Stuttgart sits in the Neckar valley at the heart of Baden-Württemberg, schwäbische Küche country of Maultaschen and Spätzle with Trollinger vineyards on the slopes above the city. Feuerwerk Chilis, a hand-made one-person chili kitchen run by Ruiqi He in Stuttgart, has taken two medals at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 (heatawards.eu), Europe's flagship hot sauce competition: Bronze in Freestyle with Spicy Chili Snacks, and Bronze in Salt and Condiments with Aromatic roasted chili flakes.
Feuerwerk Chilis is run single-handed in Stuttgart by Ruiqi He, hand-made in small batches and built around the food culture Ruiqi grew up with: vibrant markets, family meals and fresh spices. The two EHSA Bronzes sit at opposite ends of the range, a fried chili-snack format on one side, a fire-roasted chili-flake blend on the other.
Spicy Chili Snacks (Bronze, Freestyle): whole bullet head chilies coated in a glutinous rice dough with sesame, peanuts and hand-selected spices, fried for a crunchy snack. The coating brings nuttiness and crisp texture against the heat of the bullet head chili.
Aromatic roasted chili flakes (Bronze, Salt and Condiments): a blend of five chili varieties roasted over an open fire and hand-crushed to preserve texture and depth of flavour. Deep roasted aromas, smoky character and layered heat, inspired by traditional fire-roasted chili preparations.
"Honestly still speechless, bringing a piece of my hometown and culture to Germany and having it recognised with two Bronze medals by a blind European judging panel feels incredibly surreal. Huge thanks to everyone who has supported Feuerwerk Chilis on this journey!" – Ruiqi He, Feuerwerk Chilis
The European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 ran over 200 sauces from across the continent through blind tasting this year, scored on five criteria by a deliberately mixed panel of chefs, sommeliers, critics and chilli specialists. Freestyle is the wildcard category for products that don't fit the standard sauce formats; Salt and Condiments asks for proper dry-spice technique. A fried bullet-head chili snack and a fire-roasted five-chili flake blend, from one Stuttgart kitchen, landed in both.
"A one-person kitchen in Stuttgart taking two Bronzes across two different categories, judged blind by a mixed European panel, is the kind of result this competition was set up to surface. Ruiqi has built the range from a deep flavour tradition rather than chasing pure heat, and the panel rewarded both ends of it. We are watching what comes out of Stuttgart next." – Nathan Austin, Republic of Heat
Spicy Chili Snacks and Aromatic roasted chili flakes are available through Feuerwerk Chilis at feuerwerkchilis.de. Full EHSA 2026 results across all 16 categories: heatawards.eu/results/2026?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=press&utm_campaign=ehsa2026&utm_content=feuerwerk-chilis.
The European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 are announced ahead of the Berlin Chili Fest, 29–31 May 2026. Republic of Heat's EHSA 2026 Top 3 winner box is live at republicofheat.com/de-en/discovery-set/euhsa_top3, with further EHSA selection boxes at republicofheat.com/de-en/hot-sauce-sets.
PRESS RESOURCES Press kit (photos, logos, AI lifestyle composites credited Republic of Heat / European Hot Sauce Awards 2026): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1458Ipfiy5342ned31kqCPnw5eotq7iz6?usp=drive_link
ABOUT FEUERWERK CHILIS Feuerwerk Chilis is a hand-made one-person chili kitchen run by Ruiqi He in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The range covers chili snacks, chili flakes and chili sauces, hand-made in small batches around bold heat balanced with deep aromatic flavour. The full range, including Spicy Chili Snacks and Aromatic roasted chili flakes, is available at feuerwerkchilis.de.
ABOUT THE EUROPEAN HOT SAUCE AWARDS The European Hot Sauce Awards (EHSA) is the professional competition for commercially produced hot sauces in Europe, run annually since 2024 from heatawards.eu. EHSA was born out of the Berlin Chili Festival, which has run since 2019 and returns 29–31 May 2026, and became an independent competition in 2024. Over 200 sauces from producers across the continent were entered in 2026. Entries are judged blind across five criteria: aroma, heat profile, flavour, creativity and finish. The 2026 edition covers 16 categories, with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals awarded across multiple positions in each. Each category also names a Best in Category, the top Gold. EHSA is run independently of any single producer or retailer.
ABOUT REPUBLIC OF HEAT Republic of Heat is a European hot sauce subscription designed to show off the flavours coming out of Europe and help solve the distribution problem independent makers face. Founded June 2025 in Berlin by Nathan "Naga" Austin and Simon "Scoville" Gardner. The Discovery subscription delivers three handpicked craft sauces plus a spicy extra to subscribers across the EU each month. Press partner of the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026. republicofheat.com.
PRESS CONTACT Press: Republic of Heat, on behalf of European Hot Sauce Awards contact@republicofheat.com +49 176 41601284
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