How Massachusetts is becoming a pepper lover’s paradise
Massachusetts chefs and food makers are transforming locally grown and imported peppers into authentic Mexican, Korean and New England creations
In Massachusetts, peppers are taking center stage — from traditional Mexican mole to Korean gochujang and locally made hot sauces.
At Tu Y Yo in Somerville, manager Ricardo Alvarado and his father, chef Adolfo Alvarado, have been serving authentic southern Mexican cuisine for more than two decades. “You go to Mexico, there’s not one dish that doesn’t contain one kind of chili,” Ricardo Alvarado said. Their signature Oaxacan mole takes six hours to make, combining dried peppers, nuts, seeds and chocolate. “You can’t do the mole without them,” he said of their imported chiles: ancho, pasillo, mulato and chipotle.
Adolfo Alvarado grills and rehydrates the peppers in broth before adding cinnamon, raisins and plantains. The result? A sauce that is smoky, rich and deeply layered. “There are so many flavors colliding,” one diner said. “It’s a masterpiece.”
In Boston, Mary Rhei carries on her family tradition with Rhei-Maid, a Korean pepper-based product line inspired by her grandmother’s recipes. Her gochujang — made from rice, chili powder, soybeans and salt — ferments for six months. “The process creates a deep, bold umami blast,” she said.
In Lowell, Brian Ruhlmann, founder of Craic Sauce, crafts small-batch hot sauces using peppers sourced entirely from Massachusetts and New Hampshire farms. “People are surprised by how many peppers grow in New England,” he said. His team grows 15 varieties at Mill City Grows, a local food justice nonprofit.
“For us, peppers are a playground,” Ruhlmann said. “They’re full of color, flavor and heat — and that’s what keeps us going.”
