'It's a little surreal,' Simcoe County man nabs first place prize for sauce creation
After years of being a guest at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, first-time participant Shawn Bell took home a first place prize.
Doc Bells Hot Sauce scored a blue ribbon at the fair's 100-anniversary celebration in November.
"It's a little surreal, to be sure," said Wasaga Beach's Bell after the win.
Bell said he has fond memories of the winter fair since he attended as a child with his late father and older sister.
He's been creating hot savoury sauces since he first tried a Trinidadian blend almost 20 years ago.
While he found the Caribbean sauce too hot, he decided to attempt a sauce more in tune with his own heat tolerance.
"Something that was tasty first and hot second, and that dissipated quickly. It took over two years and several batches, but about 16 years ago, I got it the way I wanted it and have been making it the same way since," he said.
"There's not many of us in the area, but I do specialize in sweet heats. I use fruit and sweet peppers to naturally sweeten my products versus adding sugar to get the same desired result," he said.
Bell said he was looking for a new gig after his position as a vacation property manager dried up during the last COVID-19 lockdown, and friends insisted his hot sauces were the way to go.
Bell began selling his product in April at farmers' markets.
Winning first place at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair has spurred him on to create more varieties of sauces.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries 'Roots,' has died. He was 87.
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
Why Kim Kardashian is being sued for 'knockoff' furniture
The estate of minimalist contemporary artist Donald Judd filed a lawsuit against Kardashian this week, claiming the fashion and beauty mogul promoted 'cheap knockoffs' of his furniture designs.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
King Charles will attend Easter Sunday service at Windsor
Buckingham Palace officials say King Charles III and Queen Camilla will attend an Easter service at the chapel at Windsor Castle on Sunday.