GREENPOINT — Greenpoint's heating up this weekend.
The third annual NYC Hot Sauce Expo will be at the Brooklyn Expo Center, at 79 Franklin St., on Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26, offering locals a chance to try hot sauce by more than 45 companies from around the world.
General admission the expo, which costs $10 in advance and $15 at the door, gets attendees access to samples from all the artisanal hot sauce vendors and free glasses of milk to cleanse in-between tastings.
Attendees will also be able to view events at the expo, such as spicy pizza and wings eating contests.
Plus, the atmosphere is like a "rock concert" for hot sauce fans, said organizer Jimmy Carbone. All the vendors get super into it— with some dressing up in hot sauce-themed outfits like pepper suits, he said.
"It's a little bit of a freak show. Most of the vendors wear outrageous outfits or have their hair spiked red or something." Carbone said. "It's Comic Con meets culinary."
Expo highlights will include Grinders, an award-winning Missouri-based sauce that's been featured on Food Network shows, and PuckerButt, a hot sauce from the creator of the reaper pepper.
Craft beer and food will also be available for purchase.
But the hot sauce vendors will remain the stars of the show, Carbone said.
The expo is ideal for people who are avid hot sauce collectors, he said. Many hot sauce enthusiasts he knows have at least 100 different bottles stored up.
Saturday and Sunday's event will be a perfect place for newer hot sauce fans to start their collections, he said.
"It’s just hot sauce heaven," he said.
