chili queen

plural chili queens

1. UShistoricalA member of a group of women who sold chili con carne as street food in San Antonio, Texas.First known use 19th c.

   Chili con carne was introduced to America by the "Chili Queens," women who served food in San Antonio's Military Plaza as early as the 1860s.

   2008, Robb Walsh, “History of Texas Chili—Without Beans”, in HoustonPress

   2 more examples

   We asked him what came to mind when we said "hidden kitchen." The chili queens of San Antonio was his response. The saga of the chili queens goes back nearly 200 years. Some kitchens are hidden by place, some by time.

   2004, “The Chili Queens of San Antonio”, in NPR

   A former Chili Queen could even nab a job working on the line at the Gebhardt packing plant, making canned chilies and tamales. Less glamorous than being a Chili Queen, perhaps—but the work was reliable and profitable.

   2016, Sarah Lohman, Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine, page 72