- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Denver and help keep the future of Westword free.
It's no secret that we Westworders are seriously obsessed with green chile, which is why we could barely contain our enthusiasm when word hit the pavement back in early March that the executive decision-makers who oversee important things at Qdoba Mexican Grill, a homegrown chain headquartered in Wheat Ridge, planned to use our fine state as a test market for its new vegetarian chile verde in all 66 Colorado Qdoba restaurant locations.
It sounded like a good idea at the time, and according to Ted Stoner (wonder what it was like growing up with that last name...), Qdoba's director of strategic product development, it was: "We traveled throughout Colorado and the Southwest researching different chili peppers and ingredients as well as the history and culture behind green chile recipes. Then we hunkered down in our kitchen and began creating and experimenting with our chile verde which we're proud to let Coloradans be the first to sample."
I'm just as consumed with being first (only-child syndrome) as I am with green chile, but in this case, I was clearly the last in line, because yesterday when I went to my neighborhood Qdoba to get my first taste of Stoner's "research," the dejected woman behind the counter just shook her head and said, "Sorry, it's already been discontinued."
Just like my favorite lipstick.
Keep Westword Free... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Denver with no paywalls.
