Dave DeWitt, aka "The Pope of Peppers," is the author or coauthor of more than 50 books, mostly on the topics of chile peppers and fiery foods. He is the founding producer of the National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show, now in its 27th year, and serves on the Board of the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces. He has coauthored several books with Dr. Paul W. Bosland, the famed chile breeder at New Mexico State University. DeWitt is an associate professor there on the adjunct faculty.

Dave DeWitt Biography

Overview:

Dave DeWitt is a food historian and one of the foremost authorities in the world on chile peppers, spices, and spicy foods. He has more than forty-five published books to his credit. Dave is also the producer of the National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show, the trade/consumer show for the multi-billion dollar Fiery Foods and Barbecue industries, now in its twenty-fifth year.

Education:

--B.A. University of Virginia, 1966

--M.A. University of Richmond, 1967

Professional Affiliations:

--President and CEO, Sunbelt Shows, Inc.

--Founding Board Member, The Chile Pepper Institute, New Mexico State University

--Chair, Governing Board of Regents, New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, Las Cruces

--Associate Professor, Adjunct Faculty, College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces

Current Responsibilities:

--Producer, National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show, now in its 25th year

--Producer, Scovie Awards Competition, a contest for hot & spicy and BBQ products

--Publisher and editor, the Fiery Foods & BBQ SuperSite at www.fiery-foods.com

--Publisher, Burn! Blog

Museum Projects:

Curator, “Edward S. Curtis in New Mexico,” Albuquerque Museum, 1984

Media Appearances:

Dave has appeared on a number of national TV shows, including “American Journal,” CNN, “The Today Show,” “Home with Gary Collins,” “Scientific American Frontiers,” “Smart Solutions,” “CBS Sunday Morning,” “Mythbusters,” “Extreme Conventions” (Travel Channel), the Martha Stewart Show and many appearances on The Food Network. He has also been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, American Way, Smithsonian, and in more than two hundred newspapers across the country. A summary DVD of the appearances is available.

Awards:

1999. Winner, Best Spice Book in English, World Cookbook Awards at Versailles, for The Chile Pepper Encyclopedia.

2000. Finalist, James Beard Awards, for A World of Curries.

2006. Finalist, IACP Cookbook Awards, for The Spicy Food Lover's Bible.

2008. Winner, Best Cookbook, New Mexico Book Awards, for Cuisines of the Southwest.

2008. Winner, Best Adventure Novel, New Mexico Book Awards, for Avenging Victorio.

2010. Winner, Best New Mexico Book, New Mexico Book Awards, for The Complete Chile Book.

2011. Winner, Best Cooking Book, New Mexico Book Awards, for The Southwest Table (tie).

2011. Winner, Best Cooking Book, New Mexico Book Awards, for 1001 Best Hot & Spicy Recipes (tie).