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Entertainment/Events

ZestFest brings the heat back to Irving this Friday

ZestFest 2014 returns to Irving on Jan. 24 – 26, for the three-day hot and spicy food festival located at the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas (ICCLC). The Dallas/Fort Worth area has been home to ZestFest for 12 years, and this year marks the fourth consecutive year hosted in Irving.

Produced by Spicy Food Productions and presented by NBC and The Dallas Morning News, ZestFest has steadily grown from a niche gathering to a national event, developed under the management of show owner, Greg Bagarozy.

“We’re looking forward to another fabulous, fiery, feisty weekend – ZestFest is back for the fourth year with us in Irving, and we can’t wait for all the fun and fire they bring,”said Maura Allen Gast, executive director of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Year-after-year ZestFest rounds up the spiciest exhibitors and products from around the country for a hot weekend packed with thousands of bold food samples, live music, interactive contests, cooking demonstrations from a live Celebrity Chef Stage with tips by top chefs including Jon Bonnell of Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisineand Buffalo Brothers;Eddie Deen; ICCLC’s own Eduardo Alvarez, executive chef forSavor…Las Colinas; and John Franke,corporate chef for Front Burner from Irving’s The Ranch at Las Colinas; and more.

This year, ZestFest extends its hours on Saturday and invites attendees to enjoy “Dinner at ZestFest” from 6 – 9 p.m. featuring a roasted pig, barbecue ribs, brisket and beer cooked dinner by the nationally famed, top barbecue caterer found in Texas, Eddie Deen, owner of Smokey’s BBQ Restaurant in Fort Worth, Jackson Street, and Crossroads located across from the Dallas Cowboys home turf, AT&T Stadium.

Tickets to “Dinner at ZestFest” are $15 each and include the barbecue main course, plenty of hot ‘n spicy side dishes, two drink tickets, plus three additional hours to catch live music, browse the show’s diverse offerings, and experience more of all things Zesty from 6 – 9 p.m. ZestFest admission must be purchased separately.

The competition heats up at ZestFest with fiery contests like Wingstop®’s Atomic Wing Eating Contest and the Jalsa “Jalapeno Eat-Off.”ZestFest attendees will also have the opportunity to sample and judge their favorite spicy foods on Saturday during the People’s Preference Awards. Winners are announced later that day.

Also making an appearance at ZestFest is Guinness World Records winner of the World's Hottest Chili title.

Save on prices at the door by purchasing tickets online in advance. One-day passes are $13 each on Friday; $14 each on Saturday and Sunday; $35 each for three-day passes; and children 10 and under are free when accompanied by a ticket-holding adult. ZestFest hours are Friday, Jan. 24 from 1 – 6 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 25 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; and Sunday, Jan. 26 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tickets will be available for purchase at the convention center box office during event hours.

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