By Times Chronicle Staff
Some serious fire suppression was in order at the Firehall Brewery recently when the local watering hole held its annual 2025 Hot Sauce Showdown singeing the pallets of patrons and judges alike.
The full house crowd enjoyed the culinary creativity of some of Oliver’s best local chefs and sauce wizards with the opportunity to taste all of the burning creative concoctions.
A total of eighteen hot sauces were entered into the competition this year. Firehall Brewery photo
Four judges bravely volunteered their taste buds for the event which involved judging 18 sauces. The independent judging panel included Rees Stetsko, Savannah Gibb , Kirk Morrison and Kyle Campbell.
And taking home the top accolade as the “Hottest Sauce” was the pub’s very own Sid Ruhland with Nick Urry from Soupertime Food for the Soul placing second.
Firehall Brewery photo
Joseph Whyte won the “People’s Fave”, Harriet, the only Junior Contestant at 11 years old, placed an impressive runner up in “Best in Show” behind heavyweight chef Chris Van Hooydonk from Backyard Farm who took home Best in Show.
And Chance Beauclair defied all Hot Sauce Showdown rules, not to mention personal well-being, taking a mere 90 seconds to down a basket of wings smothered in all 18 sauces including the number one and two hottest sauces.
Firehall Brewery photo
