Mayor to judge based on mom’s signature taste

Editor’s Note: Leading up to The Best Tamales in Town contest, the San Benito News will feature in preceding editions articles announcing each of the five judges. This is the first of the five-part series.

By MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ
Managing Editor
editor@sbnewspaper.com

Joe H. Hernandez

San Benito Mayor Joe H. Hernandez was six years old when he tasted tamales for the first time.

They were rich in taste and, perhaps best of all, made from the caring hands of his mother, the late Zoila Hernandez.

Like most folks who bite into their first tamal, the mayor has been hooked ever since.

Hernandez, now an official at the highest capacity in the City of San Benito, has since become one of the more popular mayors in recent memory, enjoying the support of local citizens and businesspersons throughout the area as a two-term mayor who has never lost an election.

Owner of Joe’s Barbershop in San Benito, itself a mainstay in this charming community, Hernandez now looks forward to moving onto the next step in his storied career… judging the Third Annual San Benito News “Best Tamales in Town” contest. With a bevy of experience watching his mother, sister, and wife Oralia Hernandez prepare tamales, it’s fair to say that the mayor has a pretty good idea what makes a good batch.

After all, he’s got a taste for them.

“My mom actually used to cook tamales, and I would say they were one-of-a-kind and very tasty,” Hernandez said. “Then my sister picked it up, and now my wife. But I remember my mom always cooked tamales around this time. She was part of the ladies that participated in making tamales when they had the bazaar at St. Theresa Catholic Church. They kind of had the same recipe that my mom used to make them.”

Now the question remains: Does the mayor have a preference?

“Actually, I prefer the pork tamales, and – of course – the ones with beans,” Hernandez said before adding another favorite. “Then there are others that are pork mixed with raisins, you kind of eat those toward the end like a dessert, because of the sweetness of the raisins.”

Still, Hernandez said he’ll be open to all kinds of tamales, but more importantly he’ll be looking for that one special niche.

“I’ll be looking for the taste that my mom’s had,” he said.

Entries this year will be judged on taste, texture, originality and presentation. Those wishing to participate are asked to bring one dozen of their best tamales to the News office by 12 noon on Friday, Dec. 16. A winner will be announced shortly thereafter.

For more information, call (956) 399-2436.