Fairfax Hot Sauce Shop With a Heat Scale: Light My Fire

Light My Fire is a hot sauce shop inside the Original Farmers Market at 6333 W. 3rd St., at the corner of Third and Fairfax in Los Angeles, and you find it at Stall 230. The market describes its stock as hundreds, perhaps thousands, of hot sauces from around the world. Rather than sorting by brand, the stall arranges the bottles on a posted heat scale from 1 to 10, so you can walk straight to the shelf that matches your tolerance.

The scale is the reason to come here instead of a supermarket aisle. According to the market's merchant listing, the numbers correspond to where the sauces sit, and they run from 1, just a little kick, to 10, a level where you will need a large glass of milk to soothe the burn. Look for the number posted above a section, and you know roughly how hot every bottle on that shelf is.

The market's own description is honest about the problem of choice: the selection ranges from mild and amusing to spicy enough to curl eyebrows, and it is so rich and varied that picking one bottle feels impossible. Because the sauces come from around the world, you can travel by shelf: a Mexican-style salsa picante in one hand, a Caribbean Scotch bonnet sauce in the other, both sitting in the same numbered section if their heat matches.

Because it is a market stall rather than a tasting room, plan to browse rather than to sample your way along the wall. Ask the person at the register about a specific chile or style you like, and they can point you to the right numbered section. Go in with a budget for two or three bottles; with this many choices, it is easy to leave with a heavy bag of sauces you will never finish.

Part of the appeal is the setting. The Original Farmers Market has stood at Third and Fairfax since 1934, a maze of stalls, produce stands and lunch counters, and Light My Fire is one of its specialty food stalls. The market's own listing for nearby Stall 210 notes that Du-par's has served there since 1938, almost as long as the market itself.

The market as a whole is open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 9 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 9 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 7 pm, according to its website. The hot sauce stall does not post its own hours on that listing, so a midday visit is the safest bet.

Weekday mornings are the calmest time at the market. By lunchtime the central seating areas fill with office workers and tourists, and on weekends the crowds from The Grove next door spill over through the afternoon. Browsing a stall this dense is much easier when you are not shuffling sideways past other shoppers. Sunday is the shortest day, with the market closing at 7 pm, so a late Sunday afternoon gives you the least time to browse before the stalls start shutting.

Come hungry and treat the visit as a lunch stop. Buy your sauce first, then carry it to one of the market's food counters and try it on the spot with whatever you order. Du-par's, at Stall 210, is the classic diner choice, known for its chicken pot pies and hotcakes, and it is a short walk across the market.

This stall suits people who like to dig: collectors hunting for one bottle from a specific region, cooks who want a sauce for a particular dish, and visitors who want to bring a slice of the Farmers Market home. It is also good for gifts, since you can build a set that climbs the heat scale from 2 to 8.

If you want guided tastings and small-batch makers explained by staff, this is not that kind of shop, and LA has no dedicated craft tasting room like the ones in New York. Come for the range and the scale, not for a lesson. If the wall overwhelms you, choose one sauce from the middle of the scale and one from a number above it, and stop there.

If you are flying home, remember that full-size bottles over 3.4 ounces have to go in checked luggage under TSA rules, so wrap them in clothing and seal each one in a plastic bag. Smaller bottles are the better pick for carry-on travelers, and they let you take home more flavors from different heat levels without filling a suitcase.

Step out of the market's east side and you are at The Grove, the open-air shopping center with its trolley, fountain and lawn. Walk west along Third Street instead and you pass CBS Television City, the studio complex where many TV shows have been taped since the 1950s.

For green space, Pan Pacific Park is a few minutes' walk north of the market, with lawns, a playground and a recreation center. It is a good place to sit with a coffee before you head home with your bag of bottles.

Light My Fire, Stall 230, Original Farmers Market, 6333 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90036, in the Fairfax District. Market hours: Monday to Friday 9 am to 9 pm, Saturday 10 am to 9 pm, Sunday 10 am to 7 pm. Ask the Karpo APP to pick a Farmers Market lunch counter to pair with your new sauce.