It takes Gina Alvarez two hours of prep time to make tamales, and about another hour to steam them ready to eat for her Gina’s Little Kitchen catering service.
On Sunday, the Gleview resident was one of a handful of food vendors hoping to please the palate of those who attended the annual Tamal and Atole Fair at the Belvidere Mall in Waukegan.
Alvarez said she prepared 700 tamales to be sure she’d have enough to sell throughout the day.
The Mesoamerican food, that’s made with dough and predates the Incas, Mayans and Aztecs, is a traditional dish in Latin America. It’s usually enjoyed during holidays and is paired with atole — a hot beverage made by steeping brown sugar cane and cinnamon, and thickened into a creamy drink with corn flour.
Adding that the red and green salsas give tamales a different taste, Alvarez said she uses cheese, chicken, pork and roasted chiles cut into slices to make her tamales.
This was the eighth year the Tamal and Atole fair was hosted at the Waukegan mall, providing patrons access to a variety of tamales and atoles of different flavors from local businesses, and some as far away as Chicago and Wisconsin.
Other foods and drinks were also available to fair-goers. They included small fried doughnuts, funnel cakes, ice-cream and alcohol-free pina coladas. But the real attractions were the tamales and the atole, which came in flavors of chocolate, walnut, guava and a caramel made with goat’s milk called cajeta.
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This was the first time Waukegan resident Rob Mathews attended the event, although he was introduced to tamales at a food truck some years ago, he said.
Mathews likes his tamales spicy, he said. On Sunday he bought one red and one green tamal to eat before considering to buy more from other food stations.
“I guess this is how you learn about different foods,” Mathews said of his visit.
Estela Carrillo wasn’t impressed with the tamal and atole she tasted.
“The price is good because it’s a big portion, but I like the ones I make better,” Carrillo said.
The Waukegan resident did enjoy live performances stationed on the opposite side of the food section, she said.
“I like the fun atmosphere. That’s mostly why I come to these events here,” Carrillo said.
Waukegan mother Miriam Jaime is also a fan of the activities the mall hosts during family events.
“I really like that there’s a lot to do for my 5-year-old daughter,” Jaime said.
The mall has a variety of vendors that sell toys, along with clothing, party gifts and decorations, jewelry, car speakers and shoes, as well as services, such as eyebrow threading, eye exams and jewelry repair.
Face painters, children’s movie characters and a clown who’s shtick was to trick people, were all part of Sunday’s entertainment for the kids.
Those in the mood for something sweet not salty could try fruit tamales.
Berta Hernandez, owner of Berta’s Tamales, prepared 800 tamales for her food booth, she said.
The Milwaukee resident makes the tamales with strawberries, pineapple and guava, she said.
Andy Pena of Pina Colada El Campeón in Cicero, said his business has been a part of the fair since the event’s first year and he’s seen the size of the crowds that attend fluctuate.
“Some years there’s more people, sometimes there’s less; but it’s always a fun day talking to new and familiar faces,” Pena said.