IMPRESSIONS FROM THE 14th ANNUAL
NATIONAL FIERY FOODS & BARBECUE SHOW

MARCH 1-3, 2002                        Page  2 of 2   Go to Page 1

CaJohns' gang, dishing out the heat

  It has been a good show tradition  for years that CaJohn and a bunch of exhibitor friends throw a party Friday night. Or make that "Fryday", as John, Austin Slow Burn, Texas Heat Ranch, Gecko Gary and some other hotheads served some pretty spicy stuff!

As you can tell, everybody had a good time. The guy raising his hand is Craig Learner (Hot Licks) -- probably ordering four more tequilas.

  Some of the previous Fiery Foods Shows used to have a dress contest. This year, it might have been a tie between CaJohn and "Gecko Cindy". At the party, she proudly presented her new flame-decorated boots. More Gecko fashion on Page One.

Or maybe the grand fashion award would have gone to Bernie (The Gifted Cowboy), here with a booth guest from the Bunny Ranch in Nevada. OK, that's not really a ranch, but Bernie's not really a chile either ... 

While Friday is trade-only,  Saturday/Sunday afternoon the show is open to the public.

Here are the Three Steps
to Hot Sauce Heaven:

  Step 1: Brave the line outside the hall. I've never seen it that long!

 Step 2: Brave the line inside  the hall. Ticket to heaven coming closer... 

Mental note to self: suggest Dave
to hire a line entertainer next year.
Gecko Gary, for example!

Hot tip for visitors next year: Start browsing in
Aisle F, while everybody else starts in Aisle A!

  Step 3: Hold on to your ticket and push right into the hall.

Then,  sample as many fiery concoctions as you can, and remember:
Pain is Good! 

  Local chileheads were able to get a head start for their pepper garden with pregrown chile plants from Cripple Creek Growers.

The company sells seedlings as plugs in plastic "clamshell" containers with a shelf life of four weeks. Back home in Florida, Cripple Creek Growers also offer a wide variety of chile plants in one-gallon containers.  

 Another annual highlight for chile gardeners is the NMSU Chile Pepper Institute's booth. Assistant Director Danise Coon shows a new, still unnamed chile cultivar. The plants sport beautiful blueish-purple cayenne-like pods, as well as flowers with a matching color (see also picture to the right). Director Dr. Paul Bosland developed it from a medusa chile and "something he found in the Institute's pepper garden," Danise said.

The Chile Pepper Institute had various chile seed for sale, including their newly developed NewMex  Suave Red and Orange, two mild cousins of the habanero. I got myself some Suave seed, although mild capsicum chinense chiles are sort of like non-alcoholic Scotch...

Those more interested in dried chiles found plenty at the Chile Traditions booth, including beautiful ristras from locally grown New Mexican chiles.

Chiles growing on palm trees are a specialty that can only be found at the Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show.

Besides all the spicy foods, every Fiery Foods Show also has a great lineup of gifted chile pepper artists. I found these particularly interesting:

For some reason, there are even more glass shops in Washington State than in Meran, Italy, the home of glass art. Bob Mitchell specializes in mouthblown glass chiles in various sizes and colors. He brought a wide variety to the show. Very nice.

Artist Linda Paul from Colorado specializes in egg tempera painting, one of the oldest techniques: For paint, natural crushed stone and earth are mixed with a bit of water and egg yolk (yes, folks, egg yolk!). Blues come from crushed lapis lazuli, greens from malachite and natural green earth found around Verona, Italy.

Listening to Linda is fascinating, as she talks about new colors she discovered in rocks on mountain trips, and the price of some commercial colors -- pure blue ground lapis costs about $1,500.00 for 5 grams!

Linda's painting technique allows for brillant colors and a 3D relief effect - ideal for chile peppers, which are among Linda's favorite objects. Both originals and beautifully done canvas prints were for sale at her booth.  

 New Mexican Ray Silva (Traditions Unique) developed a completely different kind of chile art: He crafts expandable baskets, using a technique originally formulated in the Colonial Period over 200 years ago

In a special thermal process that he developed, Ray applies chile-decorated fabric to wood-like material that is then jigsawed in a spiral pattern. This allows expanding the flat surface to a 3D basket. It can also be used as a trivet if left flat.

One of Ray's many basket designs.   

 OK, time for the cooking demos! Now it's Insane Dave's turn. When was the last time you've seen a chef perform in a straight jacket? Another Fiery Foods Show exclusive.

Carin Froehlich, Dave's charming cooking demo assistant, showed mercy and freed him from his uncomfy dress. Maybe a big mistake, as the audience was now in for a rather insane cooking demo ...    

As many of you know, Dave used to own a restaurant before starting Dave's Gourmet with a product line now reaching from extreme hot sauce to roasted eggplant spread. So it is no wonder that all insanity aside, he created a pretty tasty Thai Curry Chicken (recipe to follow soon on this site). Still, this was one of the most entertaining cooking demos I've seen!   

Additional great cooking demo chefs included Jim Heywood (Culinary Institute of America), Gator Hammock's Buddy Taylor,  Craig Barton as well as Santa Fe chefs Lois Ellen Frank, Walter Whitehorse, and Sam Ethridge.

  Sunday night, 6:00 pm. Here's Dave DeWitt taking the stage, announcing that the 14th annual National Fiery-Foods & Barbecue Show is now officially closed.

My head is spinning. I've seen so much the last three days. Talked to so many supernice people. Sampled hundreds of great fiery-foods and barbecue products. Took tons of pictures. My apologies to all who don't  appear in my little snapshot of the hottest show under the sun.

See y'all next year -- may the pods be with you!

   --Harald