Detroit Hot Sauce Festival Set for August Debut at Masonic Temple

Detroit's first-ever Hot Sauce Festival arrives Aug. 1-2 at the Masonic Temple. Expect vendors, competitions, and workshops.

Brian Jones runs 2 Dogs Hot Sauce out of Ferndale. He's the brain behind this event. For ten years, he's traveled to festivals across the nation, hawking his bottles and soaking up what works.

"It's everything spicy," Jones said, per The Detroit News. "There will be a bunch of hot sauce vendors, but not just hot sauce ... jerky, hot peanuts."

He started his company a decade back. After scanning the region and finding nothing like this, he teamed up with the Masonic Temple to fill that gap.

The hot sauce market should hit $4.8 billion this year, then balloon to $7.66 billion by 2034, per market analysts. Social media buzz, shifting eating patterns, and Americans tasting more international food have fueled this surge.

General admission opens up the multi-room space. VIP packages? They throw in swag, food vouchers, drink tickets, and seats in production workshops where attendees learn the nuts and bolts of building a sauce empire.

Michigan State University Innovation Center will dispatch food coaches to mentor aspiring sauce makers. "I felt like people were kind of gatekeeping at the beginning when I was trying to get my sauce out," Jones said. "When I got in touch with (MSU), it really helped me get it through state and get FDA approved, and I just can't say enough good things about them."

League of Fire—the U.K.-based group that oversees competitive chili pepper eating worldwide—will referee the contests. Detroit's never hosted one of their battles before. Each day brings a fresh slate of challenges and instruction sessions.

El Taco Dojo won the 2024 Taco Showdown in Eastern Market. They're confirmed. So are Dot & Etta's Shrimp, Renegade Kitchen, Aunt Nee's Mexican food, and Pietrzyk Pierogi.

Lee Jenks directs Food and Beverage operations at the Masonic. He's collaborating with Jones to lock down the final roster, with more names dropping as the date nears.

Doors open at 10 a.m. both days at 500 Temple in Detroit. Early bird tickets run $10, climbing to $20 later in the year. Kids 10 and under? Free.