We humans, or at least New Worlders and their forebears, have been enjoying chile peppers for some 10,000 years now. As someone who hasn’t yet shaken a capsicum addiction picked up in New Mexico, it’s hard for me to imagine anything not improved with a strong dash of the stuff. Beer, beef, chocolate -- everything tastes better with a chile kick. To test this thesis, and to garner some inspiration for home entertaining, get yourself out to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden this Saturday, October 3, between noon and 6:30pm. The annual Chile Pepper Fiesta there comes free with garden admission, packing in demos, tastings, smoky Chipotle Ales, and a live music soundtrack. Bands representing Africa, India, and Louisiana will serenade you as you learn about chile plants, Korean spices, and the many diabolical uses of chile in chocolate. To get you fired up for fiery flavors, we had a chat with Corwin Kave, executive chef of Fatty Crab. You can catch him live stirring up some “Spicy Malaysian Mischief” on Saturday.

People swear by Fatty Crab’s chili crab. Can dishes like that be worked up in a home kitchen, or are they best left to the pros? The crab at Fatty Crab is based off a version I ate a lot of in Singapore. The dish has simple, bright, clean flavors, but the procedure can be a bit much for the home cook. But there are definitely some nice curry bases out there -- or just serving some steamed blue crabs with Thai chiles, fish sauce, and fresh herbs can make for a wonderful meal.

Your demo is called “Spicy Malaysian Mischief.” What kind of preview can you give us? I just want to help educate people about Malaysia and Southeast Asian food culture and how integral the chile is to the way of life in Asia. I will be spotlighting the history and making of sambals and their many applications. There will be tasty treats as well.

Do you have a favorite pepper? Or does that vary, based on other ingredients? The peppers I use depend on the final application. I love green hatch chiles (a favorite of my mom at Roni-Sue’s Chocolates as well) and Thai chiles for their versatility and bright flavor.

Chile peppers seem like hard ingredients to work with. Do you have to account for variations in heat from pepper to pepper, even within the same crop? Always taste your food. That includes randomly tasting ingredients. All produce changes week to week depending on sunlight and rain exposures (and many other elements). I love to walk around the markets tasting and getting a feel for the season.

Do you have any tips for sourcing peppers, or does modern shipping keep them on the shelves year-round? Buy locally whenever possible. When it’s not possible, buy seasonally, process, and freeze. My friend Dave at Cabrito just received and processed 200 pounds of red hatch chiles to get him through the winter.

Have you ever had a pepper disaster -- something that was just too hot to handle? I've seen it happen to others. Just a few days ago I bought some scud chiles at the market to pickle and left them out for a few minutes. One of my cooks said to Colin (our general manager) “try this berry chef just got at the market.” He almost fell on the floor ...

Do you have any tricks for keeping heat under control? You should always balance flavors. Hot, sweet, acidic, bitter. I use ingredients like palm sugar, lime, tamarind, coconut. In Mexico, they use chocolate.

What's your favorite chile pepper dish? The chili crab at Fatty Crab. No joke. Eat it