About 400 people gathered in Pittsboro on Sunday to celebrate the variety — and versatility — of the pepper.
The third annual Pittsboro Pepper Festival was held at The Plant in the Piedmont Biofuels Eco-Industrial Park, where participants gathered to eat local cuisine, listen to live music and sample different types of peppers.
“This is the best turnout we’ve had in all three years of the festival,” said Production Manager of Piedmont Biofuels Jeremy Rushlow. “In fact, it’s the best turnout for any event we’ve ever held at The Plant.”
The festival was a collaborative effort between the Abundance Foundation, an organization dedicated to educating the public on topics of sustainability, and Doug Jones, a local farmer with a passion for local produce and agricultural sustainability.
Jones, more commonly known as “Farmer Doug,” supplied more than 40 different varieties of peppers to the festival, ranging from the sweeter bell varieties to the hot and spicy habanero.
“The main thing we want to do is promote the use of peppers that perform well and are reliable for the local climate,” Jones said. “Most varieties of peppers today are adept to other growing regions and are designed to be grown quickly and support a large system of consumers.
“They are not designed to be what I like to call ‘slow food,’ which produces a much better flavor.”
The event brought together chefs from throughout the Triangle and surrounding areas, including those from Carolina Crossroads in Chapel Hill, Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill and Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen in Cary and Greensboro.
“It’s great being able to cook new things, to break the mold and get out of the kitchen,” said Jay Pierce, head chef of Lucky 32. “The things we serve here we don’t serve on our menu at Lucky 32, so that’s fun.”
