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September 21, 2026

The Spicy Story Behind One of Denver's Most Famous Green Chiles

City Cast Denver

The Spicy Story Behind One of Denver's Most Famous Green Chiles

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Green chile is a staple of Colorado cuisine – both the pepper itself and the spicy, soupy stew used to smother everything from burritos and french fries to eggs and hamburgers. For decades, Denverites have been flocking to The Original Chubby’s Burger Drive In for their version of the versatile dish, and there is perhaps no version as hotly contested as Chubby’s. Our resident green chile correspondent (and current candidate for House District 5) Justine Sandoval sits down with host Bree Davies to regale her with the tale of how Chubby’s came to be and the Cordova family’s dramatic and spicy rise to the top.

We pulled some background information for this show from Adam Cayton-Holland’s 2007 Westword piece, “Smothered: The Saga of the Chubby's Empire,” (which includes a conversation with the late, great Stella Cordova herself!)

This episode first aired on October 5, 2022.

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