Anita Edge was about 50 when she first learned about Denver's obsession with green chiles. She'd lived in the metro for a few years, and she quickly got up to speed.
"I drove down Federal, bought some chiles, was very happy with them," she remembered. "The next year, I went back to the exact same place: empty parking lot."
A chile-shaped lightbulb appeared over her head.
"So I thought, I want to know exactly where I can go to get chiles. I thought, if I want to know this, other people do too," she said. "The idea was just: I'm going to slap a website up, and it'll be a reference where people can find out, 'Where do you go buy great chiles?'"
Thus was born DenverGreenChili.com, a directory of roadside sellers and a celebration of cuisine with a kick. Edge has maintained the site for 20 years, driving around the city each year to catalog addresses, prices and varieties for anyone on the hunt.
The guide has remained relevant, especially since COVID, she said. A lot of operations closed or moved during those lockdown days. Since a lot of roasters don't pick up their phones, some gumshoeing is in order to find out what's available.
"Probably this weekend, I'll do a whole bunch of driving around," she told us last week.
We met Edge on Oct. 2 at the Morales Family Chile Store at 52nd Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard — a multi-generational roaster and one of her favorites — for a quick guide to the season.
But first: Is it chile or chili?
This has been a bone of contention in the pedantic world of journalism, so much so that the Associated Press specifically called it out.
"It's 'chile' and 'chiles' for any of a variety of spicy peppers or the sauces or gravies derived from them," the AP tweeted in 2018. "The meat- and/or bean-based dish is 'chili.'"
Merriam-Webster went deep on the history, and found this is actually way more complicated and interesting, with origins in the Aztec language Nahuatl. Edge confirmed most people around here use the "chile" spelling for the produce, but she said local vendors use both spellings.
DenverGreenChili.com uses the "i," but typing an "e" instead will still take you to Edge's site.
"Actually, I have both domain names," she told us.
How to chile, according to Edge:
You could start at her website, or you could just do what she did 20 years ago: Drive Federal and Sheridan boulevards until you see a tent, a sign and, maybe, some flames.
Roasters have spread out over the years, Edge said, though the city's west side is still a hot spot.
Next, select your variety. It's not as simple as Hatch vs. Pueblo, the sort-of rivalry between New Mexico and Colorado. You can get Anaheim peppers grown in both states, for example, and sellers may have different heat levels across the same varieties.
When selecting, prioritize your heat tolerance, Edge said. You might ask vendors for help.
"I like some spicy dishes, but not generally knock-your-socks off spicy," she said.
Edge likes Big Jims, which are flavorful and not too hot, and Sandias for when she wants more of a kick. She likes poblanos for stuffing. She generally stays away from the Dynamites — those, she said, are dangerously spicy.
Next comes roasting, which is good for flavor but also more practically about stripping thick outer skins from these fruits (that's right, they're fruits) before they get to a kitchen.
Edge has a roaster at home, but she usually lets vendors do that part.
"They do a great job," she said, "and propane costs money!"
Vendors then stuff freshly roasted chiles into special plastic bags that don't melt in the heat. They seal the bags to let the peppers steam; Edge said you should keep the bag sealed for at least an hour after purchase.
Once the steaming has concluded, you can strip off the rest of that outer skin and get cooking, or toss your charred chiles into a freezer for the winter. Some people like to keep the skins on frozen chiles as a "flavor saver." Edge doesn't like to put off the peeling — she doesn't want any delays when the time to thaw out arrives.
For Edge, the website is a labor of love.
It's been a couple decades since Denver chiles first entered her life. She's amassed dozens of recipes over those years, and her friends and family have come to expect something spicy from her when they get together.
Though DenverGreenChili.com has brought in some money over the years, it was never really meant to be a business. Instead, it was the thrill of the chile hunt, and the joy of getting to know people, that's kept her dedicated to this project for so long.
"I'm also — it's a part of the community," she told us. "These are my friends."
Editor's note: If you're interested in a bit of chile history, check out Elizabeth Hernandez's recent story in The Denver Post. And if you have spicy takes and tips, send them to [email protected].
