For many tamale vendors, demand peaks during the holidays as tamales remain a deeply rooted Christmas tradition for families in Fresno.<\/p>\n
Despite this, some vendors say sales are down this year as immigration enforcement intensifies and racial profiling fuels fear among families<\/a> who rely on tamale sales.\u00a0<\/p>\n Never miss the top stories in Fresno \u2014 sign up for our free, daily newsletter.<\/p>\n Though making and selling tamales involves long, tiring hours, vendors say the tradition matters \u2014 it\u2019s how families continue to celebrate and preserve their cultural roots.<\/p>\n \u201cI think a little of the tradition has been lost,\u201d F\u00e9lix said. \u201cPeople still want to eat tamales, of course they do, but they don\u2019t always have the time to make them. They work a lot here.\u201d<\/p>\n Bringing people together, one tamale at a time<\/p>\n Although F\u00e9lix grew up helping families prepare tamales for celebrations, she didn\u2019t begin developing her own recipes until she was around 25.\u00a0<\/p>\n No matter what\u2019s happening in Sacramento or Washington, we will continue to do what we\u2019ve always done: hold our local officials accountable and report the stories that shape daily life in Fresno. <\/p>\n Become a monthly member today during our crucial end-of-year campaign so that we can continue to tell hyperlocal stories you won’t find anywhere else. All donations are matched through December 31.<\/p>\n F\u00e9lix still makes most tamales herself, sometimes with the help of her daughter. For large orders, events of 50 people or more, she\u2019ll bring in extra hands to keep up with demand.<\/p>\n In Mexico, she says, the culture of family cooking remains stronger. Here in the U.S., traditions look different and businesses like hers step in to fill the gap.<\/p>\n But for F\u00e9lix, making tamales isn\u2019t just about feeding people. It\u2019s a way to keep her family\u2019s heritage alive in a new place and help others do the same.<\/p>\n \u201cTamales bring us together,\u201d F\u00e9lix said. \u201cThey remind us where we come from. Even if we\u2019re far from home, we can hold on to those traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n As Delicias Culiac\u00e1n continues its journey, F\u00e9lix hopes her food will connect more Fresno families to the flavors and meaning wrapped inside each carefully folded husk.<\/p>\n Maria de Le\u00f3n, through her tamale business Tamales Mary<\/a>, learned to make tamales from her mother-in-law after losing her babysitting job during the COVID-19 pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n She was married at 14 and grew up around families who sold tamales, pozole, enchiladas and gorditas. When the pandemic hit, she turned to those roots, launching a tamale business that has now sustained her family for five years.<\/p>\n She describes the work as labor-intensive, from buying pork or chicken at the market to preparing masa and salsas by hand, but for years she reliably sold out the 140 tamales she made each day from Tuesday through Friday. This year has been slower.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s because there\u2019s not much work right now and people don\u2019t want to spend much money because of what\u2019s happening in our country,\u201d de Le\u00f3n said.<\/p>\n Still, she sells wherever she can, whether at events, on street corners, or to neighbors, offering cheese and pork with red salsa, chicken with green salsa, mole and rajas.<\/p>\n De Le\u00f3n said many vendors she knows are also struggling. But keeping these food traditions alive matters to her, especially during the holiday season.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of these traditions have been lost,\u201d she said. \u201cBefore, families would reunite to make tamales, pozole, bacalao, bu\u00f1uelos, champurrado, ponche. For me, it\u2019s a reminder of where we came from, and not letting these traditions die.\u201d<\/p>\n Her grandchildren already ask to learn, and she encourages them and the rest of her family to keep the art alive.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to carry these traditions in Fresno because it\u2019s beautiful to not just share delicious food, but to spend time with loved ones and learn the art,\u201d de Le\u00f3n said.<\/p>\n How fear of immigration enforcement has led to fewer sales\u00a0<\/p>\n Maria Buend\u00eda, owner of Cosinyta \u201cMary\u201d Catering, used to sell outside a local Home Depot, but stepped back as immigration enforcement increased and fear grew among street vendors<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now, she relies mostly on festivals and community events such as Fiesta Patrias<\/a> to keep her business going. She was even invited to Clovis to teach classes on tamale-making. Still, selling in general comes with uncertainty.<\/p>\n \u201cWe go out with fear, and we don\u2019t know how secure we can be,\u201d Buend\u00eda said. \u201cOur sales have gone down.\u201d<\/p>\n Buend\u00eda has been in Fresno for four years, continuing the small food business she first built in Sacramento. Her husband helps prep ingredients while she cooks, turning out pork in salsa verde with nopales, tamales de rajas with cheese, mole, beans, vegetarian options, and sweet tamales.<\/p>\n \u201cOur situation is very difficult \u2014 money coming in is hard,\u201d said Buend\u00eda, who is 65 and says traditional employment isn\u2019t an option for her anymore. \u201cIt was easier for me to build my own business.\u201d<\/p>\n Buend\u00eda learned everything she knows from her mother, how to prepare masa, salsas and fillings, and she feels a responsibility to pass those skills on.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important not to forget our traditions and our roots,\u201d Buend\u00eda said. \u201cWe need to know these traditions to pass them on to our kids.\u201d<\/p>\n Where to find Fresno tamale vendors\u00a0<\/p>\n Fabiola F\u00e9lix of Delicias Culiac\u00e1n<\/a>: You can find her at community events through organizations she collaborates with such as Cultiva La Salud<\/a> and the Central Valley Community Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_1734.jpg\")
Maria de Le\u00f3n selling tamales for her business Tamales Mary at a community event at Manchester Mall on November 23. Gisselle Medina | Fresnoland<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/962911B2-DBB6-4277-8AD1-B98D207CC063.jpeg\")
Maria Buend\u00eda\u2019s cheese with jalapeno and chicken tamales. Gisselle Medina | Fresnoland<\/p>\n