5th ANNUAL CHILE HABANERO EATING CONTEST by CHICHEN ITZÁ RESTAURANT
SAVE THE DATE
June 21, 2015, Father’s Day
2 p.m.–3 p.m.
CHICHEN ITZÁ RESTAURANT TO HOST
5th ANNUAL CHILE HABANERO EATING CONTEST
WHAT:
Chichén Itzá Restaurant is set to host its fifth annual “Chichen Itza’s Habanero Eating Contest” during Mercado La Paloma’s Father’s Day celebration. Contestants will be provided a bowl of whole chiles habaneros and have 20 minutes to eat as many chiles as possible for first- second- and third-place awards. This is the only eating contest of this kind held in Los Angeles.
WHERE:
Chichén Itzá Restaurant (in Mercado La Paloma),
3655 S. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90007
213-741-1075
WHEN:
Sunday, June 21, 2015 (Father’s Day) at 2 p.m.
The contest will be held as part of the Father’s Day Celebration at downtown’s Mercado La Paloma: 3655 S. Grand Av., Los Angeles, CA 90007. For more information please call 213-741-1075,www.chichenitzarestaurant.com.
Families are invited to enjoy once again the fun and culture on this free event and learn more about the Yucatán and its culinary traditions, and witness the fieriest contest in Los Angles.
Chichén Itzá's 5th Annual Chile Habanero Eating Contest will begin at 2 p.m. Interested contestants can register up to one hour prior to contest time at the restaurant. Up to 10 people will participate in the contest.
Contestants will be provided a bowl of chiles habaneros along with tacos of cochinitapibil, water and milk to accompany the chiles. The brave contestants will have 20 minutes to eat as many chiles as they can stomach. First-, second- and third-place awards will be awarded to the winning contestants.
Last year, the first-place winner ate an amazing 45 chiles habaneros, while the second-place winner ate 41 chiles, and the third-place winner consumed 37 chiles. They all broke contest records. Maybe new records will be broken again this year.
Chichén Itzá Restaurant specializes in the delicious cuisine of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula where folks love their ultra-hot habanero peppers. These small, round babies rate 150,000–325,000 on the Scoville scale making them hot, hot, hot. Compare this with the jalapeño pepper that rates a mere 2,500–8,000 on the same scale.
WHO:
Chichén Itzá Restaurant specializes in the cuisine of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula where folks love their ultra-hot chiles habaneros. Chef/owner Chef Cetina heads up a successful restaurant and catering business and a line of Yucatecan culinary products under the Chichén Itzá Restaurant label that includes two chile habanero salsas. Rave reviews have appeared in such publications as Hispanic, GQ, Los Angeles Times, L.A. Weekly and La Opinión.He also co-wrote an award-winning cookbook titled Sabores Yucatecos: A Culinary Tour of the Yucatán (English- and Spanish-language editions) that is available at the restaurant and at Amazon.
BACKGROUND:
Chile habanero (Capsicum chinense) originated in the Amazons and worked its way through various parts of South America, eventually working its way up to the Caribbean. Many believe it was introduced into Mexico through interactions between pre-Hispanic indigenouspeoples. Regardless, it is much loved in the Yucatán where it plays an important role in its culinary traditions. It is a very hot chile, rated 150,000–325,000 on the Scoville scale. Compare this with the jalapeño pepper that rates a mere 2,500–8,000 on the same scale. It got its Latin name after it was so widely disseminated around the world that some considered China as its place of origin.
CONTACT:
MariluzGonzalez:mgonzalez@vesperpublicrelations.com - (818) 667-6403
HASHTAGS:
#HabaneroEatingContest2015; #ChichenItzaRestuarant; #Chile; #Habanero #Spicey
VISUALS:
The contestants eating Chiles, lots of spicey emotions, fun, joy, laughter, multi-cultural participants, Yucatan music folklore, families, kids, young people.