Thousands head to Indio for tamales

Tamales were everywhere at the 21st Annual International Tamale Festival in Indio.

“I’m full. Just testing everything, grubbing everything, drinks. Just fun,” Louis Trevino said.

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino presented the in-high-demand event full of tamales – carte blanche. More than 60 vendors sold about 300 thousand tamales.

The festival assortment went go on and on — with everything from standard chicken tamales to decadent dessert tamales.

“You can actually taste the difference in every tamale. I’ve got some with meat, some with cheese, sugar tamales. I think I’ve tasted every one already,” Trevino said.

A main attraction at the festival was Grandma Lupe’s Authentic Tamales. People stood in line for upwards of two hours.

“Every year we see this line, so we asked someone and they say they’re the best, they only make them here for the festival. They don’t have a shop, so we had to try them.”

“It’s not your regular processed type food. What goes into make one tamale, versus a hot dog, is just a lot of work and effort. I think people appreciate that. That’s probably why they’re in line,” Grandma Lupe’s granddaughter Crispina Calsada said.

It’s that group effort some people said makes the tamale tradition so special.

“Around Christmastime, what I really love about tamales, when my family gets together, we all sit around the table and help my mom lay them out and roll them,” Trevino said.

Family, food, and fun – -literally rolled into one.