From John “DEFCON Creator” Dilley:
CALLING ALL MANUFACTURERS AND HOT SAUCE AFICIONADOS!!!
I’ve been in recent contact with Chip Hearn at Peppers. I told him I’ve been receiving a number of emails from bloggers and other hot sauce enthusiasts regarding having a Hot Sauce Extravaganza at their store Peppers, in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. He was definitely up for doing it and has already gotten permission to put up tents and all sorts of crazy stuff to make it quite a memorable experience. The Peppers store itself is something to behold. If you’ve never been there, this would be a perfect opportunity for a very cool road trip.
I’m looking to see how many people would be interested in something like this. I think it would be a ton of fun, and a great chance for people to meet up with a number of manufacturers, hang out for an afternoon, and just plain have a good time. There would be plenty of sampling going on, and heck, I might even bring down my turkey fryers and throw a Deathmatch together.
This would also be a great opportunity for newer companies to get their name out, as I think the turnout would be pretty good. As many of you know, who have been to hot sauce shows big and small, it’s all about having fun, meeting people, and just having an all-around good time.
We are tentatively looking at some time in May, when the weather is usually pretty good. If you are at all interested in something like this, please email me at john (at) defconsauces.com [replace the “(at)” with a “@”]. Chip will also be inviting some local vendors from his area as well.