very popular for salsa and marinades.  

If you like dishes with some real heat, the HABANERO pepper is the pepper that will likely be in the ingredients.  They come in variations of yellow, red and orange and deliver a burning heat.  So, they can provide both the fire and the color for great dishes.

Here's a nice added bonus with peppers.  They carry a lot of nutritional value (vitamin C, A and K) - generally the hotter peppers carry more vitamin value and have also been linked to lowering cholesterol.  

All and all, as all of you already know, PEPPERS are GREAT.  At ZestFest you will discover all kinds of ways to use them and explore the wonderful tastes of peppers.

We want your help with the Big Flavor Blog!

Attention All Participating Partners in ZestFest 2014:

We want your help with the Big Flavor Blog!  The goal will be to build a resource for lovers of zesty, spicy foods.

There will be information on upcoming ZestFest events but we are more interested in presenting profiles of top chefs, information on the best products available with recipes for putting them to use and any other ideas on adding big flavor to a meal.

Step One

·        While you are here at the Big Flavor Blog at http://spicyfoodzestfest.blogspot.com/ (please add an email address to the right of the top of the page so you will get new posts sent to you).

Step Two

·         We are eager to have submissions from you that will provide useful information to other readers of the Big Flavor Blog.

·         We won’t promise to post all submissions but please send them to zesty.big.flavor@gmail.com – cooking tips, recipes, personal stories, top chef profiles and anecdotes, information on ingredients and sourcing food products.

·         Please do not submit anything that by posting we would be violating a copyright.

There is nothing wrong with your submissions being promotional – just don’t make it a straight advertisement, we want to provide some real value for readers and again, the mission is to build a resource for lovers of zesty, spicy foods!

I look forward to getting your submissions and promoting BIG Flavor eating and celebrating the stars of the cuisine!

Hope to see you all in Irving, Texas in January and have a very Merry Christmas, Happy other Holidays and wishes for a Joyous New Year.  Lots of good eating over the next weeks...

All the Best to you and your Families,

Big Flavor JB

Dos Equis to Quench the Thirst of ZestFest Crowd … Now that’s a Perfect Fit!

Zest Fest 2014 Returns to The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, Jan.24-26 with the support of Dos Equis Beer

Irving, Texas – Dos Equis is on board as a presenting sponsor for ZestFest 2014. Spicy Food Productions could not have a better sponsor for the Zest Fest event – what better partner could you have for a crowd sampling the zestiest spicy food ingredients and dishes in the world than the world class icy cold beers from Dos Equis. ZestFest 2014 will have plenty of Dos Equis on hand to toast this event in the brand new Irving Convention Center on January 24-26. 2014. 

 ZestFest is one of the largest events in the country that features the spiciest, zestiest salsas, rubs, and other tangy and flavorful products in the market. ZestFest 2014 guarantees a flavorful food weekend featuring cooking demos by celebrity chefs, live music, interactive contests and thousands of bold food samples all complimented by the refreshing, crisp flavor of Dos Equis. 

 ZestFest will certainly be a delicious place to be and Dos Equis, one of the country's top selling imported beers, will be the perfect complement to the spicy flavorful menu that will be on hand for all attendees. 

 Dos Equis is “our shining star” in the U.S., John Nicolson, the head of the company’s Americas unit, said in an interview at Heineken’s headquarters in Amsterdam. Both Dos Equis Lager (a crisp, refreshing, light-bodied malt-flavored beer with a well-balanced finish made from pure spring water and the choicest hops) and Dos Equis Amber (a robust, classic Vienna-style lager with a full body with brawn from Germany, swagger from Mexico, and the finest North American pale and roasted malts) will be featured at ZestFest 2014. 

 Greg Bagarozy said “We are excited to have the most interesting beer at ZestFest this year. Dos Equis and ZestFest what a combination for Food Flavor and Fun, Mark the dates January 24 – 26 at the Irving Convention Center for the Hottest Show in Texas partnered with The Coolest Beer Dos Equis.” 

 Produced by Spicy Food Productions, ZestFest, has historically drawn tens of thousands of attendees and is an event that people look forward to every year. 

 For more information on ZestFest, visit http://www.zestfest2014.com and http://spicyfoodzestfest.blogspot.com. 

 Download pdf of Press Release: http://www.prlog.org/12253910.pdf

2014 Fiery Food Challenge

The Clock is Ticking! 2014 Fiery Food Challenge   Deadline Is Approaching! Greetings! The countdown is on for the deadline to enter the 2014 Fiery Food Challenge. All entries and products MUST be received by January 6, 2014. Don't miss this once-a-year opportunity to showcase YOUR terrific products!    2014 Fiery Food Challenge The MOST Prestigious Fiery Food Competition in the country! The Fiery Food Challenge, and it's signature award, THE GOLDEN CHILE, is the most widely recognized award for products in the spicy, zesty food industry. For the past decade, the FFC has been a gateway for small businesses to launch their products & get Trade Buyer recognition.  Companies who have entered products in the FFC over the past decade know the value of this award. The Fiery Food Challenge Awards Presentation, held on Friday evening during show weekend,  gives the opportunity for small business owners to meet, enjoy great food, and cheer each other on during the awards presentation. The FFC is the "Oscars" of this industry, and the Golden Chile is OUR coveted award. The judging takes place for three days prior to Zestfest. This is a "blind" tasting involving close to 100 judges. With specific guidelines in place, the judging is based on a proven scoring method and sampling. The 2013 Fiery Food Challenge had over 700 entries, with everything from sauces to salsas, rubs and seasonings, beverages, prepared foods, and even desserts. Our judges are restauranteurs, chefs, caterers, qualified "chileheads", and even a few general consumers. This year, we are honored to welcome back Cajohn Hard as our Senior Product Consultant. John will be working with Amy Bigham, FFC Coordinator, and will be overseeing the entries and judging. We'll miss having his great products to sample and taste, but his knowledge in the industry is second-to-none!    Take a moment and download the 2014 Fiery Food Challenge entry form to find the category YOUR product belongs in. It's a once-a-year opportunity to GO FOR THE GOLD! 2014 FFC ENTRY FORM    Do you want to SELL your terrific products to thousands of hungry buyers? Contact June DeRousse or Amy Bigham  today to reserve your Zestfest booth! But, hurry, looks like this show will be a SOLD-OUT event!    Contact: June DeRousse or Amy Bigham

Chef John Bonnell back for ZestFest 2014

 With the Super Bowl right around the corner, and Mardi Gras following close behind last year, it was the perfect season to serve up a “Crawfish Boil” here in North Texas, according to Fort Worth Chef John Bonnell, one of several Celebrity Presenters at Zest Fest 2013. 

Bonnell took to the demonstration stage Friday, Saturday and Sunday as one of the headliner attractions at the event, attended by upwards of 10,000 people during its third annual visit to the Irving Convention Center. He will be back again in 2014! 

Following a three-day competition, winners of the coveted Golden Chile Awards were announced at a Jan. 25 dinner, allowing the show’s weekend attendees to sample and purchase products judged to be winners in a number of different categories. The exhibit floor featured 138 different vendors, and making one’s way through the hall was a continuing feast of taste treats, all offered free of charge to attendees. The sampling was not confined to the exhibition floor, however. Ribs were grilled with different rubs and sauces and offered throughout the day; there were samplings as part of the People’s Preference Awards; and there was an Atomic Wing Eating Challenge. And celebrity chefs made enough for viewers to taste as well. 

Don't go easy on the seasoning 

Chef John Bonnell's demonstration proves that he does not go easy on the seasonings and spices, making some of the audience cringe as he poured in the hot sauce, but the finished product prompted only exclamations of approval from the crowd. Bonnell has authored several cookbooks and also offers a line of prepared mixed seasonings and dry rubs. He is presently working on a new book featuring “coastal cuisine,” and said it should be available by the spring of 2014. 

Bonnell’s Texas Red Dog Rub is available in three flavors, he noted, Creole, Southwest and Barbecue. Creole is not hot, and is suitable for children, he said. He laughed about the Southwest style, however, saying, “Maybe you just sweat a little bit extra when you’re eating that one.” If you don’t use such rubs a lot, he noted, it is convenient to buy his pre-measured versions. He emphasized, however, that he has no secrets, and if you’d rather mix your own, Bonnell promised to share ingredients and proportions with anyone who asks. Just write to me, he said. “I have no secrets, and I’ll give any recipe away, including the ingredients for the rubs.” 

Come sample Chef John Bonnell's great cooking at ZestFest 2014.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS PARTNERS WITH ZEST FEST 2014 IN IRVING, TEXAS

Zest Fest 2014 Returns to The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, Jan.24-26 DALLAS, TEXAS – The Dallas Morning News is pleased to announce its sponsor-relationship with ZestFest 2014, which will be the grand opening event in the brand new Irving Convention Center on January 24-26. 2014. ZestFest is one of the largest events in the country that features the spiciest, zestiest salsas, rubs, and other tangy and flavorful products in the market. ZestFest 2014 guarantees a hotter than hot weekend featuring cooking demos by celebrity chefs, live music, interactive contests and thousands of bold food samples. The Dallas Morning News will sponsor the Fiery Food Challenge Award presentation on Friday night, which is the culmination of blind taste-testing of products sent in from all over the country. The judges come from all over the globe – from media (including TDMN), foodies, chefs, hotel managers, and just plain folk with taste buds that love the fire! One of the most prestigious awards given out in the industry is The Golden Chile Award, the winners announced Friday night. Also presented by The Dallas Morning News is the People’s Preference Award, where the general public in attendance get to taste-test products from the exhibitors in the Expo all day Saturday. The results are announced Sunday morning on stage by a representative of the paper. Produced by Spicy Food Productions, ZestFest, has historically drawn tens of thousands of attendees and is an event that people look forward to every year. For more information on ZestFest, visit http://www.zestfest2014.com. Press Release Link: http://www.prlog.org/12253226.html

You Could Be A Winner at Spicy Food Productions’ ZestFest 2014!

John Hard of Cajohns Fiery Foods

http://previewnet.com/ZestFest/cajohn_advertorial.pdf

Top Chef John Franke will be one of the culinary stars at ZestFest 2014

Local chef John Franke logs a lot of miles each year demonstrating just how easy it is to cook your own good food. Cathy Whiteman found him amid the fun and frenzy of Grapefest, promoting easy dishes with local ingredients like those featured at his home base: The Ranch at Las Colinas. Chef Franke will be one of the star chef's at ZestFest 2014.

Chef Eduardo Alvarez - one of the top chefs you will get a chance to meet at ZestFest 2014

Fare Game from Sharie Vance on Vimeo.

Chef Eduardo Alvarez began working in the food industry at the age of sixteen.  In 1980, while working at Les Saisons as a pantry cook, he observed the chefs perform their daily duties in a style that fascinated him.  He knew then his long-term goal was to become an Executive Chef.

To obtain this goal, he worked his way up the ladder from a Sauté and Broiler Cook to Junior Sous Chef to Sous Chef to Executive Sous Chef and finally to Executive Chef.

His experience in preparing and cooking for large numbers of attendees was obtained while working at the Dallas Convention Center.  During his tenure, he received the award for Manager of the Quarter in the fall of 1998.  In addition, he attended El Centro College and obtained certification in Nutrition in Food Service, Management for Chefs, Food Service Manager and Sanitation for Chefs. In May of 1999, Chef Eduardo was hired as the Executive Chef of the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium.  He still cooked for large numbers of attendees but with a narrower time span and notes his LOVE for the rush of game day, especially the Thanksgiving game.  Chef Eduardo opened the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington in June of 2009.In August of 2010, Chef Eduardo was hired as the Executive Chef of the Irving Convention Center.

With one opening under his belt he is very excited about this next challenge.  Chef Eduardo has played a key role in the planning, implementing and development of all that it takes to open a new facility and operate the food service.When Chef Eduardo is not hard at work, he devotes his time to his wife and three wonderful children, two daughters and one son.  As a parent, he believes children are a reflection of who their parents are and considers fatherhood a blessing.

Thanksgiving is coming...

TURMERIC ROASTED TURKEY




INGREDIENTS

Use organic ingredients where possible.
1 12-pound turkey
¼ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons Frontier® turmeric
2 tablespoons Frontier® smoked paprika
2 teaspoons Frontier® sea salt
2 teaspoons Frontier® black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
Lemon zest from 2 lemons
2 cups vegetable broth or 3 cups water + 6 tablespoons Frontier® vegetable broth powder


Note: Frontier® Co-op has provided this recipe as a suggestion for your use based on commonly available ingredients understood to be gluten-free. Frontier Co-op cannot guarantee the gluten-free nature of the specific ingredients you obtain or your preparation of the final recipe. Please exercise good judgment in selecting gluten-free ingredients.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place turkey breast side up on a roasting rack. Tuck wings under and remove anything inside the cavity of the turkey. Combine olive oil, turmeric, smoked paprika, sea salt, black pepper, minced garlic, and lemon zest in a bowl to form a paste. Using your hands or a spoon, smear the turmeric mixture over the turkey.
Place the vegetable broth in the bottom of the roasting pan. Slice the lemons used for zest in half and place in the cavity of the turkey. Stick the meat thermometer to the thickest part of the turkey and place the turkey on the lowest rack in the oven.
Every 30 to 45 minutes, baste the turkey and after 1 ½ hours, check the temperature of the turkey. If turkey is browning too fast, cover the top with tinfoil. Bake until the turkey reaches at least 165 degrees in all parts.
When turkey is done, remove the rack with the turkey from the roasting pan and set aside. Cover turkey with tinfoil and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Message from the Mayor - Beth VanDuyne, Irving, Texas

Fort Worth Chef John Bonnell, one of several Celebrity Presenters at Zest Fest 2013

“One of the best things I like about a crawfish boil,” he said, “is that it’s a very social way to eat.” The preparation is simple, as well, he said, adding that the large pot with a lift-out interior steaming basket is widely available and not expensive. “But it’s a must,” he said, for a proper seafood boil.

The ingredients are few: Crawfish, which are just coming into season now, will be available and delicious for the next few months, until after Easter. His advice: Make sure they’re alive and then soak them in cold saltwater for a period of 3-4 hours to “purge” them.

Additional ingredients in Bonnell’s Boil are: Corn on the cob, broken into smaller chunks; hunks of Andouille sausage; small yellow fingerling potatoes, whole; and shrimp. Then, importantly, there are the seasonings – onions, garlic, hot sauce and the seasonings. Also, four or five lemons for each batch.

Then, jokingly, he proclaimed that the most important ingredient was beer – which he proceeded to drink rather than adding it to the pot.During the 30-minute presentation, Bonnell kept up a running banter with the audience, answering questions and frequently checking his steaming pot of goodness. He stressed that “the key to a good crawfish boil is adding all the ingredients at the right time.” Potatoes go in first, he noted; then the corn, and the seasonings. The crawfish take longer to cook than the shrimp, he said, so you should “get them boiling real good.”

During the presentation, he spoke about spice and zest, noting that flavor, and the right amount of seasoning, is important in preparing food that tastes good. You could just boil the crawfish in salted water, he said, adding that that would not be very interesting.

Don't go easy on the seasoning

His demonstration proves that he does not go easy on the seasonings and spices, making some of the audience cringe as he poured in the hot sauce, but the finished product prompted only exclamations of approval from the crowd.

Bonnell has authored several cookbooks and also offers a line of prepared mixed seasonings and dry rubs.

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to Irving, Texas, Zestfest 2014!

On behalf of the Irving Convention & Visitors Bureau, I am extremelyproud to welcome you back to Irving for Zestfest 2014, back to what Ihope will be your home for a long time to come, here at the IrvingConvention Center at Las Colinas! From our first taste of Zestfest justthree years ago as our opening event, we've been waiting for you toget back.
The entire team at Spicy Food Productions has put so many new twistson a favorite event – we know many of you have been fans of Zestfestfor a long time, but we also know we've got some first-timers in thehouse as well!! The line up for this year’s event is spectacular – can’twait to share it all with you.

Our staff at the Irving Convention & Visitors Bureau is nearby andhappy to point you in the direction of events and activities afterZestfest hours, and our hotels and restaurants are looking forward towelcoming you to Irving. (You can find lots more information at ourwebsite at www.irvingtexas.com.) The staff of the Irving ConventionCenter at Las Colinas will take good care of you while you’re here inthe building. We also hope you’ll check in with us on Facebook, andwe look forward to seeing all the fun and flavor of Zestfest you shareon Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, and wherever else you’rehanging out on line.

Thanks so much for making Zestfest part of your weekend plans –here’s to a spicy and zesty 2014 for all of us!

Most zestily,
Maura Allen Gast, FCDMEExecutive Director

Another ZestFest attraction- besides foods, spices and libations (to help put out a bit of the sizzle) is the country’s top chefs who conduct fully interactive cooking demonstrations. 2014 is no exception as chefs- the likes of John Bonnell, Eduardo Alvarez, John Frank, Enam Chowdhury, and local legend Eddie Deen- show off the skills that have made them renowned in their field, all performed in full cooking glory on the Celebrity Chef Stage located in the convention hall. And like any food festival, ZestFest is ripe with competition, from hottest dishes, to most original spices, as well as contests sure to burn the roof of your mouth, including the “Wingstop Atomic Wings Eating Contest” and the “Jalapeno Eat-Off”. On the other hand,  there will be flavorful offerings for those who love spice rather than heat.

Also included will be live music and continuous demonstrations and exhibits throughout the weekend.  So bring the family, come in from the cold, and prepare to taste some of the hottest and most flavorful foods from around the globe.

For more information on ZestFest 2014, please visit www.ZestFest 2014.com

Or Contact Gregory Bagarozy pducerp@earthlink.net  or call us at 888 505 8246

ZESTFEST 2014

SAVOR THE FLAVOR AND FUN OF TEXAS’S OWN

SPICY FOOD FESTIVAL TO START OFF THE NEW YEAR

JANUARY 24 – 26, 2014

The Irving Convention Center Once Again Hosts this 12^th Annual Spicy Food Festival that Draws Tens of Thousands in Search of the Hottest Foods and the Coolest Culinary Tools, Recipes and Instruction

(Irving, TX) – In the cavernous confines of the Irving Convention Center, you can find the boldest, and, at times, the bravest of foodies – the ‘Hot and Spicy’ connoisseur. And for this certain type of palette,  ZestFest  is the mecca for all things flavorful, spicy, hot, extreme, and just plain “zesty”. From sauces to salsas, recipes to remedies, the whole ZestFest experience is built around the idea that “if it makes food taste great, then it must be good”.

Now in its 12^th year, the festival, produced by Spicy Food Productions and presented by NBC and The Dallas Morning News, has steadily grown from a niche gathering to a national event, all under the watchful eye of ZestFest owner Greg Bagarozy, who is excited about a new feature of the show.  This year ZestFest will have a Crawdad boil on Saturday night from 6pm – 9pm. Attendees can eat, listen to music, check out all of the show offerings, and have more time to experience all things Zesty.  

What makes ZestFest so compelling is the massive number of companies that deal in the hot, flavorful, and spicy industry- from local homegrown start-ups to international brands. And it’s not just the consumers who are coming here to sample the wares- it’s retail buyers, restaurant owners, and the searching  palates of some of the country’s best chefs.