🌽 La Rifa: Tamaladas for Good, From Masa to Mission

If I’m honest, I didn’t grow up loving tamales. I was a first-gen kid wishing there were mashed potatoes and roasted chicken at the center of my table.

I had missed the treasure of masa and red-sauced pork. I didn’t understand their value, yet!

In my twenties, not only did I start loving my brown skin, my culture, but I also started to love eating tamales, sí, pero definitely not making them.

I didn’t even bother asking for the recipe because if your family is anything like mine, there are no measuring cups, just un poquito de esto y una mano de esto.  A little bit to you and a little bit to me could mean a pot of overly salted tamales.

Doña Lidia | Founders Mom

In every family there’s a Pro, the one who knows how to spread masa perfectly: thin, even, and somehow always calm no matter how many hojas are piling up. In my family, that’s my mom.

Her hands move like music, a dash of this, a splash of that, never measuring, just knowing.

And then there’s me. Let’s just say I didn’t inherit the masa magic. My mom says, “Mija, los haces muy gruesos,” which means, “Your spread is too thick.” And honestly… she’s right. I used to give up halfway through the first dozen.

But something has shifted. Maybe it’s the world changing so fast, or maybe it’s the canas showing up in my hair that now look a lot like hers. I’ve always tasted it, but I’m starting to truly understand that my mom’s hands are magic, and her recipes are gold.

These tamaladas aren’t just about food, they’re about belonging. About passing on love and memory one hoja at a time.

(hoja = dried corn husk)

Now, I am finally a Helper. I’ve learned to laugh when my masa is lopsided, to ask more questions, and to soak up every second in that kitchen. Because I don’t just want to make tamales, I want to make sure the next generation knows why we make them.

That’s what La Rifa – Tamaladas for Good is all about.

🎟️ What’s La Rifa?

La Rifa is our Tamaladas for Good drawing, a flavorful, faith-filled way to help fund the future Madrina HQ and Boutique.

For just $5 per drawing ticket,

you could win:🥇 A Private Tamalada for Six Guests🥈 Two Seats at a Private Tamalada in my downtown home (three winners will be selected!)🥉 A Party Spread with two dozen homemade tamales, rice, beans, and salsa, ready for your holiday table.

Every drawing ticket helps us build a space where young women will find dignity, confidence, and community, our casita of impact.

💛 From Our

Kitchen to Yours

I’m learning that traditions only live on if we carry them, if we teach, share, and celebrate them, imperfect masa and all.

That’s why I want to hear your stories.The funny ones. The tearful ones. The ones that smell like chile and love. Because together, we can pass down more than recipes, we can pass down resilience.

📣 Here’s How

You Can Help

1️⃣ Buy Your $5 Drawing Tickets Purchase through our website or Venmo @MadrinaProject ✨Every ticket moves us closer to funding our new Madrina HQ, a space where culture, confidence, and community can rise together.

2️⃣ Nominate a Storyteller Know a mamá, abuela, tía, or amiga whose hands carry generations of flavor and faith?Tag them in the comments or text #TamaladaStories to (210) 620-9463. We’ll be featuring select stories from October through December to honor the women who’ve kept tradition alive. Because maybe, just maybe, it’s time we all picked up the spoon again, spread the masa (even if it’s too thick), and kept the tradition going.

3️⃣ Learn More Click here to read about our Tamaladas for Good Drawing and Private Mesa Experience, where every table tells a story.

💛 From masa to mission, every ticket helps build our casita, for our girls, our culture, and the next generation.