During chile season, most like it hot

For the scent of a New Mexico culinary tradition, get a whiff of the words of a customer at Nellie's, a Las Cruces restaurant with green chile on the menu year round, though never as fresh as during the annual roadside chile pepper roasting.

"You know what it smells like, it reminds me of back home in Michigan, when my father used to burn the leaves," the woman said. "That's the smell that permeates the whole valley in late summer."

Nellie's promises "chile with an attitude," and it has a tough crowd to please. Said the woman: "If your eyes and nose don't run, you haven't had your chile fix."

TOM HAINES