Food Events

Cheer on a world record attempt while testing your tastebuds at the New England Hot Sauce Fest

Brave attendees can participate in pepper-eating contests and hot wing contests

Carolina Reapers are considered the hottest pepper in the world. Jeffrey Collins / AP, File

1 minute to read

Hot sauce isn’t synonymous with New England, but Gabe DiSaverio, founder of The Spicy Shark and the first New England Hot Sauce Fest, wants to change that.

At the New England Hot Sauce Fest, located at the Smuttynose Brewery in Hampton, N.H., brave attendees can participate in pepper-eating contests and hot wing contests (and break the heat with beer from Smuttynose’s onsite brewery) while listening to ’80s music. This family-friendly event even includes a bouncy house and face paint for kids.

“We want to showcase the variety of hot sauce companies that have just come up and draw attention to the fun, vibrant, new hot sauce scene in New England,” DiSaverio said.

Mike Jack, holder of four Guinness World Records, is flying in from Canada to break the world record for the most Carolina Reapers ever eaten, a challenge by League of Fire, a website with a league-based ranking system for chili enthusiasts.

The event supports two beneficiaries: the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation and the Seacoast Science Center. These nonprofits are centered around ocean conservation — a mission shared by DiSaverio and The Spicy Shark.

“It is so important to get the newer generation to be passionate and care about the ocean,” he said.

With a mission this genuine paired with good food, beer, and a little heat, the New England Hot Sauce Fest aims to become an annual event in the region.