Summer in America’s Finest City always delivers, but this year’s San Diego Magazine 2026 Best of San Diego Party at Liberty Station Legacy Plaza was one for the history books.
Bringing together over 90 of the county’s best restaurants, breweries, and local artisans, the energy was electric. We were deeply honored to represent the local craft hot sauce scene. San Diego Pepper Company was the featured hot sauce—and the only hot sauce vendor showcased at the entire event.
The Ultimate Flavor Pairing: Puesto x San Diego Pepper Company
Location is everything, and we hit the absolute jackpot with our booth placement. We were set up right next to our friends at Puesto, who were serving up their legendary, melt-in-your-mouth birria tacos.
The lineup of hungry attendees naturally funnel straight from Puesto’s taco station right into ours. Tacos in hand, guests immediately dressed them with our signature San Diego Sauce. The combination of Puesto’s rich, savory birria paired with the bright, balanced kick of our San Diego Sauce proved to be a crowd-favorite match made in taco heaven!
Fan Favorite Moment: Meeting Ilona Maher!
Of all the incredible people we met throughout the evening, one highlight truly stole the show. We had the honor of meeting Olympic rugby superstar Ilona Maher!
Ilona stopped by the table to taste through our lineup, and when she tried our Indian Spice Sauce, her reaction said it all. She loved the complex blend so much that we sent a bottle home with her. Having a powerhouse like Ilona championing our sauce was an unforgettable moment for our whole team!
Thank You, San Diego!
Events like this remind us why we love doing what we do. From seeing first-time tasters light up with delight to chatting with long-time fans who came out to support us, the San Diego community showed up in full force.
We want to send a huge thank you to San Diego Magazine for hosting such a spectacular celebration. Thank you for championing local small businesses like ours.
We’re already counting down the days until next year’s party—see you all in 2027!
Missed us at the event? You can shop our full lineup—including our signature San Diego Sauce and Ilona’s favorite Indian Spice Sauce—directly on sdpeppercompany.com.