Patty Aragon Green Chile Classic

“My mother made the best green chile, hands down,” explains Jacque Aragon, who has organized the cook-off for the last sixteen years. “I’m proud to carry on the family tradition and love seeing other people excited about making and eating green chile.”

Roughly 50 amateur and professional entrants compete each year in the cook-off. Some cooks get creative; others go classic. Without their generous contributions of time, effort, and ingredients, this community event would not be possible. The entry fee and form are due prior to Saturday, along with $15. Cooks must show up with their crockpots and ingredient lists between 9:45 and 10:30 a.m. to start the official judging on time.

Three judges volunteer for the difficult and filling job of choosing their favorite chiles. Each judge tastes all chiles present and rates them on a scale from 1-10, and takes notes if the scores are close. Then the scores are added up and monies are awarded to first, second, and third places in the meat and vegetarian categories. Once the judges are finished, the tasting is opened up to the public, who has created a formidable queue by this time. Each person who participates in the tasting and pays $15 is entitled to ten tastes and a vote for the People’s Choice Award, which is the most votes overall at the end when the chile has been consumed.

Some people prefer scorching hot chile, and others like it mild; some cooks use chicken, and others use pork or no meat. No matter how you make your green chile, you’ll have a chance to show your stuff in September and possibly win some cash, a trophy, and the undying admiration of local green chile aficionados.

More information and complete rules will be available within the next month, but for now – save the date!