Suds, Sunshine Green Chile!

by Jacque Aragon
The fifth annual Mountain Chile Cha Cha will take place on Saturday, September 25 in Town Park downtown in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. The Cha Cha includes a morning trail race for all ages and abilities, a green chile cook off and tasting and a free concert in the park.

The Mountain Chlie Cha Cha is no-admission, all day fall celebration. There is a big tent so this event happens rain or shine. There will also be food and crafts vendors, cold Mexican beer in the cantina and Hatch green chile roasting all day long.

Much in the same way that Easterners equate the smell of pressed apples with the coming of fall, Southwesterners know it’s autumn by the smell of roasting green chiles usually the Hatch variety from New Mexico but sometimes Big Jims, which are commonly grown around Grand Junction.

The third annual Patty Aragon Green Chile Classic will offer up more than $600 in prize money for non-professional cooks and some pretty sweet trophies and bragging rights for commercial entries. This event will be slightly different than a typical chile cook-off because it ONLY features green chile, a dish that is ubiquitous in our region but not so well-known outside of New Mexico and southern Colorado.

Patty, who passed away 10 years ago, was locally famous for her green chile, often served on burgers and fries at Al’s Café,a restaurant she ran and owned with her husband, Ross. When they closed their doors in 1992, it was the end of an era to many Pagosans. Several local restaurants have kept the green chile tradition alive and well here in town, along with legions of home cooks who continually strive for the “perfect” green chile recipe. Some people prefer scorching hot chile, others like it mild; some cooks use chicken, others use pork or no meat at all. No matter how you make your green chile, you’ll have a chance to show your stuff in September and possibly win some cash or a trophy and the undying admiration of local green chile aficionados.

More information and complete rules will be made available in the next few months, but for now save the date. We are currently seeking qualified judges- if you feel that you have what it takes to judge Pagosa’s best green chile, please drop an email to jacque@adworkspagosasprings.com or send a brief letter detailing your qualifications and green chile experience to Jacque Aragon at AdWorks, Box 5005 Pagosa Springs, CO 81147. For more information about the trail race, please visit www.joingecko.org.

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Posted by Jacque Aragon on Jun 8 2010. Filed under Activities & Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.