Photo By John Anderson
If you happened to notice the listings of winners from past Hot Sauce Festival competitions in the special pullout section of last week's Chronicle, you have some idea of how the event has grown and changed over the years. You can also see that there are individuals, restaurants, and commercial bottlers who take pride in competing year in and year out, because many have established track records. The most surprising news in this year's results is that for the first time in the history of the festival, perennial winner Trudy's did not enter, making way for five new restaurant winners. This year, there was a total of 320 salsas entered in the contest; 15 restaurants competed with 34 sauces, and 17 commercial bottlers presented their wares to be considered for the "People's Choice" awards. (Of the 12 places in that category, all but one were taken by previous competitors.) The heat was tolerable, the crowd was huge, and hundreds of pounds of food were donated to the Capital Area Food Bank. Thanks for 15 years of great community support, and congratulations to all the winners!
Justin Altman
Photo By John Anderson
Individual Category
(* denotes previous winner)
RED SAUCE
First place Justin Altman
Second place Shawn Muncy
Third place Lance Brauckman
Honorable Mentions: John Unger, Ethel McHorse, John McGlothlin, Deb Vogt (Georgetown), Jesse Pena, Taryn McNeill, Bob Sewell (Cedar Park), Amy Huff (Round Rock), Jay Guidry, Stan Shipe (Cedar Park), Sandra Byrer (San Antonio)
Michael Rypka
Photo By John Anderson
GREEN SAUCE
First place Michael Rypka*
Second place Marvin Perez*
Third place Jonathan Hemmeter
Honorable Mentions: Scott "El Sucio" Carlson, Matt Morris, Jena Weatherly, Gringo Star
SPECIAL VARIETY
First place Karen Peterman*
Second place Chris Buslett*
Third place John Dever III
Honorable Mentions: Sonya Miller, Sean Huitt, Chuk Hall, Chris "Sal" Salinas, Jesse Pena, Burt Friedman, Lydia Lopez, Greg C. Holmes (Corsicana), Meghan Smith (Bastrop), Nicole Brooks, Robert Tisdale, Shawn Fike (Round Rock), Matthew Kimbro, Sonya Miller
Restaurant Category
RED SAUCE
First place El Caribe Mexican Restaurant*
Second place Sao Paulo Restaurant
Third place Santa Rita Tex-Mex Cantina
Honorable Mention: Serranos
GREEN SAUCE
First place Curra's Grill*
Second place Sao Paulo Restaurant
Third place Tres Amígos
Little Texas Bistro
Photo By John Anderson
SPECIAL VARIETY
First place Little Texas Bistro in Buda
Second place Oaxacan Tamaleo
Third place Iguana Grill*
Texapenos
Photo By John Anderson
Commercial Bottlers – People's Choice Awards
RED SAUCE
First place Texapenos Gourmet Red
Second place Two Hot Mamas Salsa Roja
Third place Classy Delites Jamaican Salsa
Honorable Mentions: 6th Street Salsa Red (Tears of Joy Hot Sauce Shop), Austin Slow Burn Salsa con Habanero, Sgt. Pepper's Salsa Roja, Hill Country Homestyle Habanero Garlic Salsa (Fredericksburg)
Two Hot Mamas
Photo By John Anderson
GREEN SAUCE
First place Two Hot Mamas Chile Verde
Second place Texapenos Gourmet Green
Third place Classy Delites Spinach Avocado Dip
Honorable Mentions: 6th Street Salsa Green (Tears of Joy Hot Sauce Shop), Sgt. Pepper's Tomatillo Green, Austin Slow Burn Salsa Verde, Smoky Hill Salsa Verde
SPECIAL VARIETY
First place Texapenos Orange Flame
Second place Two Hot Mamas Creamy Cilantro Salsa Dip
Third place Two Hot Mamas Creamy Chipotle
Honorable Mentions: Classy Delites Queso Completo, Austin Slow Burn Jalapeño Jelly, Texas-Texas Mango Supreme Salsa, Texas Cactus Hot Sauce (Tears of Joy Hot Sauce Shop), Austin Spice Campfire Corn & Bean Salsa
PEPPER SAUCE
First place Aztexan Pepper Co. Habanero Supreme
Second place Texapenos Red Flame
Third place Tears of Joy Tequila Lime Hot Sauce (new commercial winner)
Honorable Mentions: Austin Slow Burn Jamaican Jerk, August in Austin Hot Sauce (Tears of Joy Hot Sauce Shop), Pepper Creek Farm Mango Blaze (Belton), Winston's Hot Pepper Sauce, Sgt. Pepper's Tejas Tears
