Things heat up in Edenvale with chilli-eating contest
Cassian Davis said the 46 contestants would be tested on several levels.
HomeGrowers Edenvale spiced things up on December 2 with a chilli-eating contest.
The winner of the competition, Christiaan Fourie, walked away with a R2 000 cash prize.
Speaking to the NEWS, owner Cassian Davis said the 46 contestants was tested on several levels.
“We started with the HomeGrowers range of chilli sauces on pizza from our sponsor, Petrone’s Pizzeria.”
Contestants faced raw chilli on pizza before moving on to sauces only and finally chillies and chilli sauce in the knockout rounds.
Louis Kluin, HomeGrowers’ chilli expert, was on hand to oversee the competition and ensured contestants enjoyed the best fresh chillies.
He explained he would heat up the competition with four different raw chillies.
“I brought with me the ghost chilli, measuring in at one million Scoville as the starter chilli. Contestants were then given the brown bhutlah followed by the red scorpion. Finally, the crowning jewel in the contest was the chocolate douglah, with a heat range of two million Scoville,” Kluin said.
He said the Scoville scale is measured by how many drops of sugar water were needed to cancel out one drop of chilli oil of any chilli pepper.
Contestants could tap out of the contest at any point by either signalling the chilli was too hot to handle or by drinking enough water to surpass the stipulated line.
Waters and cooldrinks for the contest were sponsored by Best Before. Davis thanked his sponsors for making the contest a success.
“This event brought together Edenvale businesses,” he said.
He added he hopes to foster a culture of local businesses supporting other local businesses.
Residents can find the widest variety of chilli plant seeds and more at HomeGrowers Kensington, at 115 Langermann Drive, or HomeGrowers Edenvale, at 89 Linksfield Road.
The Kensington branch may be contacted on 082 485 2472 and the Edenvale branch on 061 103 7121.
