Those scents, those sounds wafting across the state remind us that it’s ‘that season’ once again. And nowhere is this sensory combination greater than Pueblo, home of what residents there call the ‘best damn chili’ in the world. And beginning on Friday evening, September 20th, the 30th celebration of Pueblo’s ‘Chile and Frijole’ Festival begins.
Begun with a whimper and not a bang, this southern Colorado rite of the fall festival began as a way to bring people to Pueblo. Admittedly, said Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce Vice President Donielle Kitzman, it was a roll of the dice.
The chamber’s late President Rod Slyhoff and Pueblo city leader Dean Dennis came up with the idea. In 1994, the city, they thought, could use a shot in the arm. But how to do it was the question.
“The idea and intent,” Kitzman said, “was multi-faceted.” It was also, very generously, unconventional: brand Pueblo chili, one of the area’s best kept secrets, certainly best kept but not in Pueblo where local pallets celebrate their season.
For background, Pueblo chile is grown mostly in the rich soils of the St. Charles mesa, an area just south and east of the city. Early growers of the crop were almost exclusively Italian immigrants who initially came to Colorado to work in the coal mines that fueled the city’s steel mill ovens. Little did they suspect that their chile would one day be celebrated.
“Rod and other creators,” Kitzman said, “first had to convince the community and stakeholders” on the idea. It was going to take full support of everyone to launch this thoroughly wild idea. “The biggest sell was to get farmers to come downtown,” she said. It was more than a tough sell. Slyhoff, nonetheless, made his pitch, but only a single grower bit.
Kitzman, a volunteer at the first festival, said that grower, Ron Giodone, “brought one roaster and a pallet full of chile.” But his pallet emptied almost immediately, leaving just the scent of the roast. But the idea of ‘toasting the roasting,’ Kitzman said, suddenly didn’t seem so crazy after all.
What started out with a single block of historic Union Avenue reserved for the event has today morphed into a ten-block celebration. It’s also become more than a pleas- ant shock to the city’s economy.
Word of the festival, said Kitzman, brings out an estimated 150,000 for the weekend event. And celebrants come from across the state and beyond.
As the festival has grown, the roster of roasters has grown, as well. In fact, everything about the festival has become bigger than anyone could have imagined when the idea was hatched.
Vendors, music, a pre-festival concert are all now staples of the three-day event. It’s also evolved into as much as a $10 million economic shot in the arm for the region, said Kitzman.
While the festival and its namesake crop are celebrated, the farmers who grow the crop are also celebrating. While there are roasters stationed strategically on historic Union Avenue, the festival honoring the tangy fruit—and yes, chile is a fruit—is more the appetizer. The big payoff, says the Pueblo Chile Growers Association, is the bounty of customers who make the trek to the county where they produce the crop. Many of the growers also have small stores that sell ‘everything chile’ from jams and jellies to chile-infused breads.
While outside of Pueblo, chile may not carry the same cachet, the battle over who grows the best crop crosses state boundaries. Hatch chile, named for the New Mexico town of the same name and once the 800-pound gorilla of the vine, now annually engages in a spirited battle with Pueblo over whose peppers are the best. Even the governors of the respective states have gotten involved.
Chile, said Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham, is not just a crop but also a means by which to introduce people to a community locals know and love.
“I am excited to welcome this event,” said Graham. From its modest beginnings, she said, the festival “has become a premiere, flagship event of our community” that puts on display Pueblo,‘a “agriculture, heritage and tradition.”
This year’s chile crop, said Pueblo chile farmer Randy Musso, is grading out well. Pueblo’s summer temperatures, perhaps a bit uncomfortable for most people, have been the perfect elixir for the peppers. “We welcome the heat,” he said. Also, hail, the bane of chile growers, has been non-existent. All in all, it’s a banner year for what he calls ‘the best chile in the country.’
Bushel prices may vary. But expect to pay around $40 per bushel with a $5 premium for the roasting. One bushel, for most, not all, should take you through the winter. But just in case, growers suggest, it might be wise to pick up two.
