You say “tomato,” they say “tomate”! Sixteen competitors spice up an inaugural salsa smackdown.
Some like it hot, hot, hot! It may have been chilly outside, but mouths were ablaze on Sunday at the NachosNY Salsa Slam at Brooklyn's The Bell House. Sixteen amateur home chefs brought their fieriest (The Guacachile—50 jalapenos ground with garlic!), their freshest (The Wabanero—all from ingredients grown on the contestant's rooftop garden) and their plain goofiest (The Double Rainbow—with pineapple, peach and bacon bits) under one roof to win cash, cookware and a shot at spicy infamy.
Brought to you by the same behind the Guactacular series, the competition drew much of the same crowd, plus some new faces (and one masked, thanks to a Lucha Libre–costumed contestant). "I was going to come even if I wasn't competing," said Sinful Salsa contestant Nikki Bartlett. "I'm from Texas, so I know my way around a salsa." Tortilla chip refill stations lined the tables, while the crowd dipped and crunched away to a mariachi-heavy soundtrack.
The judging panel comprised folks from Serious Eats and Working Class Foodies; the owners of Brooklyn Salsa Co. and Five Burro Café; and voting ballots from the attendees. The winners? First prize went to Analucia Gutierrez's Zapo Salsa, with roasted tomatillos and sweet corn, followed by Lindsay Liu's sweet-tart Mango Salsa. Feel the burn!
By Jamie Feldmar; photos by Natasha Ryan
