Tamale tradition amid the holidays in the Central Valley

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- In the midst of Holiday Cheer, tamales are the one meal most families look forward to.

"It's part of the tradition, it doesn't matter where you are at, when you think about tamales, you think about Christmas, you think about the season, you think about family," said Coke Lozano.

Eating tamales during the holiday season is a tradition in most Hispanic homes, and making them is part of it.

Coke Lozano from Visalia remembers learning the art behind the tasty craft from her late mother.

"She had her own recipe, which she never wanted to share, so I used to get up early, go to her house, and watch her," said Lozano, "Eventually, I was able to master the way she made her tamales."

The process is lengthy, but Lozano says it's always worth it, especially because it brings families together.

"A whole conversation when we are making tamales is about my mom. You are making memories that last forever."

When Lozano can't make them, she orders from Bobby Salazar's Taqueria in Fresno...and isn't the only one.

For more than 25 years, hundreds of orders have been placed for tamales.

Owner Bobby Salazar says their recipe is personal, dating back decades.

"Something that I got from my grandparents, their recipe, they taught my mom and dad, and it all goes into preparing masa and mole and the meat," said Bobby Salazar.

Every tamal is made from scratch in their factory, from red pork to green chili and cheese.

"I am always right in there making them at the parties, or sometimes I go to the factories where we make them," said Salazar.

Salazar is proud of the authenticity of their food and invites the community to try their well-known tamales, which are available year-round.

"I make my own, but if I don't make them, I will come to Bobby's," said Lozano.

If you would like to buy tamales from Bobby Salazar's Taqueria, you can call the restaurant to place an order.