Mauritian cuisine is diverse and fiery. Every table, from home to high-end restaurants, is not complete without some mazavaroo, a hand-simmered chilli paste. Ti Dodo Epicé, a craft kitchen in Alkmaar making Mauritian sauces by hand under founder Vaanee Stock-Williams, has taken a Bronze Medal in Extra Hot Chili Sauce at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 (heatawards.eu), Europe's flagship hot sauce competition, with Mazavaroo Rouge (Reaper).
Ti Dodo Epicé (literal translation: Spicy Little Dodo) was founded by Vaanee Stock-Williams to bring Mauritian flavours to Europe, with sauces produced authentically by hand in small batches out of the Netherlands. The mazavaroo sauces are created with the traditional method: chillies gently simmered in oil with garlic, mustard seeds and other aromatics. This is the second year in a row Ti Dodo Epicé has picked up a European hot sauce award.
Nathan Austin on Mazavaroo Rouge (Reaper):
"Mazavaroo is one of those condiments that's a household name everywhere it's eaten and almost nowhere else, so seeing a properly hand-simmered version on a European podium is the kind of placement EHSA exists for. The garlic-and-mustard-seed oil base is doing real work underneath the Reaper heat, which is what stops an Extra Hot from being just a heat-delivery system." – Nathan Austin, Tasting Editor, Republic of Heat
"From Mauritius to the Netherlands, I am very proud to bring the flavours of my homeland to Europe. It is wonderful to receive a Hot Sauce award for the second year in a row, it recognises all the work and love I put into every jar." – Vaanee Stock-Williams, Ti Dodo Epicé
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. Extra Hot Chili Sauce is the category where producers have to balance survivable heat against an actual flavour spine, and Ti Dodo Epicé landed in the top three.
"Mauritian chilli traditions are exactly the kind of food story EHSA was set up to surface, and a properly made mazavaroo at the top end of the heat scale is a result that travels. We're watching closely for what Vaanee brings next year." – Neil Numb, Founder, European Hot Sauce Awards
Mazavaroo Rouge (Reaper) is available through Ti Dodo Epicé at tidodo.nl.
Full EHSA 2026 results across all 16 categories: heatawards.eu/results/2026?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=press&utm_campaign=ehsa2026&utm_content=ti-dodo-epice.
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 Reveal video on YouTube, embeddable: - Extra Hot Chili Sauce: https://youtu.be/WXVJ6Qcbjzw Press kit (photos, logos, AI lifestyle composites credited Republic of Heat / European Hot Sauce Awards 2026): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lYhzrvqrNjxGX2kEvq5L7A1RWQnpHRtS?usp=drive_link
ABOUT TI DODO EPICÉ Ti Dodo Epicé (literal translation: Spicy Little Dodo) is a craft Mauritian sauce brand founded by Vaanee Stock-Williams, producing authentic hand-made sauces in small batches in Alkmaar, the Netherlands. The range is built around mazavaroo, the traditional Mauritian chilli paste, gently simmered in oil with garlic, mustard seeds and other aromatics. Ti Dodo Epicé is a brand of Telfair. The range, including Mazavaroo Rouge (Reaper), is available at tidodo.nl.
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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