Tamale restaurants ready for Christmas rush
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EVANS, Colo. — When pastors José and Margaret Ornelas needed money to pay the bills at their church in Platteville, God sent them a recipe for tamales to sell. At least, that’s how their daughter Angel Figueroa tells the story.
Pretty soon, “The church became more known for the tamales than being a church,” said Figueroa, 50.
Thirty years later, the Figureroas are still selling tamales. The family opened its restaurant, Tamales From Heaven, located in a stripmall south of U.S. 34 in Evans, in 2009.
Although tamales date back to the native peoples of Mesoamerica, such as the Aztec, Maya, Mixtec, Olmec, Toltec and the Zapotec — some of which predate Christianity — tamales are a Christmas staple in households throughout North America.
On Christmas Eve, customers line up hours before Tamales From Heaven opens.
“It’s our Black Friday,” said co-owner Fernando Figueroa.
The Figueroas plan to sell roughly 36,000 tamales this December, three times more than a typical month.
“These days, nobody wants to make tamales anymore because it’s time consuming,” said Fernando Figueroa.
Because each step of the process — from simmering the pork, to shaping the masa and steaming the wrapped-bundles — takes time, tamale restaurants must begin planning for the Christmas rush weeks in advance.
A worker at Tamales From Heaven softens corn husks in water. Video: Cormac McCrimmon, Rocky Mountain PBS
Video: Cormac McCrimmon, Rocky Mountain PBS
Other tamale shops, like La Popular located in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood, are familiar with the December rush. Owner, Daniel Delatorre, 78, hopes to sell 24,000 tamales this month.
Delatorre’s parents bought the Five Points-based restaurant in 1961, but the business dates back to 1946.
Rising food costs, on items like corn and corn husks, have forced La Popular to increase the price of a dozen tamales from $16 last year to $23 this year.
“You can tell that there’s economic struggle. People used to come by every day, and now you only see them for special occasions,” said Delatorre.
Tamales From Heaven charges $19.50 for a dozen.
“Everyone who comes in says, ‘oh, these taste just like my mom's, or these taste just like my grandma's,’” said Angel Figueroa. “Just admit it, they're better than your grandma's.”
Type of story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.