4th Annual Pittsboro Pepper Festival at Briar Chapel

Photos courtesy of the Abundance Foundation and Briar Chapel.

Pittsboro, NC – Saturday, October 2nd promises to be an epic date in Pittsboro, with Briar Chapel’s OktoberBEST backyard Olympics followed by the 4th Annual Pittsboro Pepper Festival to benefit the Abundance Foundation.

Briar Chapel OktoberBEST Backyard Olympics, 1-4 pm

As an outdoor enthusiastic, I can honestly say that that I’ve never seen a neighborhood quite like Briar Chapel. It has nearly 900 acres of open space, trees and streams.  There are 24 miles of trails including a competitive mountain bike trail, picnic areas and gardens.

Spanning 15 miles, you will also find public art, a pool with slides and sprinkler park, a fitness facility, and an amphitheater. And to bring all that nature indoors, the homes and Club House are all built with green building standards in mind.

OktoberBEST is a kind of suburban Olympics, with contests for people, pets, gamers, cooks and more. It promises to be a hilarious day of fun in and around Briar Chapel, with a chance to visit Canine Park and the Clubhouse, go inside some homes and revel on the Commons. Here’s the lineup:

• 1pm – 2pm: Canine Athletics at The Pooch Park
• 1pm – 3pm: Armchair Athlete Competition in the Model Homes
• 2pm – 3pm: Pepper Jelly Contest – Tasting at The Briar Patch
• 2pm – 4pm: Best Backyard Athlete Competition at The Briar Club
• 4pm – 7pm: 4th Annual Pittsboro Pepper Festival – Great food, local bands and lots of fun

4th Anual Pittsboro Pepper Festival

Four years ago, it started as one guy celebrating the mighty pepper with a few friends. Last year, they had 500 attendees. Seen below, the 2010 Pepper Queen:

This year, PPF has moved to bigger quarters at Briar Chapel Commons. Over 30 restaurants and chefs will be represented, including:

• 18 Seaboard
• Andrea Williams
• Angelina’s Kitchen
• Bean and Barrel
• Benjamin Wineries
• Bobby’s Water Ice
• Cantina 18
• Carolina Brewery
• Carolina Crossroads Restaurant
• Chatham Marketplace
• Chicken Bridge Bakery
• Crook’s Corner
• Full Steam Brewery
• Dos Perros Restaurant
• Hillsborough BBQ
• The Granary at Fearrington General Store Cafe
• Green Man Brewery
• Glass Half Full
• Lucky 32  Market Restaurant
• On the Square
• Mez
• The Natural Chef Program @ CCCC
• Top of the Hill Restaurant & Brewery
• Triangle Brewery
• Saxapahaw General Store
• Starrlight Meadery
• Stevie’s Booch
• Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe
• Zely & Ritz

From Pepper Fest:

The Pittsboro Pepper Festival aims to go pepper-wild with the greatest local chefs and local beers (including pepper beer!) to spread the superfood power of the plentiful peppers of the Piedmont!  Local hotshot chefs are provided a choice of over 60 varieties of heirloom local peppers (everything from sweet to hot) and they serve up their best, most creative pepper dish as an appetizer to the pepper public!

And there’s music too, including Justin Robinson of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Lonnie Walker and Holy Ghost Tent Revival.

Supporting the Abundance Foundation

The Pittsboro Pepper Festival truly has become one of the premier regional food events in the country. Throw in some great music and a beautiful setting at Briar Chapel Commons and what’s not to like for $25?

All proceeds go to support the Abundance Foundation and Piedmont Biofarm, a year-round farm that feeds the community while performing groundbreaking sustainable agricultural research.

The Abundance Foundation is a non-profit in Pittsboro dedicated to educating the community on renewable energy and sustainable local food systems.The Pittsboro Pepper Festival is the main fundraiser for The Abundance Foundation and Piedmont Biofarm.

So, if you’re a voracious local foodie, a supporter of North Carolina’s sustainable agriculture or just enjoy good music and a nice, cold (perhaps peppery) beer, don’t miss the 4th Annual Amazing Pittsboro Pepper Festival on October 2.

Make a Day of It

Here’s my advise for Saturday, October 2nd:

• OktoberBEST Backyard Olympics at Briar Chapel 1-4 PM
• 4th Annual Pittsboro Pepper Festival at Briar Chapel 4-7 PM

Briar Chapel is located right off 15-501 between Pittsboro and Chapel Hill. Find it on a Google Map.

Get in Touch

Got questions about Pepper Fest, Pittsboro and living the outdoor life in Chatham County? Consider me your resource.

Julie Roland
Realty World Carolina Properties
919-274-8004
[email protected]