Jeff Witte, right, secretary of the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, greets a Harris Teeter customer who purchased New Mexico green chile in 2023. (Courtesy)
Source: NMSU News Release
DATE: July 18, 2024
WRITER: Carlos Andres López, 575-646-1955, carlopez@nmsu.edu
Thanks to a team effort led by alumni from New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, green chile lovers based near the nation’s capital will soon be able to get their chile fix.
For the second consecutive year, the Sam Steel Council will trek more than 2,000 miles from Las Cruces to the Washington, D.C., area to bring hundreds of pounds of fresh, authentic Hatch-grown green chile to Aggies who once called New Mexico home.
From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, members of the council, along with staff from the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, College of ACES and NMSU Foundation, will roast and sell the chile by 23-pound boxes at the Harris Teeter grocery store, 4641 Duke St., in Alexandria, Virginia, a few miles outside Washington, D.C.
“There’s a lot of love for New Mexico chile,” NMDA Secretary Jeff Witte said, “and this event is all about reconnecting with former New Mexicans and bringing them the taste – and aroma – of New Mexico’s signature crop.”
Previously, the NMSU Alumni Association orchestrated an annual chile-roasting event in the D.C. area from 2014 to 2019. However, the COVID-19 pandemic halted such events from 2020 to 2022. And it wasn’t until last year that the Sam Steel Council brought back the tradition – to much fanfare. That year, the council sold 53 boxes, or slightly more than 1,200 pounds of roasted chile.
“It was so wonderful to be able to connect ‘misplaced New Mexicans’ who live in the D.C. area with a piece of genuine New Mexico culture, freshly roasted green chile,” said Jennifer Ryder Fox, president of the Sam Steel Council. “Not only did they get to take about 23 pounds of green chile home, but as they waited for their chile to roast, they got to experience that aroma that is truly unique to New Mexico. Last years’ experience was so fulfilling that it makes looking forward to this year’s event even more special.”
Ryder Fox said this year’s event promises to be a fun-filled weekend of reconnecting with old friends, meeting new ones and introducing New Mexico chile to novices.
The Sam Steel Council is currently taking chile orders for the event online. So far, the council has sold more than 25 boxes. The chile, sold in either hot or mild and supplied by Melissa’s Produce, is currently $70 per box. The price will increase to $75 starting Aug. 1. Most of the proceeds from chile sales will fund scholarships for students in the College of ACES, Ryder Fox said.
“We encourage everyone to purchase online versus at the store,” she added, “but naturally with the smell of the roasting green chile, some folks are delighted to have the opportunity to purchase chile right there on the spot.”
Witte, who often travels the world to promote New Mexico’s agriculture and agricultural products, said outreach efforts like the D.C. chile event are essential for the state’s bottom line.
“Anytime you send products out of state, you’re creating new markets and new opportunities to help grow the local market here at home,” he said. “When we send our chile products to other states, we’re sending them at a higher premium price – and that gives farmers a higher return, bringing in fresh money from outside communities.”
During last year’s event, Witte recalled people coming up to him with tears in their eyes – not because of the chile’s heat profile but because of their appreciation.
“If you’ve ever lived here, and then you move away, you miss New Mexico, and you miss its cuisine, especially chile, and we take that to D.C. for these folks,” he said.
The day before the event, the NMSU Alumni Association will host a mixer for all D.C.-area Aggies and friends. The get-together will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16, at Proper 21 K Street, 2033 K St. NW, in Washington, D.C.
The Alumni Association will provide appetizers, and Aggies may purchase drinks. Register here to attend. Leaders from the association and representatives from the College of ACES plan to discuss Homecoming, Ag Day and other events at NMSU this fall.
For inquiries about the chile-roasting event, email the Sam Steel Council at samsteelsociety@gmail.com.
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