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Contestant Corky Fernando traveled to Cowtown from Green Bay, Wisconsin, to participate. She has eagerly sought competitions around the country, and hopes to travel to Winsdor, England, for her next one, she said. “It plays heck on you afterwards,” said Fernando. “You have severe cramping for hours and then a euphoric feeling.” Beads of sweat adorned 15-year-old Colt Mitchell. Bottles of milk surrounded him. He had just finished his 2-minute attempt to eat six hot wings. “The first two weren’t that bad, but whenever I got to the fourth one — it about killed me,” said Mitchell.
In addition to the competition, businesses and exhibitors took the convention by storm in booths decked out in red and yellow. They offered free samples, sold their products and shared their stories with festival attendees. “We just started this year, and I wanted to get out there and get some visibility,” said Liv’n Spicy founder Liv Bender. Bender traveled from Michigan to promote and sell her jalapeno-inspired drink enhancer.
Many exhibitors, however, were Texas born and raised. One salsa saucier even has a place in the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame. Denise Norwood and her husband, Mike Bandy, owners of salsa and hot sauce company Bando’s Brand, talk to customers during ZestFest at the Will Rogers Memorial Center on May 25, 2024. Mike Bandy and his wife, Denise Norwood, owners of Bando’s Brand, brought the heat with their award-winning salsas and sauces. “He would make salsa for all the cowboys, and they loved it,” said Norwood. “They said, ‘You ought to start selling this.’” Bando’s Brand placed first in the festival’s hot salsa and mild salsa categories. They displayed their golden chile pepper trophy at their booth. It’s a prestigious award and goes a long way when looking to find potential buyers in the competitive world of salsa, Norwood said.
Ryan Thorpe is an audience engagement fellow at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at ryan.thorpe@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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