Restaurants Working Overtime To Meet Christmas Tamale Demand
ONTARIO (CBSLA.com) — With Christmas fast approaching, one Inland Empire restaurant is cooking up tamales by the thousands.
"The day before Christmas Eve is one of the busiest days of the year," said Fred Castellon, owner of Tamale Guy.
Customers have been lining up and calling in orders for weeks. In just the past few days, 10,000 tamales have been cooked in the Tamale Guy kitchen, with many more orders to fill.
Other customers are a little more last minute.
"I ordered them an hour ago," said Sal Solorzano. "I get to pick up two dozen, and get to have tamales for Christmas. Great."
"December is the hottest month for us," said Castellon, who says the menu has something for everyone, including sweet tamales. "From vegetarian tamales, to beef, to chorizo, to cheese."
Castellon has his own special formula for crafting the perfect tamale.
"We mix our masa really well, so to give it that perfect smooth, you know soft, moist, touch of the tamale," he said. "That's our main secret."
With every cook in the kitchen, Castellon and his staff will be working overtime to get their orders done by Christmas.
"December, Christmas, with tamales," Castellon said. "It's always good."
