Join Chef Richard Lambert For a Holiday Tamale Making Class in Santa Barbara
Learn the Secrets of a Tamale Chef on December 7
Interested in preparing tamales for the holidays? Chef Richard Lambert (the founder of National Tamale Day) has you covered – join his Holiday Tamale Making class on December 7 to spice up your holiday season through the preparation of both tamales and salsa. Beginners are welcome since the class is focusing on home-style cooking. Tamales are a cultural mesoamerican dish that are made traditionally for the Christmas season. Lambert explains that, “Our cooking methods originated in Mexico City and are very traditional. One of the secrets I share during the class is the special technique we use to make our tamales extra plump and moist.”
Samples will be given and a variety of flavor profiles will be featured. The menu includes tamales — chicken verde, chipotle pork, and chile and cheese — along with Lambert’s signature red and green salsa. Chef Lambert will share recipes, backgrounds on the sourcing of ingredients, and additionally guidance for storage. All of these things contribute to a new understanding of Tamale knowledge and creation.
Attendees will also receive a free Chef Lambert Cookbook (eBook), Mexico City Favorites. This work contains Lambert’s accumulated and useful knowledge from his year of cooking as a chef in Mexico City. He learned recipes from his personal connections but also adapted them to fit his own cooking style. In his book Lambert explains that one of these connections, “Beatriz Ramirez, affectionately known as Mexico City’s ‘Tamale Queen,’ taught me how to make the salsas that go into each of my tamales. To this day, I think of Beatriz when I’m preparing tamales.” He takes inspiration from a variety of sources but says his recipes are his personal signatures and one-of-a-kind.
Secrets of a Tamale Chef takes place on Saturday, December 7, from 1-2:30 p.m. at Free Methodist Church, 1435 Cliff Drive in Santa Barbara. Attendees are kindly asked to contribute a $65 donation. Visit tinyurl.com/2024tamaleclass to enroll. For a video about the holiday tamale making class, see youtu.be/laDP0XVsxCU?feature=shared.
