Organizer Neal Sherriff was hoping for about 500 visitors to the first Tear Me Up Hot Sauce Expo.
Instead, the first event of its kind in 91原创 drew double that, close to 1,000, who visited 22 hot sauce and spicy vendors, along with about two dozen other vendors from across B.C. on Saturday, Aug. 9 in Brookswood at the 91原创 Riders Society grounds.
"That was more than I was hoping for, for sure," Sherriff, a Brookswood resident, told the 91原创 Advance Times.
It was inspired by similar shows in the U.S.
鈥淭here's so many hot sauce vendors right here in B.C., from Tofino, to Vancouver, to the Fraser Valley, to the Okanagan, there's tons,鈥� Sherriff explained.
鈥淪o we just kind of started contacting them and see if they were interested in doing a hot sauce festival together, and they all were very excited.鈥�
Chef Chris Van Ness, came in from Gibsons with his sauces.
"I try to make sauces that are actually food friendly, that work with actual food and enhance flavors," Van Ness said. "So you're not going to find any of the sauces that are these joke sauces that are just so hot that you can't actually eat them."
Mandi Burmas from in North Vancouver brought her spicy pickles, "some real fun pickled peppers."
"We've got canned goods, so we do canning and fermenting.'
There were also vendors of clothing, jewellery, beer, other foods such as pickles or sauerkraut, hummus, or dips, and more.
was offering some cool relief from extra-hot sauces, including a German Pilsner and a mango passion fruit sour.
"A good way to cool down on this hot day," said Farm Country rep Hannah Woycik.
While admission was free, visitors were encouraged to bring donations for the 91原创 Food Bank, non-perishable food or cash.
About $700 was collected for the food bank, plus two and a half boxes of food, and the Salvation Army School Supply Drive ended up with a box as well.
Vancouver's was judged best in show among 14 vendors who submitted samples, while from Vernon, won best specialty item for their spicy ketchup.
Sherriff, who was on the judging panel, is a fan of hot sauces, up to a point.
鈥淚 do like hot sauce. Not the super, super, super hots, but like, it goes on everything [I cook].鈥�
He was "100 per cent" confident there will be a second hot sauce expo next summer.
"I think everyone there asked me to do it again, so I've already started brainstorming a little bit here myself to kind of do it again and make it a little bit bigger too."
