April 22, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Annual Chile Roast Returns: Virginia Avenue Park Farmers Market’s Spices up September

By Sam Skopp

 

Each September, Virginia Avenue Park Farmers Market hosts a chile roast where delicious chiles are roasted on-site every Saturday. Kicking off Sept. 2, the event saw chiles sold in one pound bags of anaheim, poblano, jalapeno and yellow wax peppers.

Farmers Market Supervisor Laura Avery explained that the tradition was inspired by hatch chile roasting season, during which trucks of Hatch chiles are brought from the Hatch region of New Mexico to stores and sold a la carte or cooked into quesadillas.

“These are California chiles,” Avery said, explaining that all of the chiles sold at the farmers market are California varietals, grown locally at Tutti Fruitti Farms. “It’s the Hatch chile roast concept.”

For its first weekend, the staff at the farmers market roasted 180 pounds of chiles, and will likely roast even more in the coming weeks to meet increased demand. Roasting starts at 9 a.m. and lasts for about two hour.

New to this year’s chile roast is the addition of a quesadilla stand headed by Upper West executive chef Nick Shipp.

“Upper West is a restaurant that we work with here at the park,” said Avery. “They’re a Pico restaurant, so we’re working within the Pico business district.”

Shipp is from Texas, and serves each quesadilla with a side of his unique salsa recipe.

“Nick has been executive chef at Upper West for seven and a half years, and is a big friend of the market and friend of the city,” Avery said.

Both the chile stand and the chile quesadillas were popular with market shoppers on its first Saturday this year, with a constant stream of customers, many of whom were not previously familiar with the chile roast. Just halfway through the duration of the market, jalapenos were being sold in half-pound bags to keep up with high demand.

The roaster, after two hours of chile roasting
Photos: Sam Skopp
Farmers market staff helps two interested customers.

For more information on the Virginia Avenue Park Farmers Market, visit smgov.net/portals/farmersmarket.

Related Posts

Pepper Spray and Panic: LA Homeowners Targeted in Nighttime Burglaries

April 22, 2025

April 22, 2025

LAPD Hunts Suspects After One Resident Attacked in Beverly Grove Two separate home invasions late Friday night in Beverly Grove...

“We’re Better Than This”: Tour Business Owner Pleads for Protection After Third Burglary

April 21, 2025

April 21, 2025

Thieves hit Again, Stealing E-Bikes and Leaving a Wake of Damage in South La Cienega The frustrated owner of a...

Lawsuits Allege Insurance Giants Conspired to Undercut California Fire Victims

April 21, 2025

April 21, 2025

Two Lawsuits Accuse Top Carriers of Price-Fixing and Violating Antitrust Laws Attorneys representing homeowners impacted by California’s January wildfires have...

Cali Camp Welcomes Los Angeles Campers

April 21, 2025

April 21, 2025

By Susan Payne Roam streams, meadows and oak trees in the heart of rock-lined Topanga Canyon this summer at Cali...

Culver City Closes Streets for Earth Day to Encourage Green School Commutes

April 21, 2025

April 21, 2025

Pedal, Walk, or Roll: Culver City Schools Go Car-Free for Earth Day Culver City is taking its Earth Day celebration...

Mayor Karen Bass’ Budget Plan Proposes 1,647 Layoffs Amid $300M Liability Surge

April 21, 2025

April 21, 2025

Civilian LAPD Staff, Transportation, and Sanitation Departments Among Hardest Hit Mayor Karen Bass’ proposed city budget for the upcoming fiscal...

Santa Monica PD Makes Arrest in Ocean Front Walk Stabbing; Second Suspect Sought

April 21, 2025

April 21, 2025

Late-Night Stabbing in Santa Monica Prompts Manhunt After a shocking incident of violence in Santa Monica, a man has been...

ALPR Alerts Lead Culver City Police to Two Stolen Vehicles in Two Hours

April 21, 2025

April 21, 2025

Rapid-Response Tech Aids in Back-To-Back Arrests on Sepulveda Culver City police officers recovered two stolen vehicles within a two-hour period...

Registration is Open for Harvard-Westlake Summer Programs

April 21, 2025

April 21, 2025

By Susan Payne Summer programs at Harvard-Westlake are open for registration.  Participants can experience renowned programs in academics, visual arts,...

Los Angeles City Attorney Sues Over Illegal Rentals, Wildfire Price Gouging

April 20, 2025

April 20, 2025

City Attorney Seeks Permanent Ban and Millions in Penalties for Operators City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto has filed a civil...

Culver City Moves the Needle on Housing and Growth in Monthly Pipeline Update

April 20, 2025

April 20, 2025

Monthly Development Report Shows Increase in Affordable Housing Culver City officials have released the latest updates to their Residential and...

Multi-Concept Asian Restaurant Coming to Prime Sunset Strip Corner

April 20, 2025

April 20, 2025

Round 1 Delicious Inks Lease for Asian Dining Concept in WeHo West Hollywood will be the location for a high-end...

Hollywood Legend Raquel Welch’s Former Home Changes Hands in Beverly Glen

April 20, 2025

April 20, 2025

The Late Actress’s Longtime Residence Sold for $3.1 Million More than two years after Raquel Welch’s passing, the late actress’s...

Heads-Up, Westside: Downtown Santa Monica Traffic to Increase with Pali High Move

April 20, 2025

April 20, 2025

Santa Monica Braces for School Traffic Surge Following Wildfire Displacement Drivers throughout Westside communities, from Brentwood to Pacific Palisades, should...

Rents Stay Stable, but Economic Shifts Threaten the Balance

April 20, 2025

April 20, 2025

Tariffs and Tight Supply Could End Flat Rent Streak After more than a year of minimal fluctuation, asking rents, or...