Martinez, Ms. Martinez’s son and a fourth-generation manager with his brother Michael Martinez, said he feels as duty bound to safeguard his grandmother’s recipe, as he does Chope’s thick-battered chiles rellenos and sturdy enchiladas. “Do you know what sazón means?” Mr. Martinez said. “Sazón means, like, the culture, the tradition, and the style of cooking all come together and create the flavor. That’s kind of what it means; that’s why it tastes so good.”An El Paso native, the chef John Lewis grew up eating at Chope’s, a straight shot up Interstate 10, every other Saturday. “Chope’s version exactly translates to how it’s read: It’s chiles with cheese.” He has tinkered with the simple dish for years and now serves a version at his New Mexican restaurant, Rancho Lewis, in Charleston, S.C.

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