Fry Bread

Fry Bread has been a staple at the Indian Market since its inception in 1977 and is one of the reasons Market goers look forward to the event. For the third year now volunteers from the American Indian Church are cooking the batches of Indian fry bread as part of a fundraising project for the church. It has served the community of San Carlos for over 40 years and is a bilingual Apache Indian Church. Although its leaders and congregation are mostly from the San Carlos Apache Indian Tribe, the church as had Hopi, Navajo, Mexican, Anglo and Philipino as active church members. The work of these volunteers has enabled the Church to purchase a needed Van. This is a case of two non-profit groups being helped by one event. Be sure and taste some plain Fry Bread, Fry Bread with Beans or an Indian Taco. You won’t be disappointed.

Ma Bender's Chili

Ma Bender's Chili is a 25+ Year Tradition with 2,000 Bowls of Home-Made Chili Served Every December! In 1976, Dorothy Bender chopped fresh chilis, tomatoes and onions when she made her original batch of chili for the first Pueblo Grande Indian Market. The spicy southwestern dish was so popular, it quickly sold out and Mrs. Bender's chili has been a staple of every Market ever since. Members of the Arizona Archaeological Society of which Mrs. Bender was a member run the Chili Booth. According to Gary Yancy, Chairman of the Chili Booth Committee, the chili has been called "Ma Bender's Chili" for as long as he can remember. "The original batches of chili were made with fresh vegetables, " explains Yancy. "At that time, the Indian Market was small and there was time to prepare the dish using all freshly grown produce. Today, because of the large volume of sales, we use fresh chopped onions and fresh meat along with powdered chili, chili flakes and cumin." "All of the ingredients are prepared and cooked on the spot at the Market in small, four gallon batches to keep the flavor just like Ma Bender would have made. We cook between 40 and 50 batches (each batch makes 40 servings) during the Indian Market weekend depending upon attendance and the weather. And, we'll give out the recipe to anyone who asks." The AZ Archaeological Society owns all of the cooking equipment used to make the chili. The stoves have been handmade by Society members from old home gas furnace burners and 55-gallon drums. There are 35 Society volunteers who set-up, cook and serve the chili each year; their only required compensation is a bowl of chili. "Ma Bender's chili is famous and a real draw for the Indian Market," says Yancy. "We know of people who came to market just to buy a bowl of chili."