The Fiery Food Challenge – Celebrating 30 Years of the Best in Heat and Flavor For three decades, the Fiery Food Challenge has been the ultimate test for the world’s most daring and delicious spicy creations. Hosted as part of ZestFest—America’s premier spicy food festival—this legendary competition brings together hot sauce makers, BBQ masters, and gourmet innovators from across the globe to compete for the coveted Golden Chili Awards. 🔥 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Applications Now Open for the 30th Edition of the Fiery Food Challenge Winners to Be Announced at ZestFest’s 25th Anniversary Awards Dinner FORT WORTH, TX — Spicy Food Productions proudly announces that entries are now being accepted for the landmark 30th Edition of the Fiery Food Challenge, the spicy food industry’s most respected blind-tasting competition. This year’s Challenge holds special significance as the winners will be revealed during the 25th Anniversary Opening Day Awards Dinner of ZestFest, taking place May 29, 2026. Producers from around the world are invited to submit their finest hot sauces, salsas, snacks, rubs, seasonings, and specialty fiery products for consideration. Entry forms—including the full list of categories—are now available for download at: 👉 https://edgeofcreation.info/ZestFest/FFC%2026.pdf To celebrate the 30-year milestone, Spicy Food Productions is offering a 10% Early Entry Discount for all product submissions received before March 14, 2026. This year’s blind judging will once again be overseen by legendary hot sauce creator and industry icon John “CaJohn” Hard, ensuring the highest level of expertise, integrity, and tradition in evaluating each product. Further information—including rules, category descriptions, and event details—is available at: 👉 https://zestfest.net/fiery-food-challenge/ “We’re thrilled to celebrate thirty years of excellence in spicy food innovation,” said Greg Bagarozy, founder of Spicy Food Productions. “With the Fiery Food Challenge culminating on opening day of ZestFest’s 25th Anniversary, this year promises to be one of the most exciting in our history.” The Fiery Food Challenge is widely recognized as a defining benchmark for quality and creativity in the spicy foods industry. Winning products gain industry prestige, retail visibility, and the honor of taking home a coveted Golden Chile Award. About ZestFest ZestFest is one of the nation’s largest celebrations of spicy foods, heat-loving culture, and artisan food creators. The 25th Anniversary edition will bring together thousands of attendees, top culinary talent, national brand exhibitors, and a vibrant community of fiery food fans.

It's the 30th Fiery Food Challenge

The FFC is the longest running, most prestigious blind tasting competition in the fiery food industry and attracts entries from companies around the globe. On Friday Evening, May 29, 2026 ZestFest will host an Award Dinner to announce the winners in the 2026 edition.

(You do not have to be in attendance to win but it's a great photo op for winners and you will be ready to sell your products Saturday and Sunday at ZestFest)

"Fiery Food Challenge 30th" - 2026 Theme Song for the Fiery Food Challenge with Blind Taste Testing so you can really trust the results  as we discover the best of the best.

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🔥 The Fiery Food Challenge 30th Anniversary WINNERS LIST – Celebrating 30 Years of the Best in Heat and Flavor

Division Category Place Company Product
Barbecue Sauce, Spices, Cooking Sauces Barbecue Sauce Exotic 1 Gator Hammock Tropic Gator
2 Stewe Pepper's BBQ Carib
3 BBQ'n Fools, LLC BBQ'n Fools Teriyaki Sauce
Barbecue Sauce Fruit 1 Papa Pope's BBQ Sauce Peach Habanero Grilling Sauce
2 Hellfire Hot Sauce Not Your Mama's Pineapple Fatali
3 Gator Hammock Tropic Gator
Barbecue Sauce Mustard Based 1 Papa Pope's BBQ Sauce Southern Gold BBQ Sauce
2 Scott's Smoked Q Carolina Gold
3 Gator Hammock Guava Mustard
Barbecue Sauce Vinegar based 1 Old Dog Sauce & Spice Sweet Caroline
2 Gator Hammock Gator Sauce
3 Chili-Werkstatt Chilika
Barbecue Sauce Smoky 1 Gator Hammock Cooter Wallow
2 Stewe Pepper's BBQ Velvet
3 Hellfire Hot Suace Chili Masters Private Reserve
Barbecue Sauce Mild 1 RJC Legacy Foods LLC Pig In! Pig Out! Original BBQ Sauce
2 Torcatha BBQ Sauce Torcatha BBQ Sauce - Cullach Beag
3 Old Bones Chilli Co Spiced Chilli BBQ
Barbecue Sauce Medium 1 Papa Pope's BBQ Sauce Chipotle BBQ Sauce
2 Torcatha BBQ Sauce Torcatha BBQ Sauce- Original
3 Gator Hammock Hog Wallow
Barbecue Sauce Hot/X-Hot 1 RJC Legacy Foods LLC Pig In! Pig Out! Hot BBQ Sauce
2 Torcatha BBQ Sauce Torcatha BBQ Sauce- Spiosrach
3 Papa Pope's BBQ Sauce Ghost Pepper BBQ Sauce
Cooking Sauce 1 BBQ'n Fools, LLC Spicy Teriyaki Pepper Sauce
2 Zwita Shakshuka (Zucchini & Potato)
3 Zwita Shakshuka (Eggplant & Sweet Potato)
Pasta Sauce 1 Aiello Italian Specialties Nonna Mariantonia
2 Spotted Horse Provisions Spicy and Smoky Tomato Sauce
3 Paradigm Toma No Sauce
Seasoned Salt 1 Sump'n Sump'n Sump'n Sump'n Carolina Reaper
2 Gator Hammock Gator Sprinkle
3 BBQ'n Fools, LLC Grant's Blend Magic Dust
Seasoning/Rub Beef 1 PT Originals LLC PT Deadly's Radical Reaper Rub
2 Cajun Legacy Seasoning Latin Heat
3 BBQ'n Fools, LLC BBQ'n Fool Steak Seasoning/Rub
Seasoning/Rub Fruit & Vegetable 1 Karma Sauce Sabroso
2 Vespa's 7 Spice Mix Mild
3 Wing-A-Lings Dry Rubs & Seasoning Buck Shot Dry
Seasoning/Rub Fowl 1 Cowboy Spice Company Black Cherry Volcano Seasoning
2 Cajun Legacy Seasoning Island Heat
3 BBQ'n Fools, LLC Signature Seasoning
Seasoning/Rub Seafood 1 Old Dog Sauce & Spice All Purpose Seasoning
2 BBQ'n Fools, LLC Chipotle Lime Dry Rub
3 Scott's Smoked Q Chesapeake
Table Seasoning 1 Sump'n Sump'n Sump'n Sump'n Carolina Reaper
2 Scott's Smoked Q Classic
3 PT Originals LLC PT Deadly's Evil Streak
Wing Sauce Mild 1 Hellfire Hot Sauce Baby Buffalo
2 Karma Sauce B8
3 Karma Sauce Cosmic Dumpling
Wing Sauce Medium 1 Karma Sauce Iron Smoke Old Fashioned
2 Gator Hammock Gator Sauce
3 Karma Sauce B8
Wing Sauce Hot 1 Karma Sauce Scorpion Disco
2 Gator Hammock Tropic Gator
3 Karma Sauce Mesa Roja
Wing Sauce X-Hot 1 Hellfire Hot Sauce Buffalo Hell
2 Karma Sauce Cosmic Disco
3 Gator Hammock Suicide Gator
Wing Sauce Ultra Hot 1 Karma Sauce Funken Hot Yellow Moruga
2 Karma Sauce Burn After Eating
3 Karma Sauce Ashes*2*Ashes
Best Barbecue Sauce, Spices, Cooking Sauce
RJC Legacy Foods LLC Pig In! Pig Out! Original BBQ Sauce
Condiments Asian 1 Danielle's Sauces Danielle's Sauce Sweet Chili
2 Bob's Spicy World Sriracha Dragon
3 Danielle's Sauces Danielle's Sauces Chiliyaki
Exotic 1 Karma Sauce Cosmic Dumpling
2 Karma Sauce Hole Mole
3 Chili-Werkstatt Schmarf Sein Du Musst
Honey Products 1 Chingon Squeezins Texas Fire & Fang Hot Honey
2 Old Bones Chilli Co Spicy Honey
3 Gilded Hive Honey Co The Queen is in Heat
Jam/Jelly 1 Brenham Kitchens Peach Habanero Salsa
2 Lone Star Pepper Co Smokin Cherry Jam
3 Spotted Horse Provisions Devilishly Jersey Spicy Cranberry Jam
Ketchup/Cocktail Sauce 1 Stewe Pepper's Spicy Smoked Ketchup
2 SpiceItUp Jalapeno Ketchup (Mild)
3 SpiceItUp Jalapeno Ketchup (Hot)
Latin 1 Karma Sauce Mesa Roja
2 Villian Sauce Co Six Shooter Sunrise
3 Karma Sauce It's Tuesday Somewhere
Mustard 1 The Gnarly Sauce Company Gnarly Gold
2 Rayes Mustard Hot Off The Stones
3 OLCHILI Fish Finish Scandinavian Dip Mustard
Pickled Products 1 Point Blank Pepper Co. Cukelear Weapons
2 Point Blank Pepper Co. Smoke Rings
3 Stewe Pepper's Chili Chalamade
Steak Sauce 1 Karma Sauce Hole Mole
2 Karma Sauce Mesa Roja
3 Karma Sauce Lift Off
Sweets 1 Brenham Kitchens Bourbon Vanilla Praline Sauce
2 Chuckwagon Nutcakes Mustang Spicy Pineapple Squares
3 Eastern Sweets Sweet Heat Drizzln' Sauce
General 1 Brenham Kitchens Garlic Pistachios
2 Bob's Spicy World White Dragon Special Reserve
3 Zwita Grandma Style Harissa (Spicy)
Best Condiment The Gnarly Sauce Company Gnarly Gold
Hot Sauce American Style 1 Hellfire Hot Sauce 5-Pepper Sriracha
2 Villian Sauce Co Bad Guy Sauce
3 Honomy Goat Dairy Dill-Lightfully Fresh
Caribbean Style 1 Karma Sauce Ghost Island
2 Cayman Peppa Sauce Real Duppy
3 Ville's Jamacian Hott Pepper Sauce Ville's Jamacian Hott Pepper Sauce
Exotic 1 Hellfire Hot Sauce Not Your Mama's Pineapple Fatali
2 Los Diablitos Corp. Clandestina
3 Cayman Peppa Sauce Frigate Hot
Asian Style 1 Danielle's Sauces Danielle's Sauces Sweet Scorpion
2 Karma Sauce Cosmic Dumpling
3 Karma Sauce Lift Off
Latin Style 1 Hellfire Hot Sauce 5-Peppers Sriracha
2 Karma Sauce Mesa Roja
3 Karma Sauce Ghost Island
Verde/Tomatillo 1 Bob's Spicy World Green Dragon
2 Hellfire Hot Sauce Devil's Blend Roasted Reaper
3 Karma Sauce Lift Off
Smoky 1 Karma Sauce Mesa Roja
2 OL' Gringo Chile Co Chuckwagon Chipotle
3 Bob's Spicy World Golden Dragon
Mild 1 Karma Sauce Cosmic Dumpling
2 Karma Sauce B8
3 Los Diablitos Corp. Clandestina
Medium 1 Cowboy Spice Company
Peachy Hot Mess - Peach Habanero Hot Sauce
2 Villian Sauce Co Slither
3 Heat Hot Sauce Shop Roasted Habanero & Garlic
Hot 1 Divine Peppers LLC Dynamite - Trinidad Scorpion
2 Cowboy Spice Company
Pineapple Lava Luau - Pineappple Habanero Hot Sauce
3 Karma Sauce Ghost Island
X-Hot 1 The Gnarly Sauce Company Pedro's Fury
2 Funky's Hot Sauce Factory Space Madness
3 Hellfire Hot Sauce 5-Pepper Sriracha
Ultra Hot 1 Karma Sauce Scorpion Disco
2 Old City Fire Hot Sauce Viking Funeral
3 OL' Gringo Chile Co X-Terminator (Scorpion Strain)
Best Hot Sauce The Gnarly Sauce Company Pedro's Fury
Salsa Regular 1 Brenham Kitchens Peach Habanero Salsa
2 Paradigm Creations Chi Salsa
3 Jimmy's Hatch Pepper Salsa Medium
Exotic/Fruit 1 Twisted Texas Foods LLC Twisted Twister Ghost Hatch
2 TEXUELA SALSA TEXUELA SALSA EXTRA HOT
3 Jimmy's Hatch Pepper Salsa Medium
Best Salsa Brenham Kitchens Peach Habanero Salsa
Marketing Company Logo 1 Los Diablitos Corp Chile Fiesta de Diablitos
Product Label 1 Anzler's Foods Peppion Hot Sauce
Promotional Items 1 Karma Sauce Karma Sauce Basting Brush
Wearable Itme 1 Torcatha BBQ Sauce
The Battle Boar BBQ Department - Thin Red Line Hat
Best New Product 1 Texas Select Seasonings Apple Peach Habanero BBQ Glaze
2 Torcatha BBQ Sauce Torcatha BBQ Sauce - Cullach Beag
3 Point Blank Pepper Co. Cukelear Weapons
Best In Show RJC Legacy Foods LLC Pig In! Pig Out! Original BBQ Sauce
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SPICY FOOD PRODUCTIONS is pleased to welcome back “CaJohn” Hard as the “Senior Product Consultant” in the Fiery Food Challenge.

CaJohn’s product knowledge takes the FFC to a new level of excellence. CaJohn and the ZestFest team ensure that all products entered in the Challenge have been placed in the correct category and follow the guidelines of the competition’s rules.

CaJohn has won over 400 awards in National, International, and Regional competitions; 79 Golden Chiles, and over 100 other Fiery Food Challenge awards.

Have a question for CaJohn about your product? Email him at cajohn@fieryflavor.com