In Victoria Park in Lerdo, Durango, from Monday to Friday starting at 6:30 p.m., a delicious aroma wafts from near the sports fields; it comes from some enormous steamers.
And yes, they’re tamales, but with a twist… they range from chili with cheese to Dubai tamales. Yes, you read that right. Excellent news, especially with Candlemas Day approaching.
For several years, the Valdez family has been selling these treats in a variety of flavors at this location, including: Gansito (a popular Mexican snack cake), Dubai, cotton candy, cochinita pibil (Yucatan-style pulled pork), Nutella, refried beans with pork, amaretto, mushrooms with cheese, chicken in mole sauce, piña colada, pistachio, and more.
As part of the “Stories of Laguneros” program by El Siglo de Torreón, we visited the place called “Sugar Sweet,” which has become very popular in the so-called “Garden City”; so much so that they usually sell out.
Fátima Valdez is in charge of making the tamales, and her children, Paulina, Alexa, and Jorge, help her. There’s nothing better than doing this activity as a family.
Paulina mentioned that they’ve been selling tamales for nine years, but they’ve only been at Victoria Park for a few months.
“We always have a lot of customers, thank God, even from other nearby parts of the Comarca Lagunera region. If they’re visiting as tourists, they come to see us.”
Fátima recounted that gastronomy has shaped her life and explained that before moving to the park, they sold their tamales at a café on Sarabia Street.
“We sold ice cream and desserts there; however, when winter came, we had to come up with something to keep the business going. I like to say that God gave me a kind of inspiration, so I started experimenting to create very different flavors of a product that’s very traditional in our Mexican cuisine: tamales.”
Valdez explained that to make this wide variety of tamales, she and her family work all day. From Monday to Friday, they’re at the park, and on Saturdays and Sundays, they deliver special orders.
She said they’re constantly adding new flavors, like Dubai, which is proving very popular, and they’ll soon be offering vegan options.
As for the savory tamales, Fátima mentioned that one of the most requested is the red chile tamale, followed by the chicken in green sauce.
She explained that she makes the tamales in a traditional, artisanal way, “always ensuring the quality of the ingredients and, above all, making them with heart.”
Finally, Fátima Valdez emphasized how grateful she is for cooking.
“I never imagined I’d find so much satisfaction in something I started with so much enthusiasm and love, and I still do it that way. I believe it has brought me a lot of happiness in my life,” she said, adding that they can be found on Facebook as “Sugar Sweet.”
Source: elsiglodetorreon
