Tucson Tamale Company
Tucson, ArizonaLard-free, gluten-free tamales with creative fillings made with mostly local, mostly organic produce.
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We want you to be 100% happy with your order. We will replace or refund in the event the product arrives damaged or the product does not meet your expectations. You must contact us within 15 days of your order.Browse Local Producers
Rave reviews have flooded in since we at The Tucson Tamale Company began loading our moist, fluffy masa with fillings suited for every palate: flavorful meats, specialty cheeses, wild mushrooms, spicy black beans, and more.
We never skimp on the quality of our tamales. All fillings are made fresh, while our masa recipe uses a heart-healthy oil blend and vegan broth (meaning no lard, trans fats, hydrogenated oils, or cholesterol). We buy local and use certified organic when possible, so you can share these tamales with others with pride. They make great gifts and are 100% gluten free!
“The flavors are bright and they take you on a taste journey. The best tamales around…”
- Jennifer English, James Beard Award winner, owner of Flavorbank Spice Market
"Such fine and opulent pieces of food that one is tempted to call them artisan tamales, but they are too inexpensive and too much a part of life in the Old Pueblo to have an elitist name."
-Jane and Michael Stern, NPR Splendid Table
See more rave reviews!
We never skimp on the quality of our tamales. All fillings are made fresh, while our masa recipe uses a heart-healthy oil blend and vegan broth (meaning no lard, trans fats, hydrogenated oils, or cholesterol). We buy local and use certified organic when possible, so you can share these tamales with others with pride. They make great gifts and are 100% gluten free!
“The flavors are bright and they take you on a taste journey. The best tamales around…”
- Jennifer English, James Beard Award winner, owner of Flavorbank Spice Market
"Such fine and opulent pieces of food that one is tempted to call them artisan tamales, but they are too inexpensive and too much a part of life in the Old Pueblo to have an elitist name."
-Jane and Michael Stern, NPR Splendid Table
See more rave reviews!
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Our Story
Being a lover of food my whole life, and cooking since I can remember, I’m always on the lookout for new food experiences.My name is Todd Martin. I'm 50 going on 33 and loving every minute of my life. I'm starting this new business, The Tucson Tamale Company, as one step to fulfill my mission: "Simplify, Sustain, and Celebrate the Food Ecosystem."
Fourteen years ago, when my now-wife (my girlfriend at the time) told me we were going to her parents' house to make tamales, I was excited. We arrived at 8 a.m. to an incredible sight: five bushels of corn, twenty-five pounds of freshly roasted green chilies, eighteen friends and family, and 5 cases of beer. After a full ten hour day of making tamales I was in love with more than just a girl.
There's a connectedness to making tamales, like planting a garden...the feeling of the damp soil sifting through your fingers. When making tamales, there’s nothing like the feel of freshly prepared masa being gently patted onto the smooth side of a corn husk. As you roll the tamale and tuck one side of the husk under the other, you are in awe of the beauty you just created. It’s hard work, but the rewards are well worth it.
In my restaurant journeys I found many a delicious green corn tamale but little else to satisfy my craving for a really, really good tamale. Motivated by my need for something out of the ordinary, I started making my own. Friends and family began to rave, and they always wanted to take some home.
In early 2008 I made the decision to leave my executive position at a Fortune 500 company and share my tamales with everyone. On November 21st, 2008, the Tucson Tamale Company opened its doors and the rave reviews keep coming in.
We do all the hard work so you can enjoy incredible tamales. I personally make every batch of filling using the best ingredients we can find. I have over twenty-five different tamales in my ‘portfolio’ and am always trying new things. (My online nickname is ‘cornartist’ -- look for me on Twitter.) Every tamale is hand rolled and gently steamed. Tamales are the perfect food in that they are just as good (if not better) after they have been re-steamed. And we also have some of the best salsas you’ll ever taste. I know you’ll love them.