50Hertz Tingly Foods Wins $10,000 Grand Prize at the Summer Fancy Food Show's Fancy Face-Off Competition

10 July 2026Mike Nguyen

NEW YORK CITY, July 6, 2026 — 50Hertz Tingly Foods has been named the winner of the Fancy Face-Off competition at the Summer Fancy Food Show, taking home the $10,000 grand prize and earning recognition for its Tingly Sichuan Pepper Cashews.

The competition, which was covered by amNewYork, featured four finalists selected from a field of 80 emerging food brands pitching before a panel of industry judges, retailers, and food experts. The winning product, 50Hertz's Tingly Sichuan Pepper Cashews, was recognized as Best Debut Product and awarded the competition's top prize.

For a company built around one of the world's most unusual ingredients, the moment felt especially meaningful.

Image: Yao Zhao, Founder and Chief Tingle Officer of 50Hertz Tingly Foods, accepts the $10,000 Fancy Face-Off grand prize alongside Specialty Food Association President Bill Lynch at the 2026 Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City.

Image: The 50Hertz Tingly Foods team at the 2026 Summer Fancy Food Show, where the company showcased its expanding portfolio of Sichuan pepper products before winning the Fancy Face-Off grand prize.

From Walking the Show to Winning It

Long before 50Hertz existed, founder Yao Zhao attended the Summer Fancy Food Show as a visitor, searching for inspiration.

Originally from Chongqing, China, he became fascinated by a simple question: why wasn't Sichuan pepper better known outside of Chinese cuisine?

Over the years, he returned to the show floor to discover new products, meet founders, and imagine what it might look like to build a company around one of the world's most unique ingredients.

Eight years later, 50Hertz returned to the Summer Fancy Food Show with its own booth, a growing lineup of products, and a mission to bring Sichuan pepper to a wider audience.

Then came the Fancy Face-Off.

Images: Scenes from the Fancy Face-Off competition, where 50Hertz founder Yao Zhao pitched Tingly Sichuan Pepper Cashews and earned the event's $10,000 grand prize.

Judges for the 2026 Fancy Face-Off competition: (left to right) Julia Hallman, owner of Formaggio Kitchen; Travis Reams, buyer at Meijer; Rachel Krupa, founder of The Goods Mart; and Caroline Lippman, Vice President at Coefficient Capital. The panel evaluated finalists on taste, packaging, marketing, innovation, and pitch. Photo: ET Rodriguez / amNewYork.

The Winning Product

50Hertz's Tingly Sichuan Pepper Cashews pair premium roasted cashews with real green Sichuan pepper, combining bright citrus notes with the ingredient's signature tingling sensation, known as má (麻).

Unlike traditional spicy snacks that rely on heat, Tingly Cashews focus on sensation — creating a flavor experience that is surprising, memorable, and distinctly 50Hertz.

Standing on the Fancy Face-Off stage, Zhao pitched not only the product itself, but a broader vision for bringing Sichuan pepper into mainstream American food culture through snacks, seasonings, oils, salts, and culinary collaborations.

A Perfect Fit for the Year of #SenseMaxxing

The victory felt especially fitting given this year's Summer Fancy Food Show theme: #SenseMaxxing.

The trend celebrates foods that deliver memorable sensory experiences through flavor, aroma, texture, and sensation.

If there is one ingredient built around sensation, it's Sichuan pepper.

For centuries, people across Southwest China have prized the ingredient not just for its flavor, but for the unmistakable citrusy buzz it creates on the tongue.

Long before SenseMaxxing became a trend, Sichuan pepper was already delivering one of the most unique sensory experiences in the culinary world.

Building the Tingly Universe

"What started as a fascination with Sichuan pepper has grown into something much bigger. This award isn't just recognition for a single product. It validates our belief that people are hungry for new sensory experiences and that Sichuan pepper deserves a place in pantries, restaurants, bars, and snack aisles across America."

— Yao Zhao, Founder & Chief Tingle Officer, 50Hertz Tingly Foods

The judges praised not only the product itself but the broader vision behind the brand.

Speaking to amNewYork after the competition, judge Travis Reams highlighted 50Hertz's long-term strategy:

"Just the intentionality about creating a family of products, you know, with the cashews being the base of it, is really smart. One of the things that we always train suppliers to think about is, like, 'what's today, but then what's tomorrow?' and it was really great to see he has already fleshed that out."

— Travis Reams, Fancy Face Off Judge and Buyer, Meijer

That vision is reflected across the company's growing lineup of snacks, seasonings, oils, salts, chocolates, and collaborations — all connected by the unique magic of Sichuan pepper.

What's Next

Image: The Spark Pavilion, home to the Fancy Food Show's most promising emerging brands. This year, 50Hertz was proud to be among them.

The $10,000 prize will be reinvested into product development, packaging, branding, and educational efforts aimed at introducing more consumers to Sichuan pepper.

While the award marks an important milestone, the company's mission remains unchanged: helping more people discover the flavor, curiosity, and sensory magic of this remarkable ingredient.

About 50Hertz Tingly Foods

50Hertz Tingly Foods is a Washington, D.C.–based company dedicated to introducing the world to the vibrant flavor, floral aroma, and signature tingling sensation of Sichuan pepper. Founded by Chongqing native Yao Zhao, the company creates snacks, seasonings, oils, salts, and collaborations that showcase one of the world's most fascinating ingredients.

The company takes its name from scientific research showing that the tingling sensation produced by Sichuan pepper vibrates on the tongue at approximately 50 hertz — a spark you can taste.

Learn more at www.50hertzfoods.com.