Chamber’s Chile in October Fest

Battlefield Berg Park is where a popular chile war won over tons of tasters in Farmington earlier this month. Presented by the Chamber of Commerce, Chile in October-fest is an annual fall challenge more than a decade old. This year filled with people giddy to be out satisfying their taste buds with bright bites of red and green hot chile. You're watching the Local News Network brought to you by Sunray Park and Casino and ACE Hardware of Farmington. I'm Wendy Graham Settle. Farmington's longtime rival Ignacio was represented by Farmers Fresh Market offering some of the best Colorado grown green Chile from Grand Junction.

My name is Amos but this Chile belongs to Carlos here. It's his recipe. Farmer's Fresh Market, we're in Ignacio. Carlos is from Delicias in Chihuahua.

Ignacio's most dangerous challenger may be 2019's winner Farmington native Deb Cutler. She gets her red chile from Chimayo Valley in Santa Fe County, New Mexico.

A little bit of heat on it, but it's not so much heat that you can't, that you can't enjoy it. You have to be able to taste the chile. And if it's too hot I don't think you can taste the chile. The really good flavorful chile that comes from the Chimayo Valley.

Chamber president Jaimie Church, said the event is a great community building event, a fun day to celebrate what New Mexico is famous for.

We have 17 chile cooks all competing for People's Choice and Judge's Choice and this is our amazing beer and wine garden. We have a huge turnout and it is a beautiful day. It's what we call Chamber of Commerce weather. It's perfect Farmington and this is one of our community's favorite events.

What separates the Farmington fire crew's chile from the rest? Crunchy chicharrones. Fried pieces of pork belly heaven sprinkled on top their red pork chile. They don't know it yet, but the guys from Local 2850 have won the Judge's Contest.

Today we're out here at the chile cook off and we're here with Farmington Professional Firefighters, Local 2850. We also work for the Farmington Fire Department and we're out here making some chile.

We found a couple of the judges of the chile contest, drinking wine in the shady beer garden.

Our winner happens to be a group of public servants.

So it's number 17, but that we happened to find out that that is the Farmington Fire Department. So they don't know yet, nobody else knows yet, but they knocked it out of the park.

Firehouse chile. I mean you can't argue with that, no.

Consider yourself a chile connoisseur? Sign up for next year's event at farmingtonnm.org/events. Thanks for watching this edition of the Local News Network. I'm Wendy Graham Settle.

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