2023 Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Judges

(l-r) Judges Hernandez, Scott, Bersano, and Ellis compare notes (Photo by Jana Birchum)

Matt Bersano

Born and raised in Tempe, Arizona, Matt Bersano played collegiate soccer at Oregon State University and completed an MBA in sports management from Southern New Hampshire University. He signed his first professional contract for the Seattle Sounders FC 2 in 2016 before moving clubs to the San Jose Earthquakes from 2017 to 2022 and then joining Austin FC for the 2023 season.

Paige Ellis

Ellis is in her second term representing Southwest Austin. Her main policy focus areas are mobility, climate change, and housing. She's championed efforts including increasing Austin Energy's e-bike rebates, raising city lifeguard pay, facilitating fourplexes, creating the Healthy Streets program, and leading on the $460 million bond for bike lanes, urban trails, sidewalks, and safe routes to school.

Rico Hernandez

Rico has been in Austin going on 13 years and is from San Antonio originally. He says it's been amazing being part of the Austin community, and being able to bring people together through the beautiful game of fútbol. He wants to thank his mom for guiding him on the ways of hot sauce at a very early age.

Trevor Scott

Trevor Scott is an Austin television personality and host of the CBS Austin morning program We Are Austin. You can catch him on TV every weekday morning highlighting the people, stories, and organizations that make Central Texas such a special place to call home. He has a passion for storytelling and a career in television that spans more than 20 years, with experience in front of and behind the camera. Trevor is actively involved in many of Austin's nonprofit efforts, and is always looking for opportunities to engage with the community in positive, productive ways. He lives here in Austin with his husband and two rescue pups, Julie and Dot.

tk tunchez

tk tunchez is the founder, CEO, and creative director of Las Ofrendas, Frida Friday ATX, LUNITA, the Jefa Brunch, and Fuego ATX. For over a decade, tk has been producing cultural events that center, connect, and create economic opportunities for WOC, BIPOC & queer creatives, entrepreneurs, and the community. Las Ofrendas, her maximalist accessories and home goods brand, focuses on creating representation and empowerment for intersectional communities and was awarded a prestigious Austin Woman's Way Business Award in 2022. To support other creatives, she established Austin's first WOC-centered marketplace, Frida Friday ATX, in 2016. Since starting Frida Friday ATX she has hosted and produced over 300 community events, committing her work to create economic opportunities for local entrepreneurs and creatives. Her QTBIPOC dance party, Fuego ATX, won an Austin Chronicle Best of Austin Award in 2018. Her networking and education series, the Jefa Brunch, which highlights local BIPOC leaders to tell their leadership stories and connect to the community, was nominated for an HABLA award in 2022.

Alissa Ziemianski

Luckily for Alissa, her passions and professional goals intertwine at the intersection of a uniquely Austin Venn diagram. Driven by her desire to eliminate food inequity, she's a fundraiser for the largest hunger-relief organization in Central Texas, and her intense love of the beautiful game drives her mighty community-building efforts at the helm of the Austin Coed Soccer Association, a 2022 Austin Chronicle Best of Austin award-winning organization. Her love languages are creating nurturing spaces where everyone feels safe to live authentically and sharing delicious food. And she loves it spicy. IG: @cavemanhooker @acsasoccer

Melanie Haupt

IG: @auschronfoodeditor