St. Martinville is located in the heart of Louisiana's pepper country. And about 30 minutes to the east is Avery Island, LA - home to TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauce. Over the years, Louisiana has gained a reputation (albeit sometimes inflated) as the place where every dish is hot and spicy.

Of course, we do like hot and spicy food, and what better way to indulge than with an annual Pepper Festival. St. Martinville, the seat of government for St. Martin Parish, is located 17 miles southeast of Lafayette, LA. Established as a military post in 1714, it later served as a haven to the French aristocracy who escaped the revolution in that country.

The St. Martinville Pepper Festival is set up on a three-block stretch of the business area, which backs up to Bayou Teche. As you wander down the festival site, you'll have a chance to stop at any of the half dozen or so booths offering samples of locally made hot sauce or what we call "chow chow". Used in local kitchens for years, Chow Chow is a chunky version of hot sauce with blended peppers, seeds, onions and garlic that can be used for chip-dipping or to spice up recipes. About a dozen other booths fill out the space selling craft items, pepper plants and pepper-decorated paraphernalia. The National Hot Pepper Association usually presents a booth filled with dozens of pepper cookbooks, samples of international hot sauces and membership information.

The day starts with a 5 K run around 8 a.m. and is immediately followed by the Motorcycle Poker Run. By 10:00 a.m., live music begins on the flatbed truck stage which stretches the width of one end of the festival site. This year's entertainment includes performances by Nik-L-Beer, Just For Fun and Corey & the Zydeco Hot Peppers. Around 4:00 p.m., the bands take a break to make way for the annual Pepper Eating Contest. It could only be for the glory that about a dozen brave souls stand before a crowd of people to gulp down as many hot peppers as possible in a 5-minute contest.

Half a dozen food booths offer the typical south Louisiana fare - etouffee, pastas, po-boys and burgers along with a couple of pepper-related items. Local chefs also give demonstrations throughout the day, with free samples given out to the public.

The theme for the day is definitely peppers, but the overall feel is more of a street party. While in town, make a point to wander along the bayou and take a gander at the Evangeline Oak, named after Longfellow's famous poem.

2002 dates: Sunday, October 20th

Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Directions: From U.S. Hwy. 90, take LA. Hwy 96 about 7 miles to the center of St. Martinville. The festival is on the far side of the Town Square. (337-367-6604 or 337-394-2233)

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Story © Julie Posner