The 2nd Annual L.A. Sriracha Festival

Los Angeles, CA – Menu details are beginning to unfold for the 2nd Annual L.A. Sriracha Festival, taking place this Sunday, October 19, 2014 at Chinatown’s historic Central Plaza!

This chef-driven, all-inclusive, 21+ event from The Sriracha Cookbook and Food GPS spotlights the world’s most iconic hot sauce at a unique, historical venue. Multiple acclaimed restaurants will be making a variety of Sriracha-themed dishes, including desserts, which attendees can enjoy freely throughout the event at their own pace. Local craft beer, cocktails, sodas, iced coffee and iced tea help tame the heat while a live DJ set helps create a fun and unforgettable food and drink experience.

FOOD: Special Sriracha-spiked dishes from some of Los Angeles’ best chefs and restaurants participating in this year’s event include:

• BEACHWOOD BBQ Gabe Gordon – Sriracha Braised and Glazed Smoked Spare Rib with Sweet and Spicy Vegetable Slaw
• EAGLE ROCK BREWERY PUBLIC HOUSE Jerry Su – Beef Tendon Churrones with Sriracha Sugar and Mexican Chocolate
• EASTSIDE MARKET ITALIAN DELI Vito Angiuli – Pork Meatballs with Sriracha Cole Slaw
• GREENSPAN’S GRILLED CHEESE Eric Greenspan – “Good and Proper” Grilled Cheese with Bacon, Sriracha, Egg, Red Onion, and a Tomato-Sriracha Soup Dip
• JITLADA Tui Sungkamee & Jazz Singsanong – Spicy Fried Rice with Tofu and Sriracha and Tamarind Dip with Chicken
• KOMODO Erwin Tjahyadi – Sriracha Marinated Chimichurri Steak
• LITTLE JEWEL OF NEW ORLEANS Marcus Christiana-Beniger – Sriracha Crawfish Macaroni and Cheese with House Smoked Andouille Sausage
• CHEF MEI LIN – Sriracha Deviled Eggs, Chicken Skin Crumble and Sriracha Caramel
• MENDOCINO FARMS Judy Han – Peruvian Steak Sandwich with Spicy Aji Amarillo (includes Sriracha), Oaxacan Cheese, Herb Aioli, Red Onions, Tomatoes and Shredded Romaine on Panini Grilled Drago Bakery’s Torta Bun
• MUD HEN TAVERN Kajsa Alger – Sriracha-Braised Pumpkin with White Chocolate Yogurt and Basil Oil
• SHOPHOUSE SOUTHEAST ASIAN KITCHEN Nate Appleman – Pork and Chicken Meatball or Organic Tofu Bite with Tamarind Vinaigrette, Green Papaya Slaw, Herb Salad (Thai Basil and Cilantro) and Crispy Garlic
• SQIRL Jessica Koslow – Root Vegetable Crispy Rice Salad with Sriracha-Lemongrass Vinaigrette
• THE GADARENE SWINE + SCRATCH BAR Phillip Frankland Lee – Crispy Yucca
• WILLY B’s Christian Page – Smoked Berkshire Pork Belly, Willy B’s Dehydrated Red Hot Sauce, Honey, Scallions and Toasted Sesame Seeds

Plus a soon-to-be-announced Sriracha creation from this Los Angeles dining gem:

• EGGSLUT Alvin Cailan & Johnny Lee – Best Thing We Ate, Zagat, 2013

DESSERTS: The 2nd Annual LA Sriracha Festival will also boast an array of these delectable desserts:

• CRÈME CARAMEL LA Kristine de la Cruz – Holy Petit S’mores: Sriracha Marshmallow Layered on a Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownie, Dipped in White Chocolate, Rolled in Graham Cracker and Topped with Sriracha Honeycomb Dust
• MCCONNELL’S FINE ICE CREAMS – Salted Caramel Chip and Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
• RED BREAD Rose Lawrence – Sriracha Apple Crumble Pie and Whole Wheat Sriracha Black Bottom Meyer Lemon Custard Pie

BEVERAGES: And what would a hot sauce fiesta be without something cool to drink? Beachwood BBQ & Brewing – recently awarded “Large Brewpub of the Year” at the prestigious Great American Beer Festival – will be pouring Neo Pale Ale and Laurel IPA, joined by Eagle Rock Brewery’s Manifesto witbier and Populist IPA, and Golden Road Brewing’s 329 Days of Sun Lager and Point the Way IPA. The 2nd Annual LA Sriracha Festival will also feature cocktails from inventive bartender Jason Bran, craft sodas from Los Angeles Ale Works, coffee from Portola Coffee Lab, tea from Seventh Tea Bar, and water provided by Pure Water of Los Angeles.

“I’m really excited about the return of ‘Pho-racha’ soda from Los Angeles Ale Works,” exclaims Randy Clemens, co-organizer of the Sriracha Festivals, as well as author of The Sriracha Cookbook and The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook. “It’s made with lime, basil, anise, cinnamon, plum and—of course—Sriracha! It tastes just like pho broth and it is amazing! It was my favorite thing at last month’s 1st Annual San Diego Sriracha Festival, hands down!”

CHARITY: A portion of proceeds from the L.A. Sriracha Festival will directly benefit Food Forward; a North Hollywood-based charity whose mission is to rescue and donate fresh local produce that would otherwise go to waste. Over 5 million pounds of food has been gleaned since 2009, which goes to local food pantries, helping feed over 100,000 hungry Southern Californians each month. More info at foodforward.org.

TICKET INFORMATION: General Admission tickets are $59 per person in advance, and $69 per person at the door, if still available. Food and drink are included in the ticket price, allowing guests to sample freely throughout the event. VIP Tickets for the event are $90 in advance, and $100 per person at the door, if available. They include reserved seating and one-hour early admission from 2 pm to 3 pm.

Tickets are only available for people 21+ and are for sale at http://sriracha.nightout.com.

LOCATION: Chinatown’s Central Plaza, 943-951 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012

TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING: The event is a short walk from the Metro Gold Line Chinatown station. Lot parking is available in the neighborhood, and street parking is also an option.

ABOUT THE SRIRACHA COOKBOOK: Randy Clemens released The Sriracha Cookbook in January 2011, incorporating his favorite hot sauce in 50 unique recipes. Due to popular demand, The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook recently launched in July 2013 with an additional 50 recipes, all plant-based in nature. Both books are available on Amazon and at independent bookstores nationwide. More info at TheSrirachaCookbook.com.

ABOUT FOOD GPS: Josh Lurie founded Food GPS in 2005. Since then, his Los Angeles-based website has remained dedicated to pinpointing the highest quality, best-tasting food and drink, regardless of price or cuisine, and sharing stories of people behind the flavor. Food GPS, Inc. also produces unique culinary events. More info at FoodGPS.com.

FOLLOW SRIRACHA FESTIVAL UPDATES ON:

Facebook: facebook.com/TheSrirachaCookbook | facebook.com/foodgps

Twitter: twitter.com/SrirachaBook | twitter.com/foodgps

Instagram: instagram.com/foodgps

Hashtag: #SrirachaFest