Boucherie Marketplace & December Art Murmur

Boucherie Marketplace at La Borinqueña :: Sun Dec 4 : 12-4pm

It's a Pop-Up Food Feast!

Boucherie Artisanal Meats & Tina Tamale are coming together to bring a fabulous mix of locally made foods that are perfect for holiday gifts or can be enjoyed onsite during the event! 

Available for Purchase at the Boucherie Marketplace:

Boucherie - Local, Sustainable Louisiana Style Cured Meats PLUS Gumbo

Tina Tamale - hand-made tamales made with stone ground corn masa, mole salami sandwiches, aguas frescas & Mexican hot chocolate 

Andrew Lane Wines

(for on-site consumption only) 

Baia Pasta- Organic Pasta (uncooked)

Semita Dulce - Latin Inspired Pastries & breads (to enjoy your purchases with onsite)

The Uncommon Pickle - Pickled Local, Sustainable Fruits and Vegetables

Urban Preserves - fruit butter and pate de fruit

And More TBA...

 

First Friday at Uptown :: Friday Dec 2 : 6-9pm

Join us for a fabulous first Friday event that is part of Oakland's fabulous Art Murmur. Find the Tina Tamale Pop-Up Stand & Doc's of the Bay on the 25th Street side of Uptown Body & Fender (through the parking lot from the event below!)

This is also a benefit for Women's Cancer Resource Center and they will be hosting a silent auction.

Exhibiting Artists include: Renata Gray, Karin Turner, Alan Leon, Heidi Wykoff, Sandy Der, Carol Tanenbaum, Marion Coleman, Querido Galdo, Margo Rivera-Weiss, Gary Turchin, Helen Krayenhoff, Melanie Cervantes, LaTasha Brown, Melanie Cervantes, Jesus Barraza, Ajuan Mance, Carolina Abolio, Molly Bradley, Gabriela Nuñez, Hilary Powers, Susan Grant, Moriah hart, Lori Solay-Falkwll, Carole Adair and many more.

Artwork includes: photography, watercolor paintings, cards, quilts, magnets, textile postcards, mounted photo blocks, jewelery, felted creations, tea, doggie stuff, ceramics,t-shirts and more.

Live music by Little Spike

Bike to Work Day Afterparty in Old Oakland 5/12 & 5th Annual Oakland Indie Awards 5/13

Bike to Work Day Afterparty in Old Oakland


The East Bay's biggest bicycling event is coming up May 12, 2011 and the East Bay Bicycle Coalition is busy with plans to top last year's record-setting event. 

Join the festivities at the end of the work day at the afterparty on 8th & Washington in Old Oakland:

·The Muddy Roses (live Americana music)

· Bike Carousel rides with Cyclecide (www.cyclecide.com)

· Tasty eats and treats with tamales and nachos from Tina Tamale of La Borinqueña 

· Trumer Pils Beer

· Big Tadoo Puppet Crew

· Parklets Demonstration

RSVP on Facebook here Join us for food, fun, awards, prizes & games! More info: http://www.ebbc.org

Bike to Work Day Afterparty
Thursday May 12, 2011
8th & Washington in Old Oakland
5:30pm-8:30pm 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5th Annual Oakland Indie Awards

 

Festivities include Global Comfort Foods: Beloved foods from Oakland's delicious melting pot - what your Korean, Mexican, Japanese, Italian, Thai, American and other moms would make! Tina Tamale will be in the house serving up delicious tamales sprinkled with Mexican Love! We are flattered to be nominated this year in two categories: Oakland Soul & Pillar. Wish us luck! For more info and to purchase tickets: http://indieawards.eventbrite.com/

Oakland Indie Awards
Friday May 13, 2011Kaiser Center
300 Lakeside Drive
6:00pm-10:00pm6:00pm - Awards Ceremony in the Lakeside Theater
6:30pm-10:00pm - Party in the Garden Room

 

8th Annual EndGame Auction :: Sat 4/23

 

8th Annual EndGame Auction
Saturday April 23, 2011
921 Washington Street at 10th in Old Oakland
11:00am-3:00pm 

La Borinquena will be selling tamales, nachos and burritos right outside from 11am to 3pm. The auction starts at 11am and ends when they run out of games to auction! It includes new and used board games, historical games and card games. Sell your old games! Buy different games! Find nifty out-of-print games you've been looking for! More info: http://www.endgameoakland.com/auction or 510.465.3637  

Taste for Art

Do you like Art?
Live Music?
Good Food?
Beer & Wine?
Supporting a local Food Bank?
Supporting local Artists?
Have a free Friday night (tonight)?

Then this is where you want to be! Join me (La Borinquena/Tamale Girl) and a slew of other food and drink purveyors for this event taking place in Emeryville sponsored by The East Bay Express.

I've gotten to know lots of the folks involved in the Oakland/East Bay community through the work I do with the Oakland Merchants' Leadership Forum and Old Oakland Neighbors. I cannot stress enough to EVERYONE how important it is to reach out and get to know the people around you. That working together to help one another however big or small can make a difference.

Volunteer for a project that means something to you, attend a community meeting, support a cause by attending events. Yes, in this case donating a can of food and/or making a contribution to a fun event that supports two things that mean so much to me: food for families and art to feed the soul.

Not wanting to sour this ideal and optimistic view I have on how to make a difference, I feel the need to say this. This is to the people who talk B I G and don't act. To the people who always say, "I'm too busy." Or "Will I really make a difference?" Or the folks who have the time and the energy to complain but won't make the time to do something about whatever they are unhappy/disturbed/uneasy about.

Get involved.
Support what matters to you.
Be part of the conversation to find solutions.
Talk to folks you think you have nothing in common with, you may be shocked over what you do have in common.

Help build community especially where you live and work.
Support local businesses and artists.
You can make a difference.
Make change happen.

So, back to my regularly scheduled blog post. Stop by tonight, have a drink, some tasty nibbles, meet some folks who support the same causes.

See how easy this is? Get out and do SOMETHING. If I don't see you later, I'll see you around. There is a great cause around every corner and if you are still reading I know we'll cross paths sooner or later.

I have a feeling I'll see you sooner...

Event Details, click below:


The East Bay Express presents a food, music, and art-centered fundraiser for Pro Arts Gallery and Alameda County Food Bank on Friday, October 3, 6-10pm at 5749 Doyle St., Between Stanford Ave. and Powell St., Emeryville, CA

Directions:
There is ample parking behind the warehouse, or take Emeryville's FREE bus service (the Emery-Go-Round) by jumping on the Hollis South bus at the MacArthur BART station and jumping off at Standford Ave/Horton intersection. The Warehouse is a couple short blocks to the East from that stop on Doyle Street between Stanford and Powell. Buses run approx. every 15 minutes, and stop running at 10pm. http://www.emerygoround.com/

Fall Festivals produced by Oakland Events

Things have been busy in Tamale World, lots to do so little time. I almost wish for a longer day, maybe 34 hours instead of 24 hours to get it all done.

Many of you already know that I am very community and small business minded and I LOVE doing events that allow for my different passions to overlap. Oakland Events is a new event production company founded by Helen Wyman. She has years of experience working in some of Oakland shopping districts helping merchants. She started her full scale event production company to take outdoor festivals and special events to a new level. Helen's goal is to produce local, sustainable events to highlight all facets of Oakland commerce but especially the small independent business and artist.

Why do I know so much about this company? Helen and I are both members of the marketing committee for the Oakland Merchants' Leadership Forum (OMLF). I also created my restaurant's food booth, Tamale Girl, to primarily participate in Oakland Events' productions. The full disclaimer, my Partner in Crime and Volunteering, Consuelo Jacobs, is the Director of Operations and Exhibitor Coordinator for this company as well as a member of the OMLF marketing committee too.

There are still a couple of outdoor events produced by OE in the weeks ahead. Instead of selling food, I'm going to be coordinating a voter registration booth since the deadline for California is October 20, 2008 for the Presidential election. Want to volunteer to staff at my booth? Drop me line at tamaleworld@gmail.com.

Here's some cut n' pastes for the Oakland Events website for more info!



Out & About in Rockridge Street Festival
Sunday, September 28th 11am to 6pm
College Avenue, between Claremont & Manilla

The annual Rockridge Out & About festival, held on College Avenue, highlights local businesses as well as live music and dance, alternative health exhibitors, artisan and community booths, cooking demonstrations and food booths presented by Rockridge restaurants.

Five stages will feature well-known Bay Area musicians and performers including a DJ / Dance Stage and Rockridge Runway Fashion with attire selected by local boutiques, plus a Chef Stage featuring the district’s top chefs, art installations and Tots’ Town with rides, games, prizes and more will make this a great family day.

Take BART to Rockridge! The station is only steps from the festival -
Sunday, Sept. 28 11 a.m. – 6 pm.


Oakland’s first annual Oktoberfest in Dimond
Saturday October 4th from 11-6pm
Fruitvale Avenue and Macarthur Boulevard

Although Oakland’s Dimond District is a diverse and progressive neighborhood, it is steeped in German history. Around 1900, the area was largely a German community where social and community life centered on the beer gardens in the area. Though the beer gardens are gone, the community spirit they fostered still remains.

Oktoberfest will feature traditional German beer gardens, German food and dance, gourmet food booths, historical tours, performances by local artists on two stages, artisans, a kids’ carnival area, a green living and wellness expo, and much more. Attendees will quaff, sip, drink, tipple, imbibe, dance, sing, and eat, as well as learn about the historical connection between Oakland and its earlier German residents.
Click Here to visit event website (www.oaklandoktoberfest.com)

Montclair Jazz & Wine Festival

La Borinqueña has entered the wonderful world of festival food sales! Some of you have already seen me and the crew at some recent street festivals in our Tamale Girl booth. I chose to do these events for two reasons: 1. to promote our restaurant and delicious tamales 2. be the prototype for how a small business might be able to participate in special events without a huge financial investment.

I've been asked many times why the food at festivals is always the same. You can almost always find: kettle corn, chicken on a stick, garlic fries, frozen treats, hot dogs, etc. Turns out many of these food booths are professional food concession stands that travel and only do festivals. They don't have a restaurant, are rarely local and do lots of fried food. They have the equivalent of a outdoor commercial kitchen and sanitation is often but not always questionable. They almost always have long lines since their menus are extensive and just a notch down from too expensive.

I decided that our restaurant was going to try a new marketing approach and not spend hundreds on advertising that wasn't really effective. Following in the steps of my father aka Tony Tamale, I was going to take my tamales to the people and let them try them first. Then, coming out to La Borinqueña on the edge of Old Oakland didn't seen so far away. It's been an interesting experience putting our booth together and meeting new folks while spreading tamale love during our new adventure.

Here are the details for our upcoming gig:

Next date for our booth is just around the corner, Pete Escovedo’s Latin Jazz Orchestra headlines the 6th annual Montclair Village Jazz and Wine Festival on Sunday, September 7 on LaSalle Avenue and Mountain Blvd, Oakland, CA. The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with more than 20 premium Northern California wineries pouring tastings starting at 1 p.m. Bring the whole family: the younger set will enjoy rides and games at Kids Town; music lovers will hear from saxophonist Vincent Herring, Brass Monkeys Brass Band, singer Clairdee and organist/pianist David K. Mathews; arts and crafts aficionados can check out wares from 40 vendors; wellness and green champions will get plenty of inspiration in the Wellness-Eco Village; and food vendors will be ready to tantalize your palette.

Admission is free, valet bike parking is free, wine tasting packages are $30 for one, $50 per couple.

For more details, and to print a $5 discount coupon for wine tasting, visit www.MontclairJazzAndWine.org.


Stop by and say ¡Hola!

The People & Places in my Neighborhood

I feel like writing about Old Oakland for a bit. This is something I'm asked often, "Where is Old Oakland?" Well, it's technically part of West Oakland and sometimes called Downtown Oakland. It's borders run from 6th to 11th Street and Broadway to Martin Luther King Way (Grove).*History Nerd Alert* Old Oakland was formally the original Downtown (1860s) and the location of the first City Hall (we're on our third) and was a thriving commercial district for decades. Eminent domain by the City or really, the destruction of the residential community (50 blocks) in West Oakland in the late 1960s and early 1970s caused the decline of many of the commercial areas of interest. Slowly, Swan's Department store, many other businesses and then Housewives Market came to an end in Old Oakland. There was the restoration of the old Victorians around 8th and Washington in the late 1970s that remained empty for years and the 1980s and 1990s proved to be a difficult time for the area. As much as I love my beloved Old Oakland, as a teenager I wasn't allowed to walk around these parts, it was a haven for criminals and drug addicts alike and when the dark and frightening image of Downtown/West Oakland first reared it's ugly head.

My mother, Nati Ramos, was literally born in this neighborhood. The midwife helped my grandmother give birth at the family home on 4th and Castro in 1931. Mami talks about the old neighborhood as though it's a long lost friend and our business was located down the street on 7th and Castro. She has a map in her head where she remembers where every family's home was located before it was torn down and the freeway overpasses where built in their place. She talks longingly of how she grew up during the Depression yet no one realized their family was poor since everyone worked hard and took care of each other simply because that was the right thing to do. My family chose to keep our business, La Borinqueña, in this area at our present location on 7th and Jefferson but remembers telling people to simply park outside and run in to buy their tamales, tortillas and pan dulce and NOT wander the neighborhood since it really was scary. The Loma Prieta earthquake and then the storm El Niño truly kept us on our toes as small business owners and wondering what kind of disaster, natural or created, was going to hit us next.

By this time, I had returned to working full time at our business and I was really questioning what I had gotten myself into. I decided I wanted to be part of this neighborhood and see if the potential of a real community existed. I longed to know what my mami remembered and if a different version could happen again. Before the condo buildings making up the "New" Old Oakland were built and pushed property taxes upward, I moved in at the end of 2000. My entire family including my own mother though I had lost my mind and questioned why I would want to live here. "CRAZY", they would all say to my face and I didn't care. The change was near, the renaissance promised decades ago by City planners and I wanted to see it for myself. Even the police in their patrol cars wondered what I was doing roaming these parts, alone most of the time, and followed me until they realized this neighborhood was both work and home. They would watch me skip up the steps, put the key in my house door and wave once I headed inside. I knew the change was here when I mentioned where home was and the question changed from, "Why do you live there?" to "How cool, that's where you live?"

But see, in order to know where I'm going, I need to remember where I've been. Even more important, recognize those who have traveled in time along with me. I know most of my life has existed in a very small radius but it's seeing the people, the places and sharing all of this with my neighbors and friends that has instilled pride in me for Oakland that is priceless and will always be mine. From time to time, I will write about what I remember and hopefully what it is now. Sometimes I'll do this here on my blog and other times in a different forum. Yesterday, my second small business profile for the OakBook online magazine came out. The small mom and pop shops, the underdogs, the folks doing what they do best and most of the time with little fanfare and barely a blip on a radar is who I identify with and what I plan on writing about. To read my article about Ray and his crew at Taylor's Sausage in my neighborhood (below) please click A Lost Art in Old Oakland

The Indies are Coming + Cinco de Mayo Mania!!

Wow, lots to do! It's funny that I told myself, "Write blog posts whenever possible!" and ummm my brain would blip and forget. My Yelp reviews are up to date but not so much the rest. So here for your reading pleasure, a quick update on Tamale World...

2nd Annual Oakland Indies
The event celebrates all things Oakland and awards Oakland's independent businesses & artists who were nominated by community members for their impact on the community.

I'll be with Old Oakland Neighbors at a information table at this evening's event from 5:30-8pm at Sweet's Ballroom. OON will be sharing the table with 10,000 Steps, a project involving four parks in our district and the Oakland Merchant Leadership Forum.

Awards are given in cool categories such as: Newbie, Greenie, Neighborhood Dynamo, & Innovator! Check out the Yelp Event listing here: Http://www.yelp.com/events/oakland-2nd-annual-oakland-indie-awards

Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo
Have you planned your fiesta yet? Monday is right around the corner. Cinco de Mayo is a wonderful American holiday when you have the opportunity to gather your amigos for food and drink to celebrate the Mexican victory against the French during the Battle of Puebla that took place in 1862 http://www.mexonline.com/cinco-de-mayo.htm It is rarely celebrated outside the Publa region in Mexico but very popular here in the US in areas with a concentrated Mexican population to celebrate culture, history and delicious treats! If you need help planning, take a look at our menus here (menus.tamalegirl.com) and give us a call. Pick out what you like and we'll help you with the quantities. Don't forget our famous lardy chips and maybe some papel picado and pinatas to decorate!

OK kids, I'm off to work, it's gonna be a loooong day. Maybe I'll see you tonight at Sweet's Ballroom!

It's Been 15 minutes, 12 Hours and 17 Days

Since I turned 39 for the first time! I've been trying to catch my breath but there is just so much to do. The past few months have been action backed: tamale season, holidays, the Yelp Holiday Party, the stomach flu, the OON fundraiser, Old Oakland Neighbors in general, my birthday week celebrations, oh yeah, work at La Borinquena. I just got tired writing that sentence!

Next up...catching up on my day job, planning the first floor remodel at my house, the 2nd Annual Indie Awards and the stack of paperwork piling up in my personal life. Ha ha ha ha...I wrote that out so I will be forced to deal with it! But, those of you that know me in real life are aware that I LOVE to start crazy projects with a moment's notice. MY FAVORITE. I need a break. So, I'm taking the next 24 hours as a time out. As my sweetie Stevie would say, I'm just "chillaxing" the day away...No cell phone, no text, no email, limit the TV, pretend like it's 1988...ah, the olden days...

but to pull it off in 2008 , I'll just set everything to

DO NOT DISTURB

Where have I been?

Everywhere.

I though that conquering Tamales Season and my New Year's bug would make everything alright.

HA

I almost feel just as busy but in a different way. January is bringing new changes for La Borinquena, my non-profit work and my life overall. Things have been going well at the restaurant and considering that it's January...that's great. First quarter tends to be tough and lean for most food service, people are spent out after the holidays. My fundraiser plans are coming along.

Fundraiser? Oh, I haven't haven't really had time to write about it! We've been too busy planning it. Thankfully, I have fine friends and neighbors that have been getting me through all the lists. On that note, I gotta split. Today is pick up day for some stuff. I'll make annoucements soon...oonevents.tamalegirl.com

I'll be back.

Great Balls of Fire!

12/29
Oh my dear Virgen de Guadalupe...what the heck HAPPENED? There I was minding my own business last Saturday and all of the sudden, something was just not right. I've been forgetting to eat during the holiday rush but this was different, I truly felt ill. Is this what I get for *thinking*, "WOW, I didn't get SICK this year!!!" I tried to eat a soft taco, but I was queasy. Food and I are not friends and that makes me sad. I ran to the restroom...NADA. I hid in the Fiesta Room in the dark trying to figure out why there was a growing ball of fire overtaking my GUT. It steadily grew and was the size of a LARGE Honeydew melon and was burning bright. I text messaged Sweet Bratty Niece that I needed mineral water and where she could find me. She found me leaning against the wall with my feet up and just shook her head with worried eyes, " You don't look so good"

Renee was coming in late since she had a cold and we were worried about her hacking up a lung. Fortunately, she showed up about an hour later and sent me on my way home. I managed once again to climb the stairs and fall into bed. I did get "sick" and I will spare the gory details. NOT GOOD and there I remained all of Sunday 12/30 too. Renee IMs that I have to stay home from work on NYE, see food service and tummy trouble do not mix. Things improve a bit and the ball of fire is shrinking but I am still ill. BOO, no parties or drinking for me for the New Year. This just blows since Days of the Dead, my birthday and NYE are my most FAVORITE holidays (yes, I do consider my BDay a holiday.) Gilberto and I hang out on yelp.com with the other sickies and sober folks staying in at home.
1/1
Finally, I manage to make it out of the house. Gilberto wants to see a movie, Juno, and the ball of fire in my gut is now the size of a lemon. We have a quick meal and the flick was great, well written and funny. Maybe this NYE stuff is really overrated? It was interesting to be calm, well rested and not hungover on the first day of the year. Boo, who am I kidding? I really wanted to party it up but maybe this is a sign of what this year will be like, mature and serious? Stay tuned.
1/2
My great ball of fire is now a memory. I wake up feeling OK. My day is spent updating stuff, emails and hanging on Yelp once again. The Elite '08 badges were posted and our EB posse all made it. It is also Stevie's BDay so I make sure to let him know I'm thinking about him and we decide to try to make plans to party this weekend. I go out for dinner with Renee and all is fine with eating. Food and I are no longer enemies. La Borinquena is open tomorrow and I have TONS of stuff to do. It should go well in Tamale World and let's see how 2008 treats us!

Excuse me Mister, can you spare a new back?

I MADE IT! It's over! Yet, my back has been through more in the last few days that it probably has been in months. I managed to work "safely" and not jack my back up anymore on Christmas Eve. I will attribute that to my sidekick, Rudolf the red nosed reindeer, aka the 11 year old son of our employee Panfila. He is truly a lil guy, almost elf like in size but very sharp mentally and physically strong. I would joke that he was like an ant, he could lift his own weight and then some! I will give him credit for my back not breaking on Monday.

Sleep has been a good friend and our family meal went well. As well as hanging with a couple of my least favorite family members can go. Prime rib, mashed potatoes, blackberry pie...DELICIOUS. Not ONE tamale to be seen! We love providing for folks who like them for the holidays but that's not my family.

Today was chill. I stayed in my PJ's till I had to go to La Borinquena to rerecord the outgoing messages and check on things. One last hurray, some more tamale orders and more masa to sell for leading up to NYE's. Tamale Season is almost over for this year...then we keep going for 2008!

To see another day

Wow, yesterday felt like one of the L O N G E S T days of my life, yet it went by SO QUICKLY. This was the first time I wrote the work schedule for our two crazy days. Gilberto and I went in at 1:30am and the drunk, LOUD fools coming out of Mexicali Rose were just as obnoxious as ever. Renee had turned on the ovens at 11pm Friday so we could get a jump start with the first load of tamales. So the first half hour was a blur, Gil and I had to pull out 24 trays (each holding about 3 dozen tamales), then reload the ovens, continue by making 6packs to sell in these boxes called Bio-Pack. They look like larger, flatter Chinese food box and can be a pain to work with since you don't want tamale juice on the outside. So, we work in 130 minute cycles: unload, reload, pack, repeat. We did the first two loads by ourselves but then reinforcements came in every couple hours after that. Things were going well except for when I threw my back out around 7am. POP a painkiller, stretch a bit...the show must go on! Our regular crew, some of their children who work as runners and clean up for a couple of days, and one of my fave Yelpers, Steven G VOLUNTEERS to help out. Like for reals, he has just a great personality and spirit, asks if I'm sure I only want him to work 8am to noon. I say to him, "How about we start there and play it by ear"...the novices are so cute, they have no idea what they are getting themselves into! (to read more from him, http://www.steven-g.com/)

All of the sudden it's time to open, 9am came around so quickly. Customers lined up at the front door ready to pick up tamales, masa and other Mexican treats. I switch to working my tamale corner that takes up the rear dining area. Familiar faces as well a new people walk up to me prepared with their customer numbers to look up the order the placed weeks and days before. Before I know it, hours are ticking by like minutes, so many customers, SO MANY TAMALES. I bop by the grocery dept to see how things are going with Mami and Sweet Bratty Niece. So far, so good and everyone is leaving happy. "Mis Ninas", the "girls" who staff our restaurant are making plates, burritos and making sure peeps who need sides for for holiday meals are all set. I check the messages on our main voice mail and on my cell phone (it's the tamaleline for questions and changes on tamale pre orders) fix things and confirm changes.

Around 2pm, I decide I'm going to try to head out...mush mind is settling in. You know how the saying goes, "The lights are on, but nobody's home"...my mind is not lost but just not working anymore! I finally make out the front door at 3pm, ok, it's been 13 1/2 at La Borinquena but now I got to make it up the stairs in the TALL and winding staircase in my home to make it to my bed! I make it and a two hour nap later, I feel human again. Gil, SBN along with Gracie B head out to Chinatown because I NEED Honey Walnut Prawns and a tapioca drink...I don't want no stinkin' tamales for dinner! Later, we hang in my kitchen drinking Screamin' Lise's (limade, sparkling water and vanilla vodka), minus the screamin' for Sweet Bratty Niece (she's only 17). I got a really good night's sleep and here I am seeing another day. We close on Sundays, always, so no customers today. Gil and I have to reload the ovens before we nap tonight, Renee will fire things up again at 11pm, Gilbeto and I will be there again at 1:30am.

Unload, Reload, Pack, REPEAT...so goes another day in Tamale World.

The Calm before the Storm

Ah, it's the Wednesday before Christmas and all was well at La Borinquena. The tamale pre-order deadline was Monday but once it again it was extended a day. What does that mean...no more answering the phone! I made the phone recordings explaining how the tamale purchasing process works, if you don't already have a pre-order it's walk in only, pork only and first come first serve. I love my customers, really I do, but I've been the tamale order phone operator for the last three weeks and I'm DONE. Well, not really, more like ready to move on to working the floor and the back room. The tamale cave (our office) was starting to make me claustrophobic!

Renee thought it was odd how calm it was today but this happens every year. There is always one day when we get to prep, get set and psych ourselves for the MADNESS the the next few days will bring. We start preparing for this week back in June and it's amazing how quickly time goes by. Well, the countdown has started...just FIVE more days! Now it's time to switch gears and set up the masa table since there are always the folks who still make their own tamales and buy corn dough by the stockpot that they bring in to fill. Time to get some rest so my mind won't be so mushy tomorrow!

Tamale Season @ La Borinquena

From my review on yelp.com
All right people, you keep hearing my blah, BLAH, blah about "Tamale Season" and ask me...Tamales have a Season? Well Si, they do! Actually, it's a high season since in this modern day and age you can have tamales 365 days a year (gracias to fridges & freezers) but it wasn't always so. Back en el rancho grande, slaughtering a puerco was a BIG DEAL and was only done for festive occasions such as weddings, baptisms or holidays like Dias de los Muertos, Christmas and New Year's. The corn masa had to be prepared (dried, treated, cooked, stone ground and mixed) along with the meat, sauce, corn husks and then be assembled and steamed. It took many hands and was an honor to have tamales made for you. Fortunately, we have a fine staff of mujeres here ready to do the hard work for you. Nowadays, most Americanos are all hustle and bustle wanting everything five minutes ago! Now I use the term Americanos loosely since there are many American born Latinos (sometimes called the slang term pocho) but Tamale Lovers now come from all kinds of backgrounds. How do I say this so knowingly?

Well, you see my name isn't Tina Tamale for nothing. I always giggle when someone new to me asks why that's my nickname (online and in real life), I sell tamales for a living. I am a third generation member of my family to do so at our restaurant/shop that has been in Old Oakland for the last 63 years*. We sell a TON of tamales this time of year. High Tamale Season kicks off with October 31 (Dias de los Muertos) and ends with December 31 (New Year's Eve). We actually sell one thousand DOZEN ready to eat tamales the week leading up to Christmas alone. Mostly traditional pork* for walk- ins too, some chicken (both made with Mmmm MANTECA) and introduced meatless and vegetarian tamales by special order over the years. I know Grandma Rosa, our founder, would not be happy since she felt it just wasn't right to make a tamale without meat ON PURPOSE unless it was sweet. Really, a dessert tamale with no meat but sugar, cinnamon, crushed pineapple and raisins. We'll be serving sweet tamales and a couple other desserts along with aguas frescas this year at the 3rd Annual Yelp Holiday Party on December 5, 2007.

We also sell supplies if you want to make some tamales yourself including fresh prepared masa that is stone ground in house, dried corn husks and dried chile pods/powder. No time or inclination to cook? We can also provide complete meals with sides like refried beans made with freshly rendered manteca from our chicharrones* (fried pork skins), rice, our famous lardy chips and salsa. We also have lighter and vegetarian options available too. Need food for a group? No problema, just let us know in advance*!

Anyhoo, the cusp of Tamale Season is about to hit so I wanted to take the time to write a FAQ review. I am the official tamale order taker at La Borinquena, will be running my database and sending out confirmation postcards once again. I wrote this awhile back waiting to post it as my 100th review, to give a glimpse of what I do when I'm not Yelping and also to leave as an explanation as to where I went for the month of December. I think it's very sweet when folks look for me somewhat concerned via PM or text message from time to time not knowing when I'm up to my eyeballs with work. I am doing fine, my customers just need my attention for now. I promise to be back in 2008 with more reviews, nerdy history info and new tours of my favorite town, Oakland. If you REALLY miss me, call in to order tamales, the cut off for placing a pre-order is the week before Christmas (Dec 17 this year) or stop by for a meal or just to check us out. Mami and many other members of mi familia like fourth generation Renee E and Sweet Bratty Niece will be en la casa along with Gilberto Y on occasion. You may also catch a fellow Yelper filling in as a Tamale Elf, since Yelpers are some of my most favorite peeps EVER!

Por please take the time to enjoy family and friends during this Holiday Season.

Feliz Navidad y Prospero Ano Nuevo,
from mi familia to yours...

Abrazos y Besos,

Your Yelp Amiga,

Tina Tamale