All About Teresita’s Tamales in Madison, Alabama

Family, Food, Fun, Resources

December 1, 2021

In the hispanic and latino culture, the holiday season is also “tamales season”, and the owners of one local food truck are ready to share their most beloved holiday tradition with those all across the north Alabama area.

Yesenia Stark, co-owner of Teresita’s Tamales, says that making tamales during the holiday season isn’t just a casual tradition, but that it’s an absolute must for her family.

Teresita’s Tamales in Madison, Alabama

“In our culture, you get together with your family during the holidays and you make tamales. This is one of the main things hispanics associate with the Christmas season.”

Stark continued to share that authentic, traditional tamales are time-intensive and difficult to make, “which is why you don’t see a lot of people making and selling them here.”

But during the holidays, Stark has grown up knowing that she would be getting together with family at some point and making a big batch of tamales. She says that her family usually starts on December 1st and continues making them through February.

“We call this tameles season!” She laughs.

Stark and her sister Jessica, also a co-owner of Teresita’s Tamales in Madison, Alabama, are ready to not only make tamales with their own family this year, but they are ready and excited to offer the opportunity to pre-order tamales (and all the sides!) to enjoy with your own family and friends this month.

Pre-orders begin today (December 1st) and must be placed by December 18th. Orders will then be available for pick-up on either December 21st, 22nd, or 23rd between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. from their food truck which will be parked at the Chevron location on the corner of Madison Boulevard and Sullivan Street right here in Madison!

Click here to explore your options and order online!

Stark says that their food truck, Teresita’s Tamales, is named after their mother who immigrated to the Huntsville area with their dad several decades ago.

“My parents had nothing when they came here and knew no English,” she shared. “But she’s always been an excellent cook and continued cooking though. She is so picky about her produce and always makes sure that everything we cook with is fresh.”

She continued to share that in her family’s culture, everything they make is entirely from scratch.

“We don’t use anything canned,” she explained.

Teresita’s Tamales in Madison, Alabama was first launched earlier this year in May 2021. Stark shared that she and her sister had been considering the food truck concept for years but started small by simply catering to neighbors.

“We started out just making the food at our home and then our dad would go around and sell it.”

Their business grew organically due to the high number of repeat customers and new customers. They then decided to expand to a food truck, though the pandemic slowed the process with getting it rolling (literally).

But in May, they finally launched officially, and Stark says that her family has barely taken a breath since due to how steady business has been.

“People come to us all the time and say that they can’t believe how real and authentic all of our food tastes. Hearing this is very exciting for us.”

Stark says that each region in Central America has a different kinds of tamales that they make, and that her family’s recipe is from Mexico City and Guerrero.

“We make everything ourselves and source many of our products straight from the region were our roots are. It’s very rigorous work to make these dishes but knowing that people love the food makes it all worth it.”