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🌶️ Bring on the heat

Summer of 2024 may bring another Sriracha shortage
A bright yellow golf cart is parked outside the colorful exterior of Spice of the Harbor.
Spice of the Harbor in downtown Safety Harbor is your one-stop shop for all things spicy. | Photo courtesy of Heather Anderson, owner
A summer without Sriracha? It’s a possibility now that Huy Fong Foods plans to stop production until after Labor Day. “All orders that have been scheduled beginning on May 6, 2024, will be canceled,” the California-based hot sauce company said. That’s nearly a four-month pause on the production of Sriracha, chili garlic sauce, and sambal oelek.

This isn’t the first time Huy Fong couldn’t deliver the heat. Last year, we reported a Sriracha shortage due to droughts in Mexico (where the jalapeno peppers are sourced). This year’s culprit? The peppers are “too green.”

Huy Fong’s “red rooster” Sriracha is known for, well, being red. When jalapenos are too green, they dilute that iconic color. It isn’t just the hue that’s halting the hot sauce — green peppers are also less spicy than their more developed red pepper peers. And what’s Sriracha without spice?

Our advice is to sample some local vendors that bring on the heat.
  • Tampa Bay Hot Sauce Company | Try sauces made with ingredients like homegrown ghost peppers and vinegar aged in fresh bourbon barrels.
  • Red Hot Tiki Spicy Market | Shop this spicy gourmet market in Gulfport before it closes (the owner is retiring). The final day for in-store sales will be Sunday, May 26.
  • Tampa Hot Sauce | Challenge your spice tolerance with sauces made by Chef Jose Santiago —all crafted using locally sourced fruits and vegetables.
  • Spice of the Harbor | Located in Safety Harbor, this purveyor of spice has sauces galore as well as rubs, honey, and oils.
Asked

Would you rather...
A. Have green Sriracha sauce?

B. Endure another Sriracha shortage?
Serve us the sauce
 
Events
Wednesday, May 22
  • Barre in the Park | Wednesday, May 22, Wednesday, May 29 | 6-7 p.m. | Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, 600 N. Ashley Dr., Tampa | Free | Head to the park for a class blending yoga, Pilates, ballet, and strength training that elongates your muscles with small, controlled movements.
  • Teen Entrepreneurship | Wednesday, May 22 | 6:30-7:30 p.m. | New Tampa Regional Library, 10001 Cross Creek Blvd., Tampa | Free | Teens are invited to this workshop to learn how to plan a business.
Friday, May 24
  • NF: Hope Tour | Friday, May 24 | 8:30 p.m. | Amalie Arena, 401 Channelside Dr., Tampa | $50+ | “The Search” rapper and hip-hop artist takes the stage for one night only in Tampa.
Thursday, May 23
  • “The Smuggler: A Thriller in Verse” | Thursday, May 23 | Times vary | Shimberg Playhouse, 1010 N. Macinnes Pl., Tampa | $60+ | This one-man, rhyming-verse dark comedy follows an Irish immigrant in America who meets a stranger with a plan to make people “disappear and reappear.”
Saturday, May 25
  • Pride & Passion 2024 | Saturday, May 25 | 8 p.m.-12 a.m. | Tampa Museum of Art, 120 Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa | $115+ | Celebrate LGBTQ+ culture in Tampa Bay as the museum transforms into a Wonderland with themed drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and performances.
  • Instrument Petting Zoo | Saturday, May 25 | 12-2 p.m. | Henry B. Plant Museum, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa | Free | Music lovers ages five and older can examine, experience, and play the instruments with Florida Orchestra staff.
Events calendar here
Click here to have your event featured.
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The Father’s Day gifts he’ll ask for every year
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It’s not too late to order the Harlestons Seaside Hoodie, Seaside Pullover, or Seaside Pocket Polo for Father’s Day. | Photos by Drew Somerville
Calling all children, partners, and friends of dads everywhere: Harlestons’ Seaside Collection will have the men in your life wishing Father’s Day — ahem, coming up on June 16 — was everyday.

Mix and match any of the pieces in the Seaside Collection (including the hoodie, polo, and quarter-zip) to create a complete look perfect for Father’s Day. Wearable throughout every season, Harlestons’ easy-care, performance fabric keeps you both cozy and cool all year long.
    Father's Day gifts that won't miss
    News Notes
    Development
    • Construction on the redevelopment of Rome Yards began yesterday, May 21. The first phase of the project includes 234 units of mixed-income housing, plus a workforce training center. (WFLA)
    Number
    • $1.6 million. That’s the price tag of the recently approved construction proposal for the replacement of St. Petersburg’s seawalls. The project would rebuild three eroding seawalls on Snell Isle, Boca Ciega Bay, and Riviera Bay. (St. Pete Catalyst)
    Announced
    • A new lounge is coming to Grand Central District. From the wife and husband team behind Brick & Mortar in downtown St. Pete, Pulpo Kitchen + Lounge will serve up Latin-inspired food plus live music. (St. Pete Catalyst)
    Sports
    • Welcome back, Mac. The Tampa Bay Lightning re-acquired defenseman Ryan McDonagh from the Nashville Predators in return for Tampa’s 2025 second-round pick. We see you making moves, NASHtoday.
    Traffic
    • Do you have thoughts about Lithia Pinecrest Road? Hillsborough County officials are gathering feedback for a proposed project to improve a 7.5-mile busy stretch of the road. Share your thoughts. (WFLA)
    Coming Soon
    • All the world’s a (tiny) stage. The Tampa Theatre will debut a new microcinema in June. Tickets are on sale for the John T. Taylor Screening Room. (That’s So Tampa)
    Ranked
    • No. 47. That’s our rank on the list of “Best Cities for Soccer Fans.” We scored our spot based on metrics like season-ticket price, stadium accessibility, and team performance.
    Sports
    • Learn more about how Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. became the best-paid defensive back. Get game coverage, analysis, insights, interviews, and more from local experts of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Locked On’s daily podcasts.
      Try This
      • Want to get your brand in front of our readers? Check out our self-service advertising, a quick and easy way to get acquainted with our local audience through Display and Branded Content. Psst... Social Posts are now available. Get started today.
      Health
      • Wild Health creates you a personalized 50-page report detailing your ideal nutrition, exercise, and recovery plan — all based off your genetics + biometrics. Get 20% off with code WH20.*
       
      Outdoors

      🚲 Pedal to the metal

      How much of your day can you spend on a bike in Tampa?
      Biking in St. Pete
      It’s legal to pedal on the sidewalks as long as you let pedestrians pass by. | Photo by TBAYtoday
      May is National Bike Month, but just how bikeable is Tampa? Let’s take a look.

      Tampa scored a 55 out of 100 on Walk Score’s bikeability meter, deeming it a “bikeable” city. Nice. Our score is determined by four components: bike lanes, hills, destinations and connectivity, and bicycle mode share.

      How can we boost our score?

      The top way to increase the bikeability of our city is — you guessed it — by biking more. We can boost our community score by learning more about biking in our city.

      Don’t have a bike yet? Support one of these local bike shops:
      More about our score
      The Buy

      Group A, The Buy 5.22.24 (Affiliate + Six & Main)
      Lululemon’s everywhere belt bag, which you truly can take everywhere, from errands to hikes to shopping. Points for being hands-free.
      Answered

      How many of our readers are dog owners?
      Recently, we asked how many of y’all had a dog. Pooches sure are pup-ular around these parts.

      Two photos of Daren the rescue dog. The first is Adam Goldberg's from a photo shoot, and the second is from his original shelter intake. Goldberg's version looks more professional, with better lighting, and portrays Daren as a sweet + happy dog with his tongue out and a big smile.

      Daren (aka the goodest boy)

      |

      Photos via AGoldPhoto Pet Photography

      Here is what you said:
      • 72% of our readers reported owning a dog
      • 20% of you have more than one pup in the doghouse
      • 4% purr-fer owning a cat
      And another 4% of our readers go fur-free.
       
      The Wrap
       
      Jessalin Nagamoto.jpg

      Today’s edition by:
      Jessalin
      From the editor
      Look, I don’t think I can bear another season without Sriracha. Last time Huy Fong got short on the sauce, I overcompensated by going way too hard on Bloody Marys. (It was the spice I was after — I swear.)

      If you’re also a tomato juice and Tabasco enthusiast, we’ve got some good recommendations in our brunch guide.
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