Time to get "Loco"

In my search to find something new and different in Tucson, I came across Old Town Artisans, located in El Presidio Historic District at 201 N. Court Ave. Inside the 150-year-old adobe building is a restaurant and six different shops and galleries: La Cocina Restaurant & Cantina, Old Town Pot Shop, Dawn Stewart, El Presidio Gallery, La Zia, Tolteca Tlacuilo and El Chile Loco.

I feel in love with El Chile Loco.

It is a small little corner shop, about as big as your average closet, but the vibrant colors and hanging Chiles catch your eye immediately. As I walked over to the store, I could smell the aroma of the Chiles. El Chile Loco is known for their hanging Chile reefs, or, Chile Ristras. The Chiles for these ristras are hand-picked by a family who then assembles them into a colorful bundle.

What are Chile Ristras you ask?

The tradition of hanging ristras started many years ago for the simple fact of preserving the Chile as a food item. People dried Chiles in order to save them after the growing season. Chile pods would be placed outside to sun-dry and then they would be stringed together (the Spanish word for “string” is ristra, hence the phrase, chile ristra). Sometimes people spray the bundle with varnish in order to preserve them longer, but untouched ristras can last up to two years and still be edible. Today, the ristras are used as home decorations.
For more information on Chile Ristras, go here!:
http://abqstyle.com/albuquerque_chile_ristras.htm

El Chile Loco also includes something else edible: award-winning salsas.


Salsa Timoteo comes straight from Glendale, Arizona where Timoteo, his wife and kids live. There, they produce salsas that have won over 33 awards and trophies.

They have won 24 trophies in the local Southwest Salsa Challenge, and at the National level, they have won trophies at the Fiery Food Challenge for Chile Pepper Magazine, The Scovie Awards in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Americas Best Food Show in Anaheim, California.


They produce 5 types of salsa including, “Not So Hot”, “Hot”, “Kinda Hot”, “Ultra Hot”, and “Salsa Verde”, as well as a taco sauce; each sell for $8.75 (except the Salsa Verde, for $8.95).


I suggest you grab a jar today because as El Chile Loco says, “we’ve tasted them all and if it’s not good, we don’t sell it!”

Make sure you also check out Chile Fest ’08, sponsored by El Chile Loco. This “Ristra Madness” will be held at the Old Town Artisans Courtyard from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., September 27th and 28th. There will be live music from Mexican harpist Francisco Gonzalez, food vendors including Real Tortilleria and Panaderia, salsa tastings including a brand new fruit salsa from Salsa Timoteo, fresh Hatch green chilies and Chile roasting.