TAMALES:
A RECIPE AND A SUCCESS STORY

Mama’s Hot Tamales Cafe has quickly gained renown for its assortment of delicious tamales and other fine food. Here’s a recipe they were kind enough to share with us.

Cofounder Sandra Romero was also kind enough to sit with us and discuss how a trailblazing nonprofit effort that legalizes, organizes, educates, codifies and empowers vendors is revitalizing L.A.’s historic MacArthur Park.

Many nonprofits do amazing work transforming lives and invigorating communities. Yet in this era of steep governmental budget cuts, nonprofits are often the first to be placed on the funding chopping block, and even the ones with astonishing track records of success live precariously. Society’s decision makers at times harbor awfully strange priorities.

FP: Hi, it’s a pleasure to chat with you today. What is your title?

Sandra Romero: I am cofounder. I co founded the Institute for Urban Research and Development, with my business partner, Dr. Joseph Colletti, who is the executive director.

I know this restaurant, Mama’s Hot Tamales Cafe, is located at 2124 West Seventh Street (L.A., CA 90057, 213.487.7474, breakfast and lunch served 7 days a week, 8:30am-3:30pm). Where’s the Institute located?

Our main offices have just been moved to El Monte. We were in Echo Park for a long time. Actually, when we started the Institute we were in Pasadena. And then we moved to L.A. and then from L.A. to El Monte. That’s the main office, and if you look at our web page -- www.iurd.org -- you’ll see all the different programs that we have to offer. Mama’s Hot Tamales Cafe is one of many programs.

And they’re not by any means all food-related?

Correct. This is the only food -- this is an economic development program.

If there’s a primary motive, is it community revitalization?
Is it employment? Is it creating a fabric and a framework for the vendors to operate safely and legally?

All three. It’s a three-fold project. Absolutely. We were hired -- the non-profit was hired -- to help the city of L.A. to start its first sidewalk vending district, the first legal one. You see street vendors all over Los Angeles, but it’s illegal. So the city council passed an ordinance saying, “OK, the way we can try to help street vendors is to create districts within council districts, and then we will get permits, licenses, vending carts that are authorized by the health department, so that they can operate a business legally.” Our task was to create the first one, in MacArthur Park. Nobody had ever done this before, we were the very first. The vending district opened in June of ‘99, and the first thing we did was design vending carts that we thought would be attractive because we wanted a district that would bring people. We didn’t want a hodgepodge of different carts that people had on their own and have them bring them to the park; it wouldn’t be that attractive. Our business plan was to create a venue that was pleasant: people would want to come and shop from these vendors. So we had a Santa Monica Promenade cart design our vending carts: