Green Chile & Cheese Tamale

About the producer

Todd Martin's introduction to tamale making began with an epic day at his future wife Sherry's family home, where he found himself surrounded by five bushels of corn, 25 pounds of fire-roasted green chilies, 18 relatives, and five cases of beer. What started as a 10-hour marathon of learning the family craft under the watchful eye of Sherry's mother, Celia, turned into a life-changing experience.

Sherry had grown up immersed in the traditional tamalada gatherings that her Mexican-American family had maintained for generations, where Celia directed the tamale-making process like a conductor leading an orchestra of laughter, storytelling, and organized chaos.

In 2008, the couple founded Tucson Tamale Company, building on the foundation of Celia's handed-down recipes, and they are still wrapped in traditional corn husks. The company maintains its commitment to authentic ingredients, including Santa Cruz red chile powder and fire-roasted Hatch green chiles from New Mexico's renowned growing region, continuing the family tradition of treating tamale making as both an art form and a celebration.