Jay Sheldon tasted his first Bhut Jolokia, also called the Ghost Pepper, in Kansas City. When he moved to Brooklyn after grad school to further his career as an artist, he also started up Bhut Pepper, which shares with the world this hottest pepper known to man, producing here at home dried chilis, crushed chilis, powdered chilis and packets of spicy candy. “When I discovered the Ghost chili I was so drawn to the strange attributes and taste of this uniquely shaped pepper,” he tells us. “This little fiery fruit encompasses the values which I look for when I create art or select materials. It’s definitely a source of inspiration.”