Heard it Here

Winston-Salem residents gathered downtown as local vendors cooked up their best hot sauce dish at the first annual Texas Pete Culinary Arts Festival last weekend.

The event was a two-day affair of food and music in between 5th and 7th streets on Trade Street. Event Coordinator Brian Cole, contracted by the Texas Pete corporate office, was pleased with how the festival was received by the community.

“When it opened up, it was crowded right away,” Cole said.

Texas Pete was founded in Winston-Salem in 1929 by Sam Garner and is currently the third best-selling hot sauce in the United States.

The fair began on Saturday, running from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and wrapped up on Sunday after being open from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. According to Cole, the weekend had been about three years in the making. After a period of planning and discussion, it was decided by Texas Pete and the city to host the festival the same days usually occupied by Rock the Block, a music festival that had been discontinued by the city council the previous year.

Nineteen local businesses, including 15 full-service restaurants participated in the street cook-off. The weekend included competitions amongst residents such as a waiter’s race and a bartenders’ mix off.

Musical acts, headlined by nationally touring country artist Corey Smith were also featured. At Rock the Block, music was the biggest part of the evening. But there was no doubt that food was the main attraction this weekend.

“The thing about a music festival is that not everybody likes the same genre,” said Cole. “At a food festival, everybody eats.”

Robert Moreau, the co-owner of Bib’s Downtown restaurant, set up a stand both days and served pulled pork, Bib’s beans, and lemonade. Food tickets to his stand and all of the other vendors were priced between $3 and $10.

“I am really excited to see people support downtown” Moreau said. “The support and turnout this weekend has been fabulous.”

A panel of judges that included local media personalities took the weekend to try dishes from featured restaurants to determine the winner of the festival. Each restaurant presented one dish to the judges who critiqued them by their taste and use of Texas Pete hot sauce. The restaurant with the highest total number of points would be awarded the “golden skillet”.

Event volunteer Aimee Bentley reported that the turnout was better than she had anticipated.

“Everybody loved the food and kept coming back for more” she said.

Another competitor, Buddy Milner of Milner’s American Southern Cuisine, was also pleased by the response he received.

“Without basis for comparison, I think it has been great,” Milner said. “People have been receptive to the food and my kids loved the music last night.”

Apart from Corey Smith, the festival showcased musical acts Joe Blevins, Kaleigh Baker, The Bo Stevens, and Elise Davis on Saturday. Cactus Black, The Genuine, T0W3RS, Futurebirds, and Here We Go Magic performed on Sunday.

While the event seemed to run smoothly, festival-goers offered suggestions on how to improve the event for next year.

Winston-Salem residents Markus Daniels and Juli Reitz reported that the stands ran out of food on Saturday night, but stated that their favorite meals were the beef brisket tacos and gelatos.

Braxton Hairston III thought organizers should do a better job promoting the event.

“There weren’t enough advertisements to let people know,” Hairston said. “There could have been a bigger turnout if it was more publicized.”

The festival has been contracted for three years by Texas Pete and Daniels, Retiz, and Hairston all say that they plan to return next year.