Making its highly anticipated debut is the 1st Annual San Diego Sriracha Festival on Saturday, September 20, 2014 at Liberty Station.

This chef-driven, all-inclusive, 21+ event from The Sriracha Cookbook and Food GPS spotlights the world’s most iconic hot sauce at a unique, historical venue. Multiple stations allow guests to enjoy a variety of Sriracha-themed dishes, including desserts, at their own pace. Local craft beer, cocktails, sodas, iced coffee and iced tea help tame the heat while a live DJ set helps create a fun and unforgettable food and drink experience.

Some of San Diego’s best chefs and restaurants participating in this year’s event include:

• AQUI ES TEXCOCO Francisco Perez – Best Tacos in 15 US Cities, Zagat 2014
• THE BELLOWS Schuyler Schultz – Best New American Cuisine Nominee, San Diego A-List
• GANG KITCHEN Craig Jimenez – San Diego’s Best Eats, Drinks & Restaurants, Discover San Diego 2014
• HASH HOUSE A GO GO + THE TRACTOR ROOM – Craig “Andy” Beardslee – 36 Hours in San Diego Must Have Dinner, New York Times, 2009
• THE PATIO John Medall – San Diego’s Top 10 Weekend Brunches & Breakfasts, TheCultureTrip.com
• SLATER’S 50/50 Brad Lyons – Best Hamburger, UT San Diego 2013
• STONE BREWING WORLD BISTRO & GARDENS Steve Robbins – The Best Restaurants in San Diego – Best Brewpub, San Diego Magazine 2014
• SUPERNATURAL SANDWICHES Christian Eggert – The Iconic Sandwiches of San Diego, Eater San Diego
• URBN ST. BREWING Alex Carballo – 12 to watch in 2012, Hospitality Magazine
• URGE AMERICAN GASTROPUB Marc Liautard – Best Neighborhood Bar Nominee, San Diego A-List
• WOW WOW WAFFLE Joe Kraft – 7 New San Diego Restaurants You Need To Try This Summer, Thrillist 2014

“The response from our first Sriracha festival in L.A. was absolutely amazing,” says Randy Clemens, co-organizer of the Sriracha Festivals, as well as author of The Sriracha Cookbook and The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook. “We got plenty of requests to expand to more cities, so we’re very excited to add San Diego to the line-up with its own impressive selection of delicious Sriracha-themed dishes!” Clemens is no stranger to the San Diego dining scene: “I’m an L.A. native, but I lived in S.D. for several years while working at Stone Brewing Co., and I’m thrilled to be working with some of my favorite restaurants to put together an event like this in the city that I will always call my second home!”

DESSERTS: Churros El Tigre, Peterson’s Donut Corner and Quenelle will be serving desserts throughout the festival.

BEVERAGES: Stone Brewing Co., Iron Fist Brewing Company and URBN St. Brewing will be pouring local craft beer, while inventive bartenders Jason Bran & Damian Windsor will serve creative cocktails. The event will also feature craft sodas from Los Angeles Ale Works, coffee from Portola Coffee Lab, and tea from Seventh Tea Bar.

CHARITY: A portion of proceeds from the San Diego Sriracha Festival will directly benefit Mama’s Kitchen, a San Diego-based charity that prepares and delivers three meals a day—free of charge—to approximately 350 men, women, and children affected by AIDS or cancer in San Diego County. Mama’s Kitchen has served over 7,000,000 meals since it was founded in 1990 and has never turned away a client who qualified for its services. More info at mamaskitchen.org.

TICKET INFORMATION: General Admission tickets are $59 per person in advance, and $69 per person at the door, if still available. VIP Tickets for the event are $90 in advance, and $100 per person at the door, if available. They include reserved seating and one-hour early admission from 2 pm to 3 pm.

SRIRACHAHOLIC VIP PASS: Making its highly anticipated return is the 2nd Annual Los Angeles Sriracha Festival on Sunday, October 19 from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm at L.A. Chinatown’s landmark Central Plaza. A limited number of diehard Sriracha fans are invited to buy VIP tickets to both fests for a discounted bundle price of $160 per person, including one-hour early admission and guaranteed seating at both events.

Tickets are only available for people 21+ and are for sale at http://sriracha.nightout.com.

LOCATION, TRANSPORTATION, AND PARKING: The 1st Annual San Diego Sriracha Festival will take place on Saturday, September 20, 2014 from 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm at the Liberty Station, Luce Court & Legacy Plaza, 2641 Truxtun Road, San Diego CA 92106.  Free parking will be available on-site in specified lots. For those utilizing public transportation, take the MTS Bus or Trolley to the Old Town Trolley Station, then board the 28 bus and exit at the Roosevelt & Rosecrans stop.