ROBSTOWN, Texas — During the holidays, many Hispanic families are preparing to make this beloved traditional dish. But for those who prefer to order them, Rosie's Tamales has become a community staple.
“My mom always got us going with, ‘You can’t get confused, it’s only 5, 4, 3,’” Virginia Garcia, co-owner of Rosie's Tamales, said.
That makes a dozen tamales. Garcia has been taking over the Robstown location while her mother, Rosie, is sick. The business has been around for almost four decades, and Garcia has been making tamales since she was 7.
"Some people would just be passing by. 'Are y'all selling tamales here? Because you can smell it outside,'" Garcia said.
Although it’s a business, she still loves spending time with her family doing what she enjoys most. That’s what makes tamales so special—they bring people closer to the ones they love
"Without these tamales, it's not a Christmas you know. The tamales are something that's important to families," Garcia said.
The production starts long before dawn. Workers shape the masa and fold the fillings into corn husks, then set them to steam.
"We let them cool down, at least for the day, so tomorrow at 3 in the morning, the workers come, they roll them and make them into the corn husks. We pot them and we put them to cook," Garcia said.
The tamale-making machine is where the magic happens. Within 10 minutes it can make 32 dozen. That's 348 tamales, and for a business like Rosie's Tamales, that's a big help.
Garcia said that during the holidays, they see double the orders. Right now they're expecting to make 300 dozen a day.
The coolers carry about 40 dozen tamales each, but the larger ones carry significantly more.
A long-time tradition that fills bellies and hearts.
"To know that our tamales are out there satisfying families, that's a good feeling," Garcia said.
If you are interested in having this dish in your holiday dinner, Rosie's Tamales is taking orders until December 19. Pickup is on December 24.
