5,000 years before Christ, Mesoamerican tribes began cultivating chili peppers, using

them for food, medicine, religious rituals, and even chemical warfare.

Smoking was later employed as a preservation method, and the distinctively flavored smoked

chilies became a staple of Latin cuisine.

Fast forward to 1993 AD, when a culinary school graduate and line cook named Steve L's

open a takaria not far from the University of Denver, giving it the same name as the smoke-dried

jalapeno pioneered by the Aztecs.

Customers responded to the freshness of the ingredients and the ability to customize

its hulking burritos and carb-conscious bowls.

By 2014, the single location had become 1700 company-owned restaurants across North America

and Europe.

This week on Doe Boys, guacamole is extra, because we're talking Chipotle.

Welcome to Doe Boys, the podcast about chain restaurants.

I'm Nick Weiger alongside Mike Mitchell.

Mitch, how are you this week?

Uh, that's actually spoon, man.

Oh, spoon, sorry, spoon, man.

Yes, we established this in the last podcast.

Your new nickname is spoon, man.

That's right, little wags.

I'm doing all right.

Dude, I am not little wags.

...