Cheese & Jalapeno tamales with red and green sauces, a staple at Juan More Tamale.
The time to order tamales for Christmas festivities is now. Don’t wait. There’s nothing like a hand-made tamale to satisfy hungry souls. A simple cornhusk, spread with fresh masa, topped with fillings savory or sweet is rolled and folded, sometimes tied. The tamales stand upright like soldiers in a big steamer and take the heat as they cook to doneness.
There’s a ritual to eating a tamale. Every step reminds you this food was made by hand, with craft and care. It begins as you unwrap its steam-softened husk, like a present. Notice how the covering etches fine lines into its layer of masa. Scrape a thin bit from the outer edge, let the masa melt on your tongue and taste the sweetness of the corn. When the husk is fully unfurled, slide the tamale off the husk onto the plate.
Top with salsa or sauce if desired. Cut a small bit with a fork and savor the mix of fillings, of meats, veggies, cheeses or fruits, even chocolate. The complexity of flavors and the contrast of textures, the density or the lightness of the masa – each tamale reveals the hand of the maker.
Here are six places to find tamales for your holiday table:
St. Cecilia Parish, south St. Louis City
5418 Louisiana Avenue; 63111; 314-351-1318, ext. 254 for tamales; website, Facebook
Several times a year, members of St. Cecilia Parish in south St. Louis gather to participate in a huge tamalada, a tamal-making party. The labor-intensive process requires many hands to make hundreds of dozens of tamales. Funds raised from the sales of tamales support the services at the parish, which primarily serves Hispanics within the Archdiocese of Saint Louis.
“In December, we time the sale to coincide with the celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which takes place at our church on December 12th,” Parish Business Manager Heather Sieve says. “They freeze quite well and are a popular item at Christmas time.”
“We sell the tamales by the dozen, either red sauce with pork filling or green sauce with chicken filling. Both are somewhat spicy. Orders must be placed by end of business on December 7th for pick-up at the parish hall from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, December 11th,” Sieve says.
St. Cecilia Catholic Church, a parish where mass is often said in Spanish, is an anchor in the St. Louis Mexican-American community.
To place an order, send an email to heather@stceciliaparishstl.org or call the parish at 314-351-1318 and press 4 when prompted. Order tamales in quantities of full dozens of red or green. Once you’ve placed an order, you’ll receive notices via email of upcoming tamale sales.
The Tamale Factory
Saturdays at Soulard Farmers Market and orders through website, Facebook
Eric Herrera began selling his hand-made artisan tamales at Soulard Farmers Market just six months ago, but he developed a loyal following so quickly he often sells out by 2 or 3 in the afternoon.
The business is truly a family affair. Three of his children work the booth with him, his wife Esther does whatever needs doing, and her daughter assists with marketing and sales.
“People say our tamales taste really authentic, like those they’ve had in Mexico or California,” he says. “Our masa is light and fluffy. We hand-select the seasonings, in the right amounts, to flavor the filling. We use a generous amount of beef, pork or chicken in each tamale, so they’re bigger than most. Vegan and vegetarian tamales are also available.
“Our recipes are simple and flavorful, but it is our process that makes the difference,” he says. “We don’t cut corners. We spend hours working the dough and assembling the tamales,” Herrera says.
In addition to sales at Soulard Market, Herrera takes orders online through The Tamale Factory website. The company offers delivery for an additional charge or customers may pick up orders at the market. A hint: don’t miss the Dessert Tamale selections on the menu.
Eric Herrera of The Tamale Factory sells fresh tamales each Saturday at Soulard Market. Tamales are available to eat on site or may be purchased by the dozen.
The Tamale Man
Schlafly Winter Market and Tower Grove Farmers Market; also takes orders through Facebook
The Tamale Man, aka Doug Marshall, doesn’t seem to have the correct last name to make a mighty fine tamale, but here’s the deal. “Dad’s mom was Mexican. In fact, his grandparents came to the United States from Mexico,” daughter Rachael Marshall says. “When he married my mother, Marisa, her parents had opened Ruiz Mexican Restaurant in 1966. Dad cooked at the restaurant for 39 years when he decided to do something different and make tamales.”
Rachael describes her dad as a perfectionist. He uses locally grown ingredients to maximize flavor, including the organic peppers and tomatillos his wife Marisa now grows exclusively for tamales in Rhineland, Missouri.
A black and white photo atop a colorful serape shows where Doug Marshall has been and where he’s headed. He’s now the tamale man, dedicated to making fine tamales.
“We now sell pork, chicken, black bean with sweet potato (vegan-friendly), and veggie tamales. Dad’s making test batches of a new chorizo, potato and nopales tamale – which we hope will be ready before Christmas – if he believes it’s ready,” she says.
Rachael isn’t the only Marshall grown child in the tamale trade. “My sister Maria, brother Rudy, me, and my mom – we all help with the cooking. Rudy works the farmers markets, and I handle the social media,” she says.
“People place orders for pick-up at the various markets through our Facebook page,” Rachael says. “You don’t have to pre-order, but it helps. We also deliver for an additional charge, even to areas as far flung as Wentzville.”
You’ll find The Tamale Man at Schlafly on Dec. 17th and at Tower Grove on December 10.
Diana’s Bakery
2843 Cherokee Street; 63118; 314-771-6959; no website, Facebook
No fuss, no ordering online – just walk through the door at Diana’s Bakery, go to the back corner and pick up tamales to go. What was once a Saturday/Sunday only experience is now available seven days a week. These tamales have a light coating of masa over a generous filling of meats, mostly chicken or pork, but this varies. The flavor is deep, rich, and delicious.
Add Mexican bread, cookies, cakes or pastries to your purchase when you visit – they go great with tamales.
Diana’s regularly posts available tamales on their Facebook page.
El Chico Bakery
2643 Cherokee Street; 63118; 314-664-2212; no website; Facebook
You’ll find tamales available at El Chico only on Saturday and on Sunday mornings, beginning at 8 a.m. Choose a spicy pork with green sauce or a milder pork with red sauce, but get there early. They often sell out by 11 a.m.
Matriarch Letitia Rivera makes these big tamales every weekend. They’re heavy on the masa with a nice kick to the green chiles and a smooth heat in the red. Tamales for breakfast? Sure, why not.
Pick up a few Mexican cookies or sweet empanadas for later while you’re there.
Sold singly or by the dozen, they freeze well.
Juan More Tamale
Soulard Market tamale pioneer Suzanne Santos and her associate Hugo Rivera first brought tamales to market shoppers three years ago, just before Thanksgiving. From the get-go, shoppers knew these tamales would be different. Three years later, Juan More Tamale made 2016 A-List Editors Choice in St. Louis Magazine.
“Because it was so close to Thanksgiving, we made a turkey and dressing tamale with cranberry drizzle,” owner Suzanne Santos says. “It was so popular we still make it at the holidays every year.”
Santos and her associate Hugo Rivera make up the ‘we’ in Juan More Tamale. They offer four standards each week – cheese and jalapeno (pictured above), chicken with tinga sauce, pork with verde sauce and our chorizo and potato tamale (pictured below), but they often make ‘specials.’ In addition to the turkey and dressing tamale, look for a holiday bean and corn tamale as well.
The chorizo and potato tamale, paired with mango aqua fresca, a drink featured in the warmer months.
Santos and Rivera will also be offering two notable Mexican hot drinks at the market on December 17th and on Christmas eve – Mexican coffee with cinnamon and atole, a thick and creamy drink made from a base of field corn that has been dried and ground that is quite popular around the holidays.
Santos is working on a new website, scheduled to premier in January. Her lively Facebook page highlights what’s happening at the market and more.
