Mild Habanero
In 2011, Lane Selman launched the Culinary Breeding Network with a simple but radical idea: invite chefs into the plant-breeding process early to help shape crops with their culinary input.
The first experiment grew out of a collaboration with Oregon State University vegetable breeder Jim Myers, who was working on a mild habanero pepper breeding project. Jim had a strong vision for the horticultural fundamentals—vigorous plants, early maturity, and good plant architecture and leaf canopy—but he wanted expert guidance on culinary and market-driven traits like fruit shape and size, color, aroma, heat level, and, most importantly, flavor.
Lane convened a “culinary council” of 25 chefs, bringing them together to taste, evaluate, and discuss the experimental pepper selections. Chefs sliced, cooked, sniffed, and openly offered their feedback. Their collective insight helped identify which peppers delivered the signature habanero aroma and complexity without overwhelming heat, while still performing well for farmers.
That collaborative tasting and selection process directly informed the release of two new commercial varieties:
‘Notta Hotta’ – a fragrant, fruity habanero with extremely mild heat
‘Mild Thing’ – similarly aromatic, versatile, and approachable for a wide range of cuisines
Both varieties can now be grown and used by farmers, chefs, and home gardeners, and they stand as proof of what participatory, culinary-driven breeding can achieve when breeders and cooks work side by side.
Today, ‘Notta Hotta’ and ‘Mild Thing’ are available from Territorial Seed Company, continuing the legacy of the Mild Habanero project and the founding moment of the Culinary Breeding Network.
