RACINE, Wis. — What started as a love for cooking turned into a business.
Tamales used to just be a food Olga White brought to her family functions and holidays. Now, she makes a variety of different recipes. They include Mexican chicken and pork tamales, South American tamales and even special holiday recipes.
“I found a love for making tamales, because I was always really good at it, but I found my peace there,” said White.
After a big demand for her specialty dish, she created a business, “I Love Tamales.”
“I was so much more happier making tamales and at that point I quit my job and started selling tamales,” she said. “So, I traded in my little office cubicle for a pop-up tent.”
That pop-up tent eventually became a food truck. She has been making tamales since 2014 and opened up her truck right before the pandemic.
Tamales comprise cornmeal dough or masa and steamed inside a corn husk and traditionally stuffed with meat.
“Tamales are 9000 years old and they’ve been served to families all around the world,” said White. “There’s a purpose behind all the labor and the love and work that goes into making a tamale.”
White’s parents are from Mexico, but her roots are in Racine.
“I am a Midwestern homegirl, so I combine the love that I have for being in the Midwest, and growing up here in the Midwest with the generational traditions that my parents and my family gave to me,” said White.
When she’s not making and selling tamales, she’s hanging her apron up and trading it for a blazer. She’s also an elected official.
In addition to raising three young children, she’s overseeing the issues in her community as a County Supervisor. She said it’s a position she feels fortunate to have.
“I love being able to be part of a change,” she said. “I love being informed and I love knowing what things we can do in our community to make those changes.”
She’s happy to serve the community by not only listening to the people who live in her district, but by filling them with smiles and a delicious meal that’s sure to make you say “I love tamales.”