Weather not hot enough? Roasted Hatch chiles ratchet up temps in Newport Beach

As temperatures climbed higher and higher in Orange County over Labor Day weekend, Hatch chiles also brought the heat at a roasting event on Avocado Avenue.

Bristol Farms held a Hatch chile roasting event on Saturday as part of the grocers’ Hatch Chile Festival, which promotes the peppers themselves but also food products that incorporate them. The festival was held at all of Bristol Farms’ locations and began in mid-August.

Roasting events were held at other sites earlier this summer. The Newport Beach Bristol Farms began its chile roasting Saturday at 8 a.m. and continued until 2 p.m.

Tom Fraker, corporate executive chef for Melissa’s, roasts chiles at the Newport Beach Bristol Farms.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

The next roasting event will be held this Saturday at Bristol Farms’ location in Santa Monica.

Hatch chiles vary widely in terms of heat and flavor and are named for the area in which they are grown. Hatch, a town with a population of 1,700 in southern New Mexico, is the self-professed chile capital of the world.

Fresh Melissa’s Hatch chiles from New Mexico on display.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

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