Our story · Since 1948
Found in a ghost town. Saved by its customers.
Three families, one recipe and more than 75 years of Colorado chili. This is how a little seasoning mix from Denver became a family tradition across the state — and why it's still here.
A cookie salesman's chili mix
In Denver, Earl Cottrell — a cookie salesman turned food entrepreneur — introduced the first batch of Señor Gordon's Chili Mix Seasoning. His blend of spices became the backbone of the most flavorful chili folks had ever tasted, and before long Colorado cooks were using it in enchiladas, tamales, tacos and fajitas too.
Discovered in Tin Cup
On a family vacation in the Rockies, Helen Huitt found Señor Gordon's at the general store in Tin Cup, a historic gold-mining town. She fell for the flavor — and, always an entrepreneur, persuaded Earl Cottrell to sell her the company.
For the next 43 years, Helen, her husband J, their son Glen and the whole Huitt family blended and packed it by hand in small batches, as Coloradans came to love this local seasoning.
Saved by its customers
After four decades, Glen Huitt decided to close the business, and Señor Gordon's was dropped from King Soopers shelves. That might have been the end of it.
Instead, the letters came. Handwritten notes from families who couldn't make their Christmas Eve enchiladas, their tamales or their chili without it. Customers asked at the store, again and again — until the buyer put Señor Gordon's back on the shelf.
“No other seasoning compares to Señor Gordon's.” — From a customer letter
Same recipe. Same family feel.
The Huitt family entrusted Chip Raches to carry on the legacy the Cottrell and Huitt families built. Chip and his team still make Señor Gordon's in Colorado using the original 1948 recipe — now in a new package, with the same flavor inside. Along the way we've sponsored the Denver Firefighters Chili Cook-Off, benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and Evergreen's Big Chili Cook-Off.
“Great food creates a wonderful connection for family and friends, and we are beyond grateful to have so many truly amazing customers who make Señor Gordon's part of their most special family recipes and traditions.” — Chip Raches, owner
What hasn't changed since 1948
- The original recipe
- Made in Colorado
- Gluten free · No MSG
- No preservatives
- No artificial colors or flavors
Got a Señor Gordon's story?
A cook-off win, a holiday tradition, a recipe from your grandmother — the letters are how we got here. We'd love to read yours.