Chile pepper festival celebrates diversity on many levels Ron Thiesfeldt of Green Bay ever-so-carefully samples a jalapeno pepper at the Chile Pepper Celebration at the Green Bay Botanical Garden (photo by Tina Gohr). By Anna Krejci News-Chronicle The second Chili Pepper Multi-Cultural Festival at the Green Bay Botanical Garden celebrated the versatility of a type of food common to many cultures. From the hottest Yucatan habanero chile to the mild, Hungarian sweet wax pepper, one visitor at the garden said she was surprised. "I learned there's a lot more chilies out there than I thought there would be," said Sherry Cudnohufsky, Green Bay resident. Displays showed numerous kinds of chilies originating in places as different as Central and South America would be to the Czech Republic, home to the Czech black chile. The festival serves the botanical garden's overall mission, said Sally Baye, the event's coordinator. "What we're trying to do is make that connection between people and plants," she said. Chili peppers have found their way into the recipes of Barbara Bonini, who operates The Pampered Chef, a kitchen consultant business. She led a pepper-cooking demonstration. She said she loves peppers because of their flavors and their often colorful appearance that dresses up a dish. "I'm a very, very visual cook," she said. Frank Smith, owner of Holy Smokers, said the peppers' spices flavor his meats. "Our hot wings are flaming," he said. He likes fresh peppers. "There's something about that first bite when you hear that crispy crunch and that little juice that falls ... you know that it's authentic and it's real," he said. While some are passionate about peppers, others are not. "I don't mess with peppers," said Travis Lange, 15, Holy Smokers employee. They're too hot, he explained. However, Lange said he liked seeing different cultures represented at the event. "By these festivals you can see everybody's culture and see where everybody's coming from," he said. Hmong, Menominee, Mexican and African dances were performed, and chili peppers from South and Central America were on display, as well as information about peppers from the Czech Republic. The festival featured pepper roasting, salsa making and presentations on how hot spices can get.