DIY Tamales

We are coming together on a chilly Sunday in November to drink beer and steam tamales with the charistmatic and knowledgable Steve Cortez. 

Steve is passionate and quite commited to the authentic tamale. An authentic Mexican tamale recipe is unique because of its soft tamale corn masa, made by "nixtamalization," an interesting process of mixing field corn with wood ash or lime to soften the corn - he's going to tell ua all about this, and ll share his tips and technqiues for forming the perfect one. He'll teach his recipes for several fillings (1 will be vegetarian) and will lead the group through forming the masa and stuffing the tamales; the class culimantes in a seated meal served with wine and beer.
 

Originally from San Francisco, chef Steve Cortez contributes his culinary affection to his Asian-Latino parentage and his extensive travels to over 80 countries. After a successful career in high tech Chef Steve has refined his talents in the kitchen and the classroom in teaching a wide spectrum of audiences from cooking basics to specialized cuisines of the world. He has worked under numerous masters of cuisine and is always ready to incorporate that new culinary technique or secret ingredient. Steve has appeared in many Bay Area culinary events and festivals including media spots on television and radio. He currently teaches culinary arts for programs in the East Bay, for the City of Redwood City, and Sur La Table in Palo Alto.  While not teaching, he fills in as a specialty chef for Stanford University, Apple Computers, and other local venues.