Pour a glass of milk, because this news is pretty spicy.
Joseph “Si” Brown, the Distinguished Eagle Scout whose company turned Louisiana Hot Sauce into a household name, has been elected to the Hot Sauce Hall of Fame.
He received the honor last month at the sixth-annual NYC Hot Sauce Expo in Brooklyn, N.Y.
“It’s humbling to be recognized for bringing hot sauce to America and contributing to an industry that I am truly passionate about,” Brown said.
In addition to honoring hot sauce pioneers, the expo featured fire-breathing favorites like the Death Wing Challenge, Spicy Pizza of Doom Challenge and, um, Chihuahua Beauty Pageant.
Brown has been president and CEO of New Iberia, La.-based Bruce Foods since 1973.
Bruce Foods sold the Louisiana Hot Sauce brand in 2015. These days, the company manufacturers Cajun Injector marinades, Casa Fiesta Mexican Foods, Mexene Chili Products, Cajun King and more. Under Brown’s leadership, the company has become one of the largest privately owned specialty food manufacturers in the country.
Service to Scouting
Brown’s service to Scouting has remained strong throughout his life.
He’s an Eagle Scout (Class of 1952) who is known for mentoring others. He has served the Evangeline Area Council (based in Lafayette, La.) in a number of positions and was instrumental in the development of Swamp Base, the council’s wildly popular high-adventure base I visited in 2015.
Brown helped identify the land, secure the property for a long-term lease and establish funding from the state of Louisiana.
For his service as a volunteer, Brown has received numerous honors from the BSA. His most recent was the Silver Buffalo Award, presented in 2015.
The award is Scouting’s highest honor for adult volunteers, and Brown joins a list of recipients including Scouting founder Robert Baden-Powell, Eagle Scout Gerald Ford, actor Jimmy Stewart and more.
Congratulations, Si!
Today we salute Si Brown. The next time your camp cuisine needs a little flavor, add an extra dash of hot sauce in his honor.
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