Melissa Martinez, Tamales Nelly

For the Martinez family, tamales not only provide income but a time to enjoy each other’s company, “We’re always talking, joking around all that fun stuff. It’s just fun seeing all of us together at least once a week,” Melissa Martinez said.

She described how each family member plays a specific roll in bringing the traditional Mexican food to the Boise Farmers Market each week.

“We have my aunt who does the masa and the husk. That’s just a one person job. That’s all she does. You have your person that does the masa itself, that mixes it all together and then you’ve got two people that are filling to get it all come together at once.”

Years of practice have gone into making each detail come together to make the right constancy, flavor, and balance. “You have to get the masa to the right texture. Otherwise, if it’s too hard, you can’t spread it on Husk.”