Dave DeWitt is one of the most important figures in the world when it comes to chili peppers and spicy foods. He has dedicated himself to researching and writing various newspaper and magazine articles on chili peppers since the late 70s. Dave’s first cookbook was published in 1984 by St. Martin’s Press; he co-wrote it with Nancy Gerlach and is still in print today. In 1987 with the help of a local publisher, Dave and Nancy launched a Chili Pepper Magazine that started out with only 212 subscribers, which in time increase dramatically. By 1995 the magazine had a dramatic increase of over 50,000 subscribers with Dave DeWitt as editor. The magazine was sold the following year, which led to DeWitt launching a Fiery Foods & Barbecue Business magazine, as well as 31 books published under his name including: The Chile Pepper Book, The Chile Pepper Encylopedia, Barbecue Inferno, The Pepper Garden, Peppers of The World and The Hot Sauce Bible. Dave is also the producer of the National Fiery Foods and Barbecue Show and Heat Up Your Life which is a three part documentary that aired on PBS.

Dave has also made appearances in national television shows such as The Today Show, American Journal, Home with Gary Collins, CBS Sunday Morning and Scientific American Frontiers. As well as being featured in the following publications: USA Today, Los Angeles Times, New York Times and Smithsonian.