Get ready to bring the heat! The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival returns Aug. 30 with dozens of sauces to sample, live music, local food and a chance to support the Central Texas Food Bank.
Good Party ATX’s Sarah Wolf and Bindu Marasini, founder and CEO of Bindu Bites, joined We Are Austin with a spicy preview of the 36th annual festival—and a taste test of some award-winning sauces.
Get ready to bring the heat! The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival returns Aug. 30 with dozens of sauces to sample, live music, local food and a chance to support the Central Texas Food Bank.
Good Party ATX’s Sarah Wolf and Bindu Marasini, founder and CEO of Bindu Bites, joined We Are Austin with a spicy preview of the 36th annual festival—and a taste test of some award-winning sauces.
Sample Your Way Through the Festival
This year’s Hot Sauce Festival takes over Radio East with plenty of opportunities to discover a new favorite.
“This is the festival of all things spice, all things heat,” Wolf said.
Festivalgoers can sample sauces from 30 commercial bottlers, with participating makers bringing multiple varieties to try. Guests can purchase bottles to take home and vote for their favorites, with winners announced later in the evening.
When it’s time for a break from the heat, the festival will also feature food trucks and live music.
Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival Turns Up the Heat for Its 36th Year
Bindu Bites Brings Nepali Flavors to Austin
For Marasini, the festival has played a special role in the growth of Bindu Bites.
Born and raised in Nepal, Marasini left her full-time job in Austin in late 2021 to launch the company. It originally began as a food business centered around momos, or dumplings, before expanding into bottled sauces.
“I wanted to share my family’s story,” Marasini said. “My parents come with a farming background, so we grow our peppers in Melissa, Texas.”
Her early success at the Hot Sauce Festival provided some welcome reassurance that she was onto something special.
“It brought hope, really,” Marasini said. “I would say it brought hope and validation, and just the love and the support that Austin has given us. It just means so much to us.”
Get ready to bring the heat! The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival returns Aug. 30 with dozens of sauces to sample, live music, local food and a chance to support the Central Texas Food Bank.
Good Party ATX’s Sarah Wolf and Bindu Marasini, founder and CEO of Bindu Bites, joined We Are Austin with a spicy preview of the 36th annual festival—and a taste test of some award-winning sauces.
From Sesame to “Sweet Heat”
Bindu Bites’ lineup draws inspiration from flavors familiar to Nepali families.
Its sesame sauce began as an accompaniment for the company’s dumplings, while its cilantro sauce was inspired by the type of everyday sauce Marasini says can be found alongside many Nepali meals.
Then there’s the spicy mint sauce, which Marasini described as an “Austin, Texas fanatic.” The sauce has earned the festival’s People’s Choice recognition three years in a row.
Another standout, Flaming Nectar, takes about two months to make and combines seasonal mangoes with honey produced on the property.
“This is our hottest, but we like to say it’s our sweet heat,” Marasini said. “It’s still enjoyable.”
Get ready to bring the heat! The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival returns Aug. 30 with dozens of sauces to sample, live music, local food and a chance to support the Central Texas Food Bank.
Good Party ATX’s Sarah Wolf and Bindu Marasini, founder and CEO of Bindu Bites, joined We Are Austin with a spicy preview of the 36th annual festival—and a taste test of some award-winning sauces.
Hot Sauce for a Good Cause
The festival isn’t only about finding out how much heat you can handle. The event also helps benefit the Central Texas Food Bank, adding a community cause to the annual Austin tradition.
The 36th annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival takes place Aug. 30 from 3 to 9 p.m. at Radio East.
Come hungry, sample plenty of sauces and cast a vote for your favorites—all while supporting a good cause in Central Texas.
Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival Turns Up the Heat for Its 36th Year