Vermont's Independent Voice
Browse News
Browse Arts + Life
Browse Food + Drink
Browse Cannabis
Browse Music
Browse On Screen
Browse Events
Browse Classifieds
Browse Personals
Published August 29, 2007 at 4:00 a.m.
Last week, a few passersby noticed flames shooting out in front of Roque's. But the Mexican restaurant wasn't on fire. Owner Jim Wood was roasting a few green chiles — 1600 pounds of 'em, to be precise, over gas flames.
The hot stuff was transported from New Mexico to Vermont in 40-pound burlap sacks. Once the skins blister and char, after about six to seven minutes in the roaster, the peppers are handed off to Jim's wife and Roque's co-owner, Jeanette. She and a staffer remove the peel and seeds and prepare the chiles to be frozen. It'll be enough to make their special green chile sauce for a full year.
In New Mexico, Wood explains, you can get green chiles on almost anything, including McDonald's burgers. With a few days of roasting under his belt and a few more to go, Wood claims that he's "not sick of 'em yet."
More By This Author
About The Author
Suzanne Podhaizer
Bio:
Former contributor Suzanne Podhaizer is an award-winning food writer (and the first Seven Days food editor) as well as a chef, farmer, and food-systems consultant. She has given talks at the Stone Barns Center for Agriculture's "Poultry School" and its flagship "Young Farmers' Conference." She can slaughter a goose, butcher a pig, make ramen from scratch, and cook a scallop perfectly.
Former contributor Suzanne Podhaizer is an award-winning food writer (and the first Seven Days food editor) as well as a chef, farmer, and food-systems consultant. She has given talks at the Stone Barns Center for Agriculture's "Poultry School" and its flagship "Young Farmers' Conference." She can slaughter a goose, butcher a pig, make ramen from scratch, and cook a scallop perfectly.
Speaking of Food, side Dishes
-
Video: Saying Goodbye to Burlington’s Penny Cluse Café
Nov 17, 2022 -
Video: Meet Four Generations of the Allen Family at Allenholm Farm in South Hero
Oct 20, 2022 -
Video: Bob Maritano Has Volunteered in Chittenden County for 35 Years
Nov 18, 2021 -
Texas Company Buys Gluten-Free Brattleboro Biz Against the Grain
Sep 24, 2021 -
Video: Kitty Korner Café in Barre Finds Furever Homes for Felines
Mar 25, 2021 - More »
Comments
Comments are closed.
From 2014-2020, Seven Days allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we've appreciated the suggestions and insights, right now Seven Days is prioritizing our core mission — producing high-quality, responsible local journalism — over moderating online debates between readers.
To criticize, correct or praise our reporting, please send us a letter to the editor or send us a tip. We’ll check it out and report the results.
Online comments may return when we have better tech tools for managing them. Thanks for reading.
