SUNDERLAND — “You know how they say, ‘Leave it all on the field?’ Well today, I left it all on the field,” said Anna Henschel.
Henschel said she tried each of the 20 flavors of hot sauce entered in the competition at Chilifest at Warner Farm as well as pepper-infused beers. “They were all awesome. Each vendor is doing something really interesting with peppers,” she said.
This year’s Chilifest, organized by the Kitchen Garden Farm, drew a crowd all weekend to the Warner Farm, the home of Mike’s Maze. Despite warmer temperatures, people were willing to feel the burn in more ways than one.
Throughout the day on Sunday, the second day of the festival, people could enjoy live music, demonstrations from local chefs, a DIY pepper-pickling station and “hot sauce alley,” featuring hot sauce from Craic Sauce, Jay’s Wicked and Poor Devil Pepper Co.
Some people went to enjoy spicy foods, other because they like local community events.
Tania Tapi, of Holyoke, said she came to enjoy some family time with her children.
“I like spicy foods,” Tapi said. “I get to spend some time with my kids, and we’re going to go through the maze after this.”
A group of friends, Faith and Adam English and Brian DiPippo came to the Chilifest together.
“I really like spicy foods and I came last year,” DiPippo said. “It’s a good, fun community event.”
“We live in Montague,, so it’s close by,” Faith English said. “Plus, it’s a good way to lose weight, eating all this spicy food.”
She said her favorite food was the momo from the Kailash Kitchen.
Jay Meller said he drove from Enfield, Conn., to come to Chilifest.
“I came to check out the hot sauces and pick peppers that were grown here locally,” said Meller. “I came last year and really liked the ambiance. I brought my son to see if he would try some, but if not — more for me!”
Molly Dorson said she comes to the Chilifest every year.
“I live nearby and I love chili,” Dorson said. “It’s awesome this year. There’s more stuff to try and enjoy.”
The Chilifest also hosted local food vendors and beer, offering items using peppers as ingredients, like a Laughing Tomato pizza topped with peppers, or even a sweet and spicy ice cream from Bart’s Ice Cream.
Husband and wife Tim Wilcox and Caroline Pam, owners of Kitchen Garden Farm, said this was their best year yet.
The festival started in 2012 and has grown each year since.
“This year we were able to add ‘hot sauce alley,’ featuring local hot sauce makers,” said Pam. “We have local breweries that used our peppers to make custom beers, or in ice cream, so this is a total collaboration event.”
People could buy their own peppers from the farm, selecting from over 100 types. For those interested in testing the heat, a sample station allowed people to try a piece of a pepper.
There was also a hot sauce sampling table with 20 submitted hot sauces made by both professionals or more amateur pepper enthusiasts.
Brian Mulvehill has been involved with the Chilifest for about five years, volunteering to help as well as submitting some hot sauces of his own.
“I love the atmosphere here and it’s fun to help,” said Mulvehill. “There’s great food, good music, good breweries — and it’s all surrounding the theme of chili. And this year I entered my hot sauce ‘Must be a Weasley’ into the contest.”
Other people enjoying the festival were Jenna Funicella and Meg Fallon, who came to the Chilifest for the first time, both to try the spicy Ginger Libation, and “find a potential boyfriend or girlfriend who likes spicy food.”
“I like the small country vibe here,” Fallon said. “I feel like it would be too crowded if it were in Cambridge, for example.”
“I came to be able to try all the hot sauces,” said Funicella. “I tried one or two at a time — to ease my way in.”