Hello Friends,
I can’t believe it’s already the end of year. I want to take a brief moment to thank you all for following along and supporting Bolita. It takes an unreasonable amount of labor and energy to sustain this project, and we cannot do it without all of your support and enthusiasm. Thank you.
Usually the holidays are a festive time and a time to spend with friends and family. Leading up to Christmas, I tend to spend all my energy organizing and prepping for tamal season. Tamal season is incredibly important to us, not only because we love making our version of tamales and sharing them with you all, but because a successful tamale season means that we can operate in the new year.
Looking around, hearing from friends and seeing first hand, small businesses are struggling. A tenant of mine just announced they are shutting down permanently, friends with restaurants/pop-ups are closing, another friend told me they are 1 month away from closing their bar permanently. We all know that the Bay Area is becoming increasingly difficult to do business in, but we continue to do it. Maybe out of stubbornness, maybe out of a need to execute a certain vision.
But, for me, one of the main reasons to stubbornly exist, is because I believe the Bay Area needs a molino that values landrace Mexican maíz.. No one is doing what we are doing. Sure, people are using nixtamal/masa in their restaurants. Sure, people are selling fresh masa. We are not doing anything new- I am aware of this. But we are creating a community of people who are revaluing the humble kernels o maíz and creating a business with the clear vision of making our products cheaper and more accessible. That being said, we still have a way to go and I see it getting very close next year. That being said, we need to make it to next year.
TAMAL PREORDERS:
So, I hope you can all make it to one of the dates below to buy some salsas, hot sauces, tamales, or even better, PREORDER HERE. They freeze well! They’re great for breakfast. Tell you friends!!
GIFT CARDS:
Every January and February, we teach workshops, and we will offer a whole slew of workshops this winter. But, in the meantime, we will also be offering gift cards at all of our pickups and sales, so please consider getting one. Our workshops are $90-145, so if you know someone who may want the gift of masa this year, consider getting them a gift card. They can be used for classes/workshops, farmer’s markets, and pop-ups. Email me at hola@bolitamasa.com if you’d like one mailed to you.
Hi Emmanuel - We met you yesterday at the Ferry Building. I bought the Pork Tamales and green salsa. I told you I never had a Tamale I liked.
Well that changed last night.
Your savory tamales are beautifully made and wrapped in silken banana leaves, when steamed they are Absolutely Perfection !
The masa has delicious flavor as well as the pork filling. The green salsa is the best. I served them with Labneh as I had no crema or creme fraiche.
It was a Fabulous Meal !
I always found tamales too dry, too much masa and little filling and never moist. You had to add lots of salsa to eat them.
Your's are heavenly and we are big fans. From now on they will be a Holiday Tradition.
Thank You for your vision, dedication and great cooking. Wishing you all Good Things in the New Year !