Green Chile Worship

06/24/2025

Friends, chile worshipers, today I’d like to talk about collecting memories.

This project has taken us to so many beautiful places bejeweled with green on our plates, igniting a love for this land and its incredible ingredients in our hearts.

I started Green Chile Worship during the pandemic. When it was impossible to connect with community in the same ways and the world felt uncertain and quiet, sharing this collection of memories with all of you helped keep things lighter. It has been a sunny space to create in and I can’t thank you all enough for your engagement.

Last weekend we had the absolute thrill of meeting someone who also understands collecting memories.

He owns a warehouse full of them. He adorns his restaurant with them. He is a man of the valley who knows and loves his community. He knows all of the grandparents and their grandparents and all of the grandchildren of the farms nestled in Hatch, New Mexico which have been cultivating green chile for hundreds of years.

We finally got to meet Teako Nunn, owner of Sparky’s in Hatch.

We got in touch when my partner came across some vintage Columbia 78rpm record stands Teako had for sale and when he found out how much we love his restaurant, he offered to treat us to lunch if we wanted to make the drive down to pick up the record stands.

I will take any excuse to plan a trip to Hatch valley so there was no question.

It was great getting to spend some time with Teako, hearing about his life and his family and the things that make him tick. I love people who contain multitudes and Teako is one in a million.

Lunch at Sparky’s that day will stand out in my collection of memories. That might be my favorite green chile cheese burger ever and of course I had to get the green chile lemonade while I had the chance. Bright green heat in everything I consume please and thank you.

As if all of this wasn’t enough, as we were saying goodbye, Teako asked if we like green chile. I told him I literally consider it to be medicine (which it is - we can get into the antidepressant effects of capsaicin another time) to which he agreed and sent us home with a frozen five pound bag of chopped green chiles. The same ones used at Sparky’s. They are some of the most flavorful chiles I have ever had with perfect heat. They are everything you want out of a green chile and right from the source.

And we are almost out of them already so I think I have the perfect excuse to visit Hatch again soon.

Thank you, Sparkys BBQ and Espresso and thank you, Teako. We’ll be back as soon as possible.

One final note: Teako gave me a point and shoot 35mm camera I was eyeing from his warehouse. Something to go collect memories with.

06/09/2025

If they don’t have green chile in heaven just send me back to Albuquerque.

This place.
This tasted like someone used a generations old recipe for stewed chicken, wrapped it in a hand pressed tortilla, and smothered it with more stewed green chiles con carne. That’s probably exactly what it was since El Modelo has been serving its faithful community for almost a century. It tasted like it came from someone’s family’s kitchen and they are sharing it with all of us hungry neighborhood kids.

I feel like I owe someone’s mom a hug for this meal.
Thank you, El Modelo ♥️

05/31/2025

It was a hazy start to the day here in The Duke City. Hoping northern New Mexico isn’t getting hit too bad with fires already this season but it did make for a perfect morning to take the truck with no AC out for a cruise.

This morning we had the absolute pleasure of sitting in with our friend’s country swing band - Albuquerque’s own Curio Cowboys. By the time they were done cooking on some Bob Wills and Jimmy Wakely, we were ready to seek out some cooking of another kind.

The chile kind.
I’m sure you all saw that coming.

Anyway! Lucky for us, their dance hall/rehearsal space is mere blocks away from one of Albuquerque’s finest family owned restaurants - Mary & Tito’s Cafe.

Mary Ann and Tito Gonzales opened this special place in 1963 and the legendary recipes and home town atmosphere is lovingly carried on by their daughter, Antoinette Knight. By the numerous parties waiting patiently for a table, I get the sense we can expect them to be around for another 60 years or more. It’s worth waiting for a table and they have clearly earned the loyalty of their community.

Today we both ordered their carne adovada plate - mine topped with green and Brian’s with Christmas. The vibrant red chile blanketing half of his plate admittedly made me wish I had gotten the same but the great news is that we live here now and I can go back any time. And we intend to.

Excellent adovada. Perfectly stewed with such rich flavors and not one ingredient overpowering the others, always chile forward. Enough heat to warm up your insides and get your face burning just a little but never so aggressive you can’t fully take in the complexity and richness of all of the flavors in the dish. Warm tortilla with butter on the side - it’s just heaven.

Thank you, Mary &Tito’s!

05/29/2025

Great big important life update!

We finally moved ourselves, our bellies, and my good lookin’ truck down to the land of green chile. It’s great to live in this place where folks know what’s good and we couldn’t be more happy with the transition.

Last year we were introduced to Duran Central Pharmacy by a couple dear friends who have spent a lifetime in Albuquerque (so let’s just say, they also know what’s good) and the first opportunity we had to get breakfast on the town after the move, we were chomping at the bit to get back to the spot with one of the best red chile sauces we have ever had. Ever.

So the thing about Duran’s is that it’s so good people start lining up outside the door at least a half hour before they open. They discourage people from making substitutions on the menu but, trust me, you’re in good hands with any plate at Duran’s and their efficient service with the massive business they do for breakfast and lunch leaves little room for nitpicking. So just chill, eh?

Now let’s talk about the positively epic food you can expect at Duran’s. This time I ordered a breakfast burrito. Normally I prefer my plates smothered with just green but the red sauce at Duran’s is worth making an exception. Their green is my favorite style of primarily chopped chiles, nice and simple letting that bright green flavor put its best foot forward with plenty of heat to follow. The red is earthy, warm, savory, ever so slightly sweet in a way that you can only produce by letting those chiles get kissed by the sun a little longer. I particularly appreciate the absence of cumin in their recipes (red or green) which really allows the most important ingredients to shine.

If all that wasn’t enough, their house-made flour tortillas are to die for. Mine came wrapped around the burrito but they also serve them on the side with a pat of butter if you please. You are not allowed to leave hungry it would seem.

On your way out you can check out their amazing pharmacy and shop full of local goods and, in my seasoned herbalist opinion, very high quality herbal supplements and other remedies.

Anyway, I can’t recommend Duran Central Pharmacy enough. We’ll be back soon.

11/11/2024

Often after we have been on the road for a while and have finally come to the last day of our adventures before returning home, I feel the need to really soak up and enjoy something rich to punctuate our travels and tide me over until the next time I get to visit so many of my favorite places. Like one last, long embrace to say “so long” to a dear friend you may not see for some time.

The last couple times we said farewell to Albuquerque, it was all of these things. The last day of a whirlwind trip, saying goodbye for now to people we cherish, and I wanted something I could probably only get at the Frontier Restaurant

Ohhhh yes. I got the Frontier Sweet Roll and a side of their excellent chopped green chiles and I ate them together and I would do it again.

Their sweet rolls are a divine comfort on their own but the addition of the texture and heat from a topping of green chiles makes for a dynamic treat that will change your outlook on life. Like looking at the world through pintado colored glasses - bright green and sweet red.

Thanks for all the good times, Frontier Restaurant
We’ll see you again as soon as we’re able.

p.s. Every time we visit I find a piece of artwork I hadn’t noticed before. This display of dye plants had me mesmerized.

10/31/2024

We were just talking about the complexities of the vanishing Chimayo chile and its homeland soil. This was an insightful albeit surface-level take on the social and generational issues facing the crop. I couldn’t agree more that what makes the Chimayo chile so special is the combination of the heirloom seeds and the soil in which they are cultivated. I hope we can preserve this ingredient and tradition for future generations.

A beloved heirloom variety of New Mexico red chile commands high prices because of its scarcity. Finding farmers to continue cultivating it has become a challenge.

07/09/2024

Last night I made some of the best corn grits I have ever had in my life. I think you can guess who the star of the show was.

One thing I love about New Mexican grocery stores is that most of them have an entire section, sometimes an entire wall, dedicated to jars of chile and other various chile products. There is always something I haven’t tried and even though the ingredients tend to be nearly the same (Hatch chiles, salt, garlic) I can tell you with certainty that no two families or businesses are distributing the same product. Those variations in heat, ripeness of the chiles and color, acidity, or just season to season the beautiful differences between crops by rain and sunshine, make a world of difference in the jar.

This jar had chunky, charred, green gems with such true green chile flavor I would have thought they were roasted right in front of me. For a medium label they packed some big heat which blended beautifully with a handful of melted cheese, some beef broth, garlic, and corn meal. And their texture is absolutely remarkable. The chopped chiles are so fresh and so lightly processed you can actually sink your teeth into them.

If I find this one in the wild again, I’m grabbing it.

To make these corn grits:
2 cups water
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp Butter
Beef bouillon to taste (I use instead of salt for more depth of flavor. You can easily substitute for veggie broth if you please)
Sprinkle of garlic powder (I was feeling lazy - this would also be amazing with a little sautéed fresh garlic but the point is to use what you have)
2/3 cup chopped chiles (Or really as much as you feel like adding - You measure chiles with your heart, honey)

Bring water to a boil and stir in bouillon and garlic
Slowly whisk in cornmeal to prevent clumps
Add butter
Reduce to a simmer or low heat while the cornmeal expands
Add chiles and stir so they can cook for a little while with the cornmeal
Add cheese and stir in at the end with just enough time to get it all melted

You can garnish however you like. A little cracked pepper, some cilantro, a fried egg - this dish is excellent on its own but with a little imagination the possibilities are ✨endless✨

03/14/2024

We’re still a few months away from camping season but I have been dreaming of a long trip in the van, sheltered by piñon pines in Abiquiu, greeting the day surrounded by ocotillo and creosote near Truth or Consequences, and consuming copious amounts of chiles with every meal.

Our favorite dinner to throw together while roughing it also happens to be very simple with easy cleanup. We pick up some smoked brisket before we leave town, smother it in chopped chiles, wrap it in tin foil and heat it on our camp stove. Make a foil packet with corn tortillas and do the same, take everything off the heat and, of course, cover everything in more green chiles. ✨Chef’s kiss✨

Now I’d like to shoutout my personal favorite purveyor of chopped green chiles - Fresh Chile !!

Few Chile companies match the purity and quality of the chiles contained in these jars and I can’t think of any companies out there as of now who sell jars with pintado mixes of beautiful green and red chiles in their various states of ripeness. Never too acidic, never overpowering the chiles with other ingredients - Fresh Chile Co. definitely understands the importance of letting the chiles speak for themselves and they continue to produce some of the highest quality chile products on the market.

Like all the best chile companies, they are a family business, hands on from the soil in Hatch to the kitchen and it’s clear they put a lot of love into everything they do.

And I low key wish they’d just adopt me 🙈

02/26/2024

Our Colorado front range friends need to know about Chile The Kid.

I had heard a few whispers about this food truck. Almost like some mythical green chile kitchen on wheels. They come out on the weekends in Castle Rock. They serve New Mexico style breakfast burritos and pride themselves on their chile - sounds great! But what REALLY had me excited was their claim to, specifically, ✨Chimayo Chile. The holy grail. The word you only use if you really know your chiles.

It took us some time to finally catch up to them but the planets finally aligned one day as we were heading down for a long trip through New Mexico.

Friends let me tell you this is far more than just a food truck. This is a mobile altar to Chile Worship. Their roots are strongly tied with the chile tradition, as owner, Patrick Baca, shared with me that their family is from Chimayo, New Mexico which is where they source the chiles for their incredible red sauce. Patrick’s son, Jacob, painted their beautiful truck with the unmistakable symbols that welcome you into northern New Mexico, signaling pride in their heritage which absolutely comes through in their amazing food. Chile the Kid is clearly a product of love, family, and tradition and stands, in my opinion, as the most true New Mexico Chile flavor you can find anywhere in Colorado. Yeah - I said it.

Bright, perfectly seasoned, warm, savory, and earthy, slightly sweet from that authentic, sun-ripened red chile flavor. Food like this takes time and careful attention to details which can make or break a good sauce. Chile The Kid does it right. They’re about the friendliest people you could meet and I highly recommend paying them a visit.

Thank you, !!
We will be back soon

11/10/2023

Green Chile Worship turns three today.

This project has been such a happy place for me and it has been an absolute treat to get to bring you along on our travels. I didn’t know it was possible but I love green chile more now than I did at the beginning of this journey. The more I learn about the history, the soil, the people, the regions and recipes, the deeper my love of the blessed green chile becomes. I mean I’m on the verge of just bringing a tiny bag of powdered green chile everywhere I go because nothing is quite good enough without it. And I love having a community of folks who feel the same. Thank you so much for coming along with us.

Another special thanks to Brian Buck for your endless support and creativity and for being the best travel, dining, and life partner I could possibly ask for. None of this would be the same without you.