Green Chile Love brings New Mexico heat to Phoenix

Phoenix is heating up — literally. Every year, from late July to early October, the Southwest gets a fiery kick in the taste buds with the arrival of Hatch chile season.

Hatch chiles are named after the region where they grow, New Mexico’s Hatch Valley. And when it comes to Hatch chiles, there’s a precedent in the pepper community: if they’re not grown in Hatch, they’re not the real deal. The small village has just the right growing conditions and nutrient-dense soil, two factors that make the region a hotbed for the hot peppers.

Although the long green chiles are almost visibly indistinguishable from Anaheim and California peppers, an obvious difference is their heat — Hatch chiles are way, way hotter. Anaheim chiles clock a Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) score between 500 and 2,500 SHU. The spicer Hatch chiles range from 1,000 to 8,000 SHU.

Hungry for a taste of Hatch? You don’t have to go far, chile fans. Green Chile Love is cooking up a taste of the infamous New Mexican chile, with a Colorado twist, right here in Phoenix.

Home is where the green chile is

“Green chili was a staple around our house,” says Green Chile Love owner and chef, Dave Castaneda. “We would have it with every meal, it was just something that we always made.”

Castaneda moved from Colorado to Arizona in 1989. Hungry for a taste of home, Castaneda found himself scouring Phoenix for authentic stewed green chili made with peppers from Hatch.

“It was impossible to find dishes like we make back at home,” he says.

For Castaneda, there was only one thing to do: start making his own. He shared his food with his friends and family and took his green chili to football tailgates. Then, Castaneda had a eureka moment.

“I should probably start looking deeper at this,” Castaneda recalls.

That led to a business launch and in 2018, Castaneda debuted the Green Chile Love food truck in Phoenix.

“I felt a food truck would be the best way to take it out to the people,” Castaneda says.

A few years later, Castaneda was at a crossroads. After 22 years in the corporate world, he left his career to focus entirely on Green Chile Love. The decision followed the passing of his father in 2022 and Castaneda framed the career shift as a tribute to his dad.

Burritos, burgers, bowls and biscochitos

When it comes to how to make green chili, New Mexico and Colorado are locked in a fiery rivalry. But from the perspective of an Arizonan, both are delicious in their own right.

So, what’s the big difference, anyway? Colorado’s green chili is a comforting, thick stew that’s usually flecked with hunks of pork. New Mexico’s green chili is more sauce-like and it has a distinct smoky flavor that's much spicier than its northern cousin.

Here in Phoenix, the Green Chile Love menu draws on influences from each style.

“It’s all family recipes,” he says.

Before the roasting and cooking begins, Castaneda sources chiles directly from a farm in Hatch. Each season, he makes the trip to New Mexico to pick up the fresh peppers.

To make his stewy green chili, Castaneda combines a medley of green chiles, pork, garlic and a roux. His green chili finds its way onto almost every dish on the menu.

Castaneda’s favorite dish, and one of Green Chile Love’s best-sellers, is the Mexican Hamburger. He likens the dish to a giant Crunchwrap Supreme. The hefty handheld snack features two smash burger patties, pinto beans, pork green chili and cheese all wrapped in a flour tortilla. For even more chili, opt to have it smothered.
Additional smotherable items include Green Chile Love’s lineup of burritos, which include pork, steak and chicken varieties. There’s also a veg-friendly option available without the pork. Castaneda suggests adding red salsa to up the spice factor.

Another crowd favorite is the Green Chile Double Smash Burger, which boasts two flat top-grilled patties topped with green chiles and cheese. It’s served on a traditional bun with lettuce and tomato on the side. Other menu standouts include a trio of bowls served with potatoes or Spanish rice, queso-topped nachos, quesadillas and breakfast eats like huevos rancheros.

In addition to serving up green chile-centric dishes from the window of his food truck, Castaneda is also bottling a line of hot sauces under the Green Chile Love name. Hot sauce fanatics can pick up the sauces from the truck and at locations around the Valley including Von Hanson’s Meat & Spirits in Chandler and Our Community Kitchen, a commercial kitchen with a shoppable retail marketplace, in Tempe.

Ultimately, Green Chile Love pays homage to Castaneda's entire family and honors his late mother by offering her biscochitos — a sugary cookie popular in New Mexico and Colorado — on the truck during the fall season.

More to (Green Chile) Love

With Hatch season underway, Castaneda is sharing his green chili with the masses.

On Sept. 7, Castaneda will host the Arizona Chile Festival at Mountain Park Church in Ahwatukee. The event benefits Hope for the Homeless, a faith-based Arizona charity organization that provides basic necessities, counseling and resources to those experiencing homelessness.

The festival is set to feature green chile roasting across two roasters, local food trucks, a vendor marketplace, kid-friendly activities, a Chihuahua fashion show and performances from mariachi ensembles.

Castaneda says he will roast 4,000 pounds of green chile for the event and is currently accepting pre-orders for hot sauces and bags of roasted chiles ahead of the big event.

Bring your appetite for all things spicy or snag a lemonade from one of the festival vendors to wash down that green chile heat.

Arizona Chile Festival

Sept. 7
16461 S. 48th St.