Denton Councilman Invites Hot Sauce Maker Sriracha to Relocate

Makers of Sriracha sued over "offensive chili odor" from California factory

A North Texas city councilman has a hot offer for the embattled California maker of a popular chili sauce: Move to the Lone Star State.

The city of Irwindale, Calif., has sued the makers of Sriracha hot sauce, saying an "offensive chili odor" from the factory is a nuisance and is making residents sick, according to NBC Southern California.

Denton Councilman Kevin Roden, who represents District 1, wrote an open letter Wednesday to Huy Fong Foods, inviting it to relocate the plant to Denton.

"Denton, in particular, has a lot of great assets to be able to roll out the red carpet for companies like Sriracha, so we'd love to be associated with a brand name that everyone in this country loves," he told NBC DFW.

Roden said Denton has easy access to Interstate 35, ample industrial land away from complaining neighbors and a major institution -- the University of North Texas -- that can provide both innovation for any company and a large student body eager to consume its products.

"If we just sat back and waited for people to come to us and say, 'Hey, maybe we can do business here,' we will not get ahead, and so we owe it to our citizens to be aggressive, to take advantage of opportunities when they come our way," he said.

A Huy Fong Foods representative told NBC DFW that the company is aware of Roden's offer, but is not commenting at this time.

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