How to Join the Baton Rouge Hot Sauce Consumer Study

I have always wanted to say I served on an official panel, and honestly? I think I need to make the quick trip to Baton Rouge just to claim my "elite experience" in the hot sauce world.

The Sensory Services Lab in Baton Rouge is holding a consumer study of hot sauce this Wednesday, June 24th. They are recruiting right now! It only takes about 5 to 10 minutes to evaluate a set of hot sauce samples, and you get a sweet sponsor T-shirt just for participating.

Note: You must be 18+, not pregnant, a hot sauce eater, and have no allergies to typical hot sauce ingredients or wheat crackers.

If you love the heat but are stuck here in Shreveport on Wednesday, don’t worry, we’ve got our own spicy paradise coming up. The SBC Pepper Fest 2026 is hitting the Remington Garage on Saturday, August 22nd.

It’s going to be a full day of culinary, visual, and performing artists, growers, and fellow spicy enthusiasts. You can even catch actual expert panels talking about growing, heritage, and cooking with peppers!

Plus, the Bossier Arts Council is hosting a "Spicy Call to Art" pop-up gallery. You’ll find everything from hot sauce gun holsters to crochet peppers, live local music, and incredible food. Mr. Grilled Cheese will be serving Pepper Fest specials to light you up, and Streetcar Snoballs will be on standby to cool you down.

Tickets are $18 (Kids 12 and under are free) at sbcpepperfest.com, or use code EARLY for $2 off military tickets at the gate.