Atascadero Tamale Festival attracts thousands
Photo by Richard Mason.
Winners of tamale competitions, tamale eating contest, and chihuahua costume contest announced
– Thousands of people packed downtown Atascadero for the 7th Annual Tamale Festival. More than 30 tamale vendors sold their tamales at booths in the downtown area. Others sold beverages, Mexican food, and other related products. There were close to 100 vendors in attendance overall.
Photo by Richard Mason.
Live music, dancers, and other attractions entertained the throngs of people. A chihuahua and pet costume contest attracted about a dozen well-dressed contestants. The event kicked off with fireworks at 8 p.m. on Friday night. The event was originally going to be held Jan. 14, but the winter storms forced them to postpone the event until this past weekend.
The City of Atascadero also held a tamale eating contest, and a panel of judges tasted tamales and awarded several vendors with honors for having the most exotic or most authentic tamales.
The following are the results:
Best Tamale Contest
Best Overall Tamale: Award Winning Tamales, Van Nuys
Traditional Tamale winners:
- 1st Place – Savina’s Home-Made Tamales
- 2nd Place – Award-Winning Tamales
- 3rd Place – La Luz del Mundo, Paso Robles
Gourmet Tamale winners:
- 1st Place – La Luz del Mundo, Santa Barbara
- 2nd Place – Garcia’s Restaurant, Atascadero
- 3rd Place – La Luz del Mundo, Oxnard
Gus the chihuahua and his Tamale Food Truck with owner Paige Foss. Photo by Richard Mason.
Tamale Eating Contest
Winners (12 & Over):
- 1st Place – Juan Morquez
- 2nd Place – Michael Dean
Winners (11 & Under):
- 1st Place – Liam Shutt
- 2nd Place – Bella Real
Chihuahua Boobon Antonio with owner Morgan Monroe. Photo by Richard Mason.
Chihuahua and Pet Costume Contest winners:
- 1st Place – Best Overall: Gus & the Tamale Food Truck, Owner Paige Foss
- 2nd Place – Best Execution: Boobon Antonio, Owner, Morgan Monroe
- 3rd Place – Best Costume Creativity: Margot & Owner, Ryan Duclos
The City of Atascadero posted the results and additional photos on its Facebook page:
