After lots of planning & preparation, they were finally there. This year's ZestFest returned to the Irving Convention Center on January 27th and Bugtussle Burn was thrilled to be an exhibitor and couldn't wait for the first day to begin (after resting up from getting Bugtussle Burn's all-new event booth up and ready, that is...Whew)!

2012 was ZestFest's 10th year and it was a whopper! Thousands and thousands...and thousands of folks came rolling in for three days to try out all the zesty products, from mom & pop brands to industry leaders...and every crazy, spicy thing in-between. And while they schlepped and sold more salsa than they thought humanly possible, the giant main stage shows went on, including live music and celebrity chefs doing their awesome thing! Oh, and not to be forgotten was the Lolli-Lick-a-Thon (seriously...a lolli-pop filled with shards of the hottest peppers ever) and Wing Stop's annual Atomic Wing Eating Contest. Seriously, this place was filled to the brim with the craziest, bravest, friendliest bunch of pepper-heads EVER!

The first day started with a "to-the-trade" morning, and then the gates were opened to the public. Crowds swarmed in and Bugtussle Burn was ready for 'em with salsa to taste, cool new gear to shop through, and a booth-to-beat-all-booths to wow & welcome the folks like only a country store front porch can. Did they love it? Oh yeah!

That night Mr. & Mrs. Bug went to the Awards Banquet for the Fiery Food Challenge. Not only did they have a great time getting to know other fun & friendly "schleppers-of-the-fire", but they also took the prize in the category of Salsa (Medium heat)! The third place ribbon was a thrill of a win after only two years on the market and it's first competition - especially with that competition being the most prestigious one in the spicy food industry with about 700 competitors in all catagories!

The next two days were a thrilling blur for the Bugtussle, Texas team on that 'ole country store front porch, makin' tons of new friends & fans, sellin' salsa and cuttin' it up with the coolest (or is that hottest?), craziest bunch of pyrogourmanical foodies under one roof.

With what energy they had left (which wasn't much), they dismantled and packed-up the 'ole store and made the drive back home to Bugtussle. It was a happy ending to a weekend to remember - What a hoot, what a blast, what a ride!

Every year, for the last 10 years, Texans and travelers with taste-buds for fiery foods indulge themselves at ZestFest, one of the largest foodie events in the country .  This year, Bugtussle Burn Sassy Texasalsa will be an exhibitor and we are SO “fired up”!   Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas is where it’s all happening for ZestFest’s tenth year, and we promise you DON’T wanna miss THIS!   This fiery food festival & competition promises to be their hottest one yet, and you’ll get to enjoy it ALL in one sizzling weekend January 27, 28 & 29!   Taste, shop and enjoy meeting all the people behind the products, daring pepper-head eating contests, celebrity chef demos and MORE are all included.

From “mom & pop” brands like Bugtussle Burn to industry leaders, all the food exhibitors are set up to show off their product and their personalities with free tastings.  Come hungry and have your bottle of water in hand.   Mr. & Mrs. Bug will be there (of course!) and our spot #336 will be easy to find.  Just look for a less than ordinary “booth” – better said, just look for our version of the Bugtussle General Store in its hey-day!  Have a taste if you haven’t yet (what?!), shop salsa, fun gear, and just say “howdy”! We can’t wait to give everyone a “true Bugtussle Burn experience” at ZestFest!

ZestFest offers a fun and exciting range of entertainment throughout the 3-day event too!  On the main stage you’ll see celebrity cooking demos, get to ask questions if you want, and soak up all the great tips from regionally renowned chefs including  Jon Bonnell, Lou Lambert, Eddie Deen, Uno and Liz Immanivong,  and Executive Chef Eduardo Alvarez.  (Here’s a ZestFest link with a schedule of all demonstrations and bios on all the Chefs:  http://www.zestfest2012.com/chefs)  

Watch Wing Stops’ Atomic wing eating contest and the jalapeno eating contest.  Enjoy live music the eyes, ears and taste Bugtussle Burn Sassy Texasalsa is so excited to start of 2012 with this huge event and we hope you can make it out to enjoy everything with us!  

Tickets are only $15 and will be available at the door at the Convention Center’s Box Office. (Kids under 10 are free!)  Here’s all you need to know, so GO GO GO !

Dates:

Friday, January 27, 2012 10:00-1:00 TRADE ONLY
Friday, January 27, 2012 1:00-7:00
Saturday, January 28, 2012 10:00-6:00
Sunday, January 29, 2012 10:00-5:00

Place:

Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas  ~  500 W Las Colinas Blvd.  ~  Irving, TX 75039

Contact:  Gregory Bagarozy  ~  845.661.3616  ~  pducerp@earthlink.net  ~  www.zestfest2012.com  

The 2011 Bugtussle Burn Recipe Challenge is officially over & the winner has been selected!  Bugtussle Burn fan TERE PARRIS CURTIS’ recipe for her “Bugtussle Betty” takes the prize (a “burnin” version of the Bloody Mary, but waaaaay better)!  We'll share the actual recipe on our website's "Recipes" page soon so watch for it. 

Thanks go out to ALL of you who emailed, posted on Facebook or called-in your awesome recipes!  They’ll be added the website, along with the winning “Bugtussle Betty”!  And just cuz 2011 is almost over, don’t stop sending your recipes; Recipes received after today (11/9/2011) will be entered in the 2012 Bugtussle Burn Recipe Challenge and available for inclusion in our recipe booklet, coming soon!  So get cookin’ (or drinkin’, or bastin’ or just dippin’)!