The 22nd Annual Tinian Hot Pepper “Pika” Festival wrapped up last Feb. 13 and 14 at the Fiesta Grounds in San Jose, Tinian, celebrating the island’s famous “Donni’ Sali” wild hot pepper. One of the Northern Mariana Islands’ most popular cultural events, the festival drew locals and visitors eager to enjoy spicy food, entertainment, and contests.
Brandon Jones, visiting from Canton, North Carolina, shared his first impressions: “It’s a great vibe, great food, great people. The weather’s amazing. I have no complaints at all. I would suggest it to anyone.” On sampling the food, he admitted, “So far, I’m not a big spice guy. I’ve been trying to try everything that I know won’t burn my mouth off. But some stuff has been a little too hot, but I can handle it. It’s been really delicious.”
Brett Cowan, a ship captain from Ventura, California, said he came to Tinian to “check out if it’s possible to dock our good ship here,” and added that visiting PikaFest was an unexpected bonus: “Yeah, that was an added bonus and motivation to get out here to check it out. But yeah, Pepper Fest is lit. It’s fun.” He sampled tacos from JC Café and a mango nada, and looked forward to “these JC hot butter chicken pico bites.”
Benjamin Peter Garman from Washington State described his experience in his own words: “I got a free ride. I’m basically like a boat hitchhiker, so I got a free ride over here. We didn’t catch any fish because our captain didn’t take the rubber off the hooks. But we did come over here and catch some delicious food, so it’s still good.”
On the festival itself, he said, “Yes, it’s my first PikaFest. So far, it’s been great. Everyone’s very friendly and wonderful. I picked up a hammock, and I’m excited for this guy’s awesome salsa bowl thing.”
Steve Jang, another attendee, praised the island: “I flew in this morning to Tinian Hot Pepper Festival, Pika Festival. I went around this morning, walked around, and I’m very impressed with the cleanliness of Tinian. I commend the leadership of Tinian for keeping the island very beautiful. And it’s very great to see a lot of vendors here. So, excellent. Good food, good entertainment.”
Competitive eating was a festival highlight. Raymond Edward Allen IV from Kildava Hills, North Carolina, won first place in the JC Café Pika Burger eating contest.
“The burger was really good. It has some spice. Definitely mouth still is a little tingly, but nothing crazy. Glad we got to win,” he said. On comparing peppers, he added, “Back in North Carolina, they have a thing called Carolina Reaper. In terms of spice, the Carolina Reaper, I think it’s one of the one or two hottest peppers in the world right now. So I’m going to say the Carolina Reaper is hotter.”
Other contest winners included Martin Bueno (second) and Gerardo Segoña (third) for the burger eating contest. Estufao cooking winners were Carol Mangloña (first), Rene Dungad (second), and Sylvia Biz (third). Booth decoration winners were Chili Rock (first), Barbañas (second), and Tropix 1 (third). The hot pepper eating contest crowned Joseph Ashmere (first), Janice SN Omengkar (second), and Thomas Erickson (third).
Elvira Furnari from Bosnia-Herzegovina participated in the festival’s 5K run. “It was amazing. One part was really tough, a hilly part, but I pushed it hard. And yeah, it was amazing. It was really a great run,” she said.
On the race’s best moment, she added, “The best part was realizing at the end that you are the first woman to cross that finish line, and there were two ladies on the right-hand side sort of cheering me on, so that was really exciting. And also, the organization was amazing. We had water stations, and people were cheering on the whole time. I really enjoyed it.”
In the umang race, Brad Lee Alambra’s hermit crab won first place, followed by the umangs of Akina Patuo and Itiri Yap, respectively.
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