Arts
Dino Ferri is the type of guy who doesn’t sweat when the heat is on. “It’s a rush. It literally is a rush,” Ferri said. The “it” in question here is capsaicin — the stuff in peppers that make them spicy. Ferri loves the stuff and downs it like a champ. He shares his love with the world through his own hot sauce company: Hotter Than El. In addition to loving spicy foods, Ferri is also diabetic. The dietary restrictions that come along with that condition pushed him to start making his own, sugar-free sauces. Ferri started selling his sauce until he lost his job in 2015. When Hotter Than El turned up on the internet talk show “Hot Ones” that things really took off for Ferri, with people ordering from around the world. He also gets a real kick out of seeing celebrities wince from the burn of his sauces. On the latest episode of Florida Foodie, Ferri talks more about starting his business and his love for spicy foods. He also shares samples of some of his sauces with Lisa Bell and Candace Campos, who do not share his tolerance for heat. Please follow our Florida Foodie hosts on social media. You can find Candace Campos on Twitter and Facebook. Lisa Bell is also on Facebook and Twitter and you can check out her children’s book, “Norman the Watchful Gnome.”