TCA Rocks Chicago Hot Sauce Fest

AVONDALE — It appears Chicago can take the heat.

After a mix-up over parking restrictions in July, the postponed Chicago Hot Sauce Fest is debuting this weekend.

Organizer Adrian Gutierrez said 25 vendors will be at Elston and Belmont avenues starting at noon Saturday and Sunday with spicy wings, sauces, jams and eating contests involving the hottest peppers in the world. The last contests start at 6 p.m. each night.

"We were a little worried, because we're a first-year festival, and we were hoping we wouldn't lose too many vendors, but everybody pretty much stuck around," Gutierrez told DNAinfo on Tuesday.

The July 25-26 festival was postponed just three days before it was set to begin. Miscommunication regarding when to file paperwork meant the Chicago Department of Transportation didn't have enough time or manpower to place "No Parking" signs to clear the intersection for the festival, Gutierrez said.