Our Story

Many in my family remember being in our grandparents’ and great grandparents’ cocinas…watching them make meals and treats that have sent us on searches for the recipes and special ingredients long after our ancestors were gone.  Fortunately, a lot of the recipes were passed down to generations eager to learn. My company has taken green chile sauces, red chile sauces, and salsas, mixed in a few ideas from the past, and added our own styles and twists. We’re sharing our New Mexico products influenced by ancestors. From Picuris, Jemez, and San Felipe Pueblos to ancestors from the East who settled in Madrid, Cerrillos, Galisteo, and Puerto De Luna, a small farming community on the Pecos River. In fact, it was my great-great abuelo who served Billy-the-Kid his last Christmas dinner before the Kid was killed in Ft. Sumner, NM!   

After moving to Washington state in 1984 I soon began to miss the food, music, and culture that I grew up with in Albuquerque. I had no idea that the dishes I watched my mother and grandmother make were from recipes etched in their minds and hearts. And the ingredients were not readily available outside of New Mexico. Mexican restaurants didn’t fit the bill…no red or green chile or sopaipillas. I couldn’t even find New Mexico chile in grocery stores!

Homesick for the flavors and aroma of chile over flames, I sought to satisfy my chile craving by making my annual trek to New Mexico during harvest. I packed up green chile, red chile and my mother’s handwritten recipes and headed back home to Washington. The wafts of smoke from green chile peppers being roasted is addicting…when I smell it, I know autumn is approaching in New Mexico.

My sister, who was also in Washington, and I were missing New Mexico. She and I and our families began sharing our cooking with friends and New Mexico transplants we’d meet. We also shared the traditions of tamale-making and of lining our driveways with luminarias at Christmastime. It wasn’t long before we began renting a large grange hall to accommodate the gathering…so fun and festive! And it felt like home when we were all coming together over tamales, tortillas, pinto beans and Biscochitos!

Being away from my childhood home made me realize New Mexico cuisine is like none other in the world. The Travel Channel said it best, “New Mexico is the Land of Enchantment, and that applies to its unique food too. From fiery to sweet, New Mexico’s mix of cultures and tastes makes the nation’s 47^th state a must-visit culinary destination.”

When I moved back to New Mexico in 1996, I had a strong desire to make foods I had missed so much as an “ex-pat.” I wanted to make them available to others not only in New Mexico but also in other parts of the world. With the support of my husband, Greg, I started Apple Canyon Gourmet, which manufactures the brands Santa Fe Seasons, Holy Chipotle, Santa Fe Mixes, and now packs Santa Fe Gourmet Coffee.

Thanks to New Mexico’s Department of Agriculture Marketing & Development team chile grown in Hatch, New Mexico is trending and the list of products with green chile continues to grow around the country and around the world. Now when I go to a grocery store in another state, New Mexico food products are a given on the shelves. With good reason, the list of individuals developing their recipes into marketable food products grows weekly.

I hope that the sauces, salsas, and mixes you find and buy on this site help you imagine being in this enchanting state, enjoying the flavors that are uniquely New Mexican. If you are one of the many loyal customers that have been buying brands like Santa Fe Seasons, which first hit the market in 1987, we owe you a debt of gratitude. If you are new to our online shop, we hope you find what you are looking for and appreciate your patronage.

When you’re enjoying our products, you’re experiencing nuestra historia familiar. I guarantee they are authentic, traditional, and lovingly made in New Mexico!