Festival attendees will have the opportunity to sample the variety of pepper-themed culinary creations while enjoying the beautiful fall weather and live music. Musical performances can be expected from The Grand Shell Game, Brett Harris and The Stacks.
The dishes and drinks created by distinguished local food artisans will be judged in five categories: best beer, best spirits, best overall pepper dish, most unexpected pepper dish and most creative southern culture dish.
The Pepper Festival first began in 2008, when farmer Doug Jones of Piedmont Biofarm grew 100 varieties of peppers and needed people to judge them based on taste, texture and color. The organization then had the idea to incorporate live music, chef-curated dishes and pepper-infused beer. The festival grew from 40 attendants to over 600 in just two years.
After three years, the festival outgrew the Abundance North Carolina plant and moved to Great Meadow Park in Briar Chapel, one of the largest green home communities in N.C. In 2014, the Pepper Festival attracted around 1,500 patrons and is expecting an even larger crowd this year.
Festivalgoers can also expect to see the introduction of the Kid’s Pepperpalooza, a series of fun workshops designed to educate children about the foodshed, honeybees and the environment.
“We really focused on the kids this year,” said Tami Schwerin, executive director of Abundance N.C., the nonprofit that Pepper Festival proceeds support.
Abundance N.C. is a nonprofit committed to local food, renewable energy and the local economy. Pepper Festival is the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year.
Fiddlehead Farm, a Pepper Festival vendor and local jam-making business from Pittsboro, plans to serve peach preserve pie with various pepper sugars that can be sprinkled over the top. The sugar choices offered will be ghost pepper, jalapeno or habanero.
