Food factory tours have had a lot to live up to over the last four-plus decades. For once we all laid ravenous eyes upon the "eat all the candy you want" scene in 1971's "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," there has been a standard set, realistic or not, for the places that make what we consume.
But for many foodies it isn't candy but caliente they're after. What would you do, for example, if there was a room filled with Sriracha-sauced foods? Is it too wonderful to ponder? Are your eyes watering at the spicy thought?
We're pretty sure that room'll have to remain in our daydreams for now, but we'll be able to tour the Sriracha factory, in Irwindale. Huy Fong Foods announced to fans on Tuesday, Feb. 4 that it'll open its doors wide to the condiment's legion of heat-seeking sauce lovers. LAist has the good-news letter.
Anyone who wants to visit the company's new Irwindale operation is welcome to make an appointment.
The news comes at the end of a bumpy few months for the company, after area residents living near the factory said there was a sting in the air. Sriracha is heavy on the fiery chilis, as anyone who has ever consumed a quarter teaspoon of it knows.
Huy Fong has long made a base in Rosemead. The new Irwindale factory bowed in 2010.
Production stopped on the condiment following the complaints, leading to empty shelves at local grocery stores as fans stocked up on the green-capped, rooster-fronted bottles.
The Scene
Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.
An upcoming hearing on next steps for the factory was recently announced.
Until then, we suspect many an aficionado devoted to pursuing the flavor, complexity, and heat-happy watery eyes that Sriracha brings will go the route of donning a paper cap and heading onto the production line, to get a behind-the-scenes glance.
Of course, there are Sriracha cookbooks, a documentary, and the occasional all-Sriracha dinner to enjoy, too. Is a Sriracha theme park far behind? Please put the "all you can eat room" in it, developers, if you go this route.
Sriracha ribs, Sriracha chips, Sriracha trees growing Sriracha fries, a Sriracha river...
